Ruediger Schmidt-Bendun

In recognition of his work, Dr. Schmidt-Bendun is listed in the JUVE Handbuch as a highly recommended lawyer in Private Equity and was named to Best Lawyers in Germany 2024 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law.

Significant transactions include advising:

• SDCL Edge Acquisition Corporation, an NYSE-listed SPAC, in its business combination with cunova GmbH, a leading global manufacturer of high-end specialty copper alloy products
• TSG Consumer Partners and Backcountry in the sale of Bergfreunde GmbH, a Germany-based online retailer of premium outdoor apparel and equipment, to DECATHLON S.E., the world’s largest sporting goods retailer
• Hermann Rosen, founder of ROSEN Group, a global leader in inspection and integrity management services for energy transmission pipelines, in the carve-out of the company’s New Ventures division, the sale of ROSEN Group to Partners Group AG and a significant reinvestment by Mr. Rosen in the new ownership structure
• Trimble on its €1.9 billion acquisition of Transporeon, a leading cloud-based transportation management software platform, from Hg
• a consortium led by Energy Infrastructure Partners on the acquisition of approximately 20% of Fluxys Group, an operator of gas pipelines and LNG terminals across Europe, from Canadian pension fund Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and its partnership with Publigas SA, which owns approximately 77% of Fluxys Group
• FINN, a leading car subscription platform, in its US$110 million Series B financing round led by Korelya Capital, including both new and existing investors, with an implied company value of more than US$500 million
• Celonis, a German decacorn and global leader in execution management, currently valued at US$13 billion, in its US$400 million Series D extension led by the Qatar Investment Authority, including both new and existing investors
• Energy Infrastructure Partners in:
  • its minority investment of up to €700 million in Eni Plenitude, an Italian diversified energy transition company, at an enterprise value of over €10 billion and a post-money equity value of approximately €8 billion
  • the acquisition of a 49% stake in Iberdrola’s €1.425 billion Wikinger offshore wind farm
• Færch Group and its owner, A.P. Møller Holding, on the acquisition of PACCOR Group from U.S. private equity firm Lindsay Goldberg
• The KraftHeinz Company in its acquisition of an 85% stake in Just Spices GmbH
• Sanity Group GmbH in its formation of a joint venture with an international team of scientists to create Endosane Pharmaceuticals GmbH, which will develop pharmaceuticals for the treatment of neuropsychiatric and psychiatric disorders
• HeidelbergCement AG in its partnership with Thoma Bravo and the acquisition of a 45% stake in Command Alkon, a company specializing in cloud-based supply chain technology solutions for heavy building materials, from Thoma Bravo at an implied pre-money valuation of the business of US$1.7 billion
• Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in relation to the €3.8 billion sale of CeramTec to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and BC Partners
• the shareholders of SEEPEX GmbH in the US$514 million sale of SEEPEX to Ingersoll Rand Inc.
• the shareholders of Canyon Bicycles, Roman Arnold and TSG Consumer Partners in the sale of a majority stake in Canyon Bicycles to Groupe Bruxelles Lambert
• Coty Inc. in its strategic partnership with KKR & Co. Inc. including the carveout sale of 60% of its professional beauty and retail hair businesses to KKR with an enterprise value of US$4.3 billion
• Credit Suisse Energy Infrastructure Partners in its acquisition of a minority stake in the €2 billion Arkona offshore windfarm
• Gulf Energy Development in its:
  • acquisition of a 50% stake in offshore wind farm Borkum Riffgrund 2 from Global Infrastructure Partners and its joint venture with Ørsted
  • the subsequent disposal of 50.01% of its stake in the €3 billion wind farm, representing a 25% interest in the project, to a joint venture of Singapore-based Keppel Infrastructure Trust and Keppel Corporation Limited, and the related joint venture agreement between Gulf and Keppel
• I Squared Capital in connection with its acquisition of PEMA Group through its portfolio company TIP Trailer Services
• Ocean Link in connection with the sale of shares in the Ruby Hotel Group to Otto Group
• Picnic International B.V. in connection with its partnership with Edeka and Edeka’s investment in Picnic
• The SCP Group in its:
  • €1.2 billion acquisition of the Real Group from METRO AG
  • sale of digital business of Real, including the online marketplace operated under real.de, to Schwarz Gruppe
• SIGNA in connection with the investment of AEON and The Central Group into SIGNA Sports United and the formation of a strategic partnership

His representations advising private equity clients prior to joining Skadden include:

• American Industrial Partners in the combination of the Goss printing business with Manroland
• Apax Partners in the acquisition of Azelis Group
• Avista Capital Partners in the multibillion-euro bidding process for the global dermatology business from Bayer AG
• Deutsche Beteiligungs AG in its acquisition of Braun Group
• HQ Equita in its acquisition of r2p and Open Access
• One Equity Partners in connection with the acquisition of the worldwide peroxide business of FMC Corporation
• TSG Consumer Partners in its investment in Canyon Bicycles

Mr. Schmidt-Bendun’s representations advising corporate clients prior to joining Skadden include:

• ASML in all legal aspects of its acquisition of a shareholding in Carl Zeiss SMT
• Celanese in the acquisition of Italy-based SO.F.TER. Group
• Daimler AG in connection with a model case procedure under the German Capital Markets Model Case Act before the Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart, Federal Supreme Court and European Court of Justice regarding a supposed delayed ad hoc disclosure
• GE in connection with the proposed acquisition of Adwen
• GFKL Financial Services in connection with the acquisition of a majority stake by Advent
• Heineken in a series of cross-border M&A deals
• International Petroleum Investment Company in connection with the settlement agreement with MAN after the acquisition of a majority stake in Ferrostaal
• Magna in its acquisition of Stadco
• NTT DATA in the squeeze-out at itelligence AG
• shareholders of the private bank Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. in connection with the sale to Deutsche Bank
• shareholders of GETRAG in connection with the sale to Magna
• Scholz AG in the taking up of Toyota Tsusho Corporation as an investor and the restructuring of its balance sheet (deal volume €1.48 billion)
• Union Investment in its joint venture with ZBI and the establishment of a €1 billion residential real estate fund
• Valora in the €190 million acquisition of BackWerk