David
Fitzgibbon
Partner
David is a partner and Head of the Firm’s Corporate M&A Group and the Corporate Department.
He has extensive experience assisting clients across a range of industries on doing business in and from Ireland, including advising on acquisitions/disposals, capital raisings, corporate migrations, cross-border mergers, joint ventures and reorganisations. He has a long track record in public and private M&A and is well known for his market-leading expertise in take-private transactions.
David has advised on numerous landmark and high-profile transactions in recent years. His practice reflects his considerable experience across the agri-food, manufacturing, financial services and healthcare / life sciences sectors.
David is widely recognised as a senior strategic adviser to boards and executive leadership teams of major Irish and global corporations. He regularly provides counsel on corporate governance, operational issues, complex risk considerations and long-term organisational planning, and is valued for his ability to combine commercial pragmatism with a rigorous understanding of regulatory and market dynamics.”
Experience and Education
David is currently advising:
- the consortium comprising of funds and investment vehicles advised by Energy Capital Partners and KKR on its announced £5.75 billion recommended cash offer for DCC Energy plc by Dragon Bidco Limited, which is one of the most significant and complex public M&A transactions in the Irish market this year. The acquisition, which is intended to be implemented by means of a scheme of arrangement under Irish law, is conditional on, among other things, the approval of the scheme by DCC Energy shareholders, receipt of any necessary regulatory or other approvals and the sanction of the scheme by the High Court of Ireland.
David has recently advised:
- Tirlán Co-operative Society Limited on an equity placing of a portion of its shareholding in Glanbia plc (raising gross proceeds of approximately €230m) and the concurrent tender offer to repurchase its outstanding €250m Exchangeable Bond;
- Smurfit Kappa Group plc on its $25.5 billion merger with WestRock Company to form Smurfit Westrock;
- Horizon Therapeutics on all aspects of its acquisition by Amgen for aggregate consideration of $27 billion;
- Zoom Video Communications, Inc on its acquisition of employee communication and engagement platform, Workvivo;
- Novo Nordisk A/S on its acquisition of Neotope Neuroscience Limited for $100 million upfront and up to $1.2 billion in development and sales milestones payments;
- Horizon Therapeutics on its $960 million underwritten public offering of ordinary shares;
- Willis Towers Watson plc on its proposed $80 billion business combination with Aon plc.;
- Tirlán Co-operative Society Limited on all aspects of its acquisition of Glanbia plc’s interest in Glanbia Ireland, a dairy processing and consumer goods joint venture formed between Tirlán Co-operative Society Limited and Glanbia plc.;
- Tirlán Co-operative Society Limited on all aspects of the funding arrangements for its acquisition of Glanbia plc’s 40% interest in Glanbia Ireland. (raising approximately €310m) comprised of a share placing by Tirlán Co-op of approximately 2% of Glanbia plc’s issued share capital together with the issue by Tirlán Co-op of a €250m equity-linked exchangeable bond;
- Horizon Therapeutics on its acquisition of EirGen Pharma’s manufacturing facility in Waterford; and
- Smurfit Kappa Group on its November 2020 €660 million Share Placing.
- Council of Irish Management Institute
- Trinity College Dublin (LLB with German)
- Law Society of Ireland, admitted as a solicitor
