Noted for its capabilities across a host of work streams, including majority stake sales and whole issued share capital acquisitions, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is routinely engaged by a mix of leading PE firms and corporates. The firm boasts strong coverage, with primary areas of focus being media, real estate, and sport. The team is led by London-based Ben Spiers, a highly experienced M&A specialist. European managing partner Wheatly MacNamara is well-versed in handling high-value private equity transactions, particularly in the real estate sector, while James Howe is consistently involved in major mandates, including a number of multi-billion-Euro acquisitions. Amy Mahon and Geoffrey Bailhache are noted for their tech sector acumen, and Clare Gaskell is renowned for her corporate law expertise.
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Profile

Profile

Work Department
Real Estate
Position

Wheatly MacNamara is Managing Partner of the Firm’s London office and a member of the Firm's Executive Committee. She is head of the London Real Estate M&A practice and co-head of the London Real Estate group.

Wheatly concentrates her practice on real estate acquisitions, dispositions and joint ventures, particularly for private capital sponsors. She represents such leading international fund sponsors as Blackstone, KKR, KSL, Starwood, Apollo and Sixth Street. She has notably advised Blackstone in multiple transactions, including the over 200 acquisitions that became the Mileway last-mile logistics platform, as well as its €21 billion recapitalisation. She also acted for Blackstone on its $7 billion hyperscale data center development joint venture with Digital Realty, C$6.2 billion take-private acquisition of Dream Global REIT, its €12.25 billion sale of Logicor to CIC and its €630.7 million acquisition of Hotel Investment Partners and subsequent sale to GIC of its 35% stake in the company. She has acted for a range of sponsors on joint ventures and operating partner platforms, including with operating partners such as M7, Valor and Cabot.

Career

Joined Simpson Thacher in 2005 and was made partner in 2016.

Education

Duke University, 2001 B.A. and B.S.; Stanford Law School, 2005 J.D. Stanford Law Review; Stanford Journal of International Law.

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Key clients

  • Apax Partners Apollo Global Management Blackstone Bridgepoint Group plc Bruin Capital Corsair Capital CVC Capital Partners Hellman & Friedman H.I.G Capital EQT Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. LetterOne Investments Lone Star Funds Oakley Capital Silver Lake Nordic Capital New Mountain Capital GTCR Private Equity TCV Private Equity Eurazeo Asset Management

Work highlights

Represented Blackstone on its £10Bbn investment and development of AI data centres in Blyth, Northumberland.
Represented Software AG, a company controlled by Silver Lake, on its sale of StreamSets and webMethods, Software AG’s Super iPaaS business enterprise technology platforms, to IBM for €2.13 billion.
Represented CVC Capital Partners in connection with its acquisition of M Group Services, the U.K.’s largest provider of essential infrastructure services and solutions, from PAI Partners.