Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance appoints Kai-Niklas Schneider to global board, creating new financial investor leadership role

International law firm Clifford Chance has appointed Kai-Niklas Schneider to a new role on the firm's top strategic decision body – the Executive Leadership Group. He will have a remit to lead the firm's highly successful global focus on financial investors, such as private equity firms and asset managers.

Matthew Layton, Clifford Chance Global Managing Partner, comments: "We are hugely proud of our longstanding relationships with many of the leaders in the global financial investor community, and of our track record helping them to achieve their ambitious goals. With over USD 90 trillion under management, these organisations play a growing and critical role in the economy, and they will be indispensable in building back and shaping the new economic and business landscape as the disruption caused by COVID-19 recedes. This new global leadership role underpins our commitment to ensure we remain best-placed to help the preeminent investors now, and in the future, as the opportunities and challenges before them grow in scale and complexity.

"I am excited to welcome Kai to our Executive Leadership Group in this new position. With his extensive experience working with private funds, and as the head of our Singapore office, he is perfectly placed to lead a global team to ensure we remain the law firm of choice for the world's foremost financial investors."

Kai adds: "Working with financial investors has been at the heart of my professional career, and I cannot wait to combine my passion for this sector with this new global role. Working together with partners across all our offices and practice areas, we will ensure we remain second-to-none in the understanding, advice, and execution we offer as a trusted adviser to our financial investor clients."

Layton continues: "I would also like to thank David Bickerton for his work leading our focused efforts on financial investors over the last two years. Working with the Executive Leadership Group and partners across the firm, David has ensured that our insights and capabilities have come together across borders, allowing us to deliver outstanding support on many of the most critical and complex matters for these clients. We couldn't have achieved what we have without his tireless drive and leadership."

Clifford Chance's financial investors clients include the world's leading private equity firms, asset managers, alternative capital providers, insurers, real estate and infrastructure funds, pension and sovereign wealth funds, and family offices. The firm supports organisations on the full range of their business needs from fund structuring and formation, to financing and deal execution, restructuring and disputes, as well as regulatory, ESG, antitrust, tax, tech and employment matters.

Singapore Managing Partner since 2016, Kai is a US qualified lawyer with over 20 years of specialist experience working with financial investors. He has particular expertise in the funds sector, advising clients on the formation of and investment in a wide variety of private investment funds. An active member of the investment funds community, Kai is a member of the Advocacy Subcommittee of the Singapore Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (SVCA) and the Singapore Regulatory Committee of the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA)
 
Selected examples of key work for financial investors:

• Advising Mandated Lead Arrangers on financing for £6.8 billion acquisition of Asda
• Advising KIRKBI and the Consortium consisting of KIRKBI, Blackstone and CPPIB on the GBP 4.77 billion take private of Merlin Entertainments plc
• Advising Permira on the buyout of Topcast, the largest independent aircraft parts distributor in Asia Pacific, and on its on majority investment in EF Kids & Teens
• Advising Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets on EUR 3.5 billion acquisition of Currenta from Bayer and Lanxess
• Advising KKR/Regeborgh-owned Deutsche Glasfaser on the EUR 1.8 billion refinancing and subsequent sale to EQT/OMERS; and on the acquisition of Roompot Group
• Advising on Fidelis Insurance Holdings' USD300 million notes offering, following earlier advice on USD 1.5bn capital raise and formation.
• Advising Cinven-backed SYNLAB on a multi-facetted transaction, including the largest (EUR 850m) European high yield deal since COVID-19
• Advising Clayton, Dubilier & Rice on its investment in SIG PLC, one of the first UK PIPEs since 2009
• Advising Patrizia on its €1.2bn acquisition of a pan-European logistics portfolio from BentallGreenOak
• Advising Noor Investment Group on the sale of Islamic insurance entities
• Advising Clayton, Dubilier & Rice on its investment in SIG PLC, one of the first UK PIPEs since 2009, and on its bid for Huntsworth PLC
• Advising Oxford Finance in establishing a private credit investment program 
• Advising Eurazeo on the creation and first closing of the France-China Cooperation Fund 
• Advising Carey Watermark Investors 2 Incorporated on merger to form US$4.6 billion REIT
• Advising Stirling Square on raising €950 million in relation to its Fourth Fund