Neil Barlow specializes in cross-border M&A, with a particular focus on private equity transactions.
Neil advises international and domestic private equity houses, financial sponsors and corporates on a wide range of matters including acquisitions, disposals, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, mergers, joint ventures, minority and growth capital investments, PIPEs, IPOs and restructurings.
Neil has particular experience of advising on M&A in North America, Europe and Latin America and is adept at executing domestic or cross-border transactions involving those geographies.
Neil has spent time on secondment with CVC Capital Partners and with 3i.
- AA plc (the UK’s leading roadside assistance provider) and its owner Acromas Holdings (backed by Charterhouse, CVC Capital Partners and Permira), on its IPO on the London Stock Exchange
- Alter Domus on its acquisition of IPS Fund Services
- Alter Domus on its acquisition of Credit-Vision Limited
- AlterDomus on its strategic partnership with Permira
- AlterDomus on its strategic expansion into the United States
- Apax and Permira on the sale of New Look to Brait
- Ardian on its US$525 million acquisition by its investee company, the Dedalus Group, of DXC Technology's (NYSE: DXC) healthcare software provider business
- Ascendant Group on its sale to Canadian power and utilities investor Algonquin
- Blackstone on the acquisition of Clarion Events, one of the world’s leading independent events organizers, from Providence Equity Partners
- Blackstone on its merger of Clarion Events with Global Sources, an exhibition and online B2B marketplace operator based in Hong Kong
- Blackstone on the acquisition of a majority stake in temporary workspace business The Office Group
- CDPQ on its acquisition of a minority stake in asset manager SURA Asset Management
- Corinthian Capital on its sale of Eastern Wholesale Fence Company to Center Rock Capital Partners and Leelanau Private Capital
- CVC Capital Partners and Cinven on their acquisition of consumer credit provider NewDay from Varde Partners
- CVC Capital Partners on its acquisition of a significant stake in the RAC
- CVC Capital Partners on its acquisition of warranty services provider Domestic & General from Advent
- CVC Capital Partners on the sale of online service payment provider Skrill to Optimal Payments
- CVC Capital Partners on its acquisition of a significant minority stake in anti-virus software company Avast
- CVC Capital Partners on the acquisition of a significant minority stake in Moove, a leading manufacturer and distributor of specialty lubricants for the transportation industry
- Electra Private Equity on its sale of Elian fiduciary services to Intertrust B.V.
- EQT on its acquisition of global distributor of speciality chemicals and food ingredients Azelis
- Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, through its portfolio company Brit, on their joint investment alongside Blackstone Tactical Opportunities into Ki, the first fully digital and algorithmically-driven Lloyd’s syndicate
- FIS, the Fortune 500 fintech company on its acquisition of a majority stake in Virtus Partners
- Macquarie on its acquisition of the Briceño-Tunja-Sogamoso (BTS) toll road concession in Colombia
- MIRA, ACP and VER on their acquisition of a 100% interest in the Elenia group from 3i Infrastructure
- National Storage Affiliates Trust (NYSE: NSA), a Maryland real estate investment trust, on its acquisition of SecurCare Self Storage, Inc.
- OpCapita on its acquisition of US fast fashion retailer, Maurices
- Permira on its acquisition of Cisco’s video software and processing business
- Permira on the sale of Iglo to Nomad Foods for €2.6 billion
- Permira on its acquisition of Pantheon Healthcare
- Platinum Equity on its acquisition of CBS Corporation’s European outdoor advertising business
- Premia Holdings Ltd on its acquisition of Navigators Holdings (Europe) NV (and its associated companies, including Assurances Continentales – Continentale Verzekeringen NV of Belgium and Canal Re S.A. of Luxemburg) from The Hartford
- Quad Gas Consortium (comprised of MIRA, ACP, CIC, Hermes, QIA and Amber) on the acquisition of 61% of National Grid’s gas distribution network
- SAZKA Group, one of the largest lottery groups in Europe, on its issuance of €500 million convertible preference shares to Apollo Global Management
- Sedgwick, a Carlyle portfolio company, on its acquisition of York Risk Services Group
- Sedgwick, a Carlyle portfolio company, on its acquisition of Stericycle's Expert Solutions service line
- Sedgwick, a Carlyle portfolio company, on the sale of its group health peer review and independent medical examination assets to ExamWorks, LLC
- Watford Holdings on its approximately US$700 million acquisition by Bermuda-based insurance, reinsurance and mortgage insurance company Arch Capital Group Ltd.
- 3i Infrastructure on its acquisition of the Infinis Land Fill Gas business from Terra Firma
- 3i Infrastructure on its acquisition of Wireless Infrastructure Group
- 3i Infrastructure on its acquisition of a significant minority stake in each of Oiltanking Ghent and Oiltanking Terneuzen
- 3i Infrastructure and AMP Capital in connection with its acquisition of ESVAGT, an emergency rescue and response vessels provider to the offshore oil and gas
News and client work
Contact details
- Clifford Chance, New York
- +1 212 878 4912
- Email me
- Follow me on LinkedIn
- Practice area M&A corporate
- Sector Private equity, Infrastructure investors
About the Tech Group
Integrated and dynamic, our Tech Group is a single global team delivering strategic tech law advice to help clients stay ahead of the curve and outstrip the pace of change.

Career and qualifications
- Georgetown University (SFS) 2008
- University of Sussex (LLB) 2009
- University of Law (LPC) 2010
- Joined Clifford Chance 2011
- Admitted as a solicitor in England & Wales 2013
- Licensed as a Legal Consultant in New York 2019
- Partner since 2021
- Admitted as an Attorney-at-Law in New York 2022