Hogan Lovells’ rising M&A star Dan Simons landed a raft of de-SPAC and M&A deals last year despite subdued investor confidence and muted M&A activity.
In February 2022, Simons acted for London-listed Clipper Logistics on its £1bn takeover by GXO Logistics, opposite Freshfields. Over summer, he then advised Nasdaq-listed engineering services company Tetra Tech on its recommended £636m takeover offer of RPS Group, in a hotly contested offer opposite RPS’s external advisers, Linklaters.
Simons also won work on two of the largest de-SPAC transactions last year, advising European FinTech IPO Company 1 B.V on its listing on Euronext Amsterdam, as well as its €1.3bn acquisition of Azerion Holdings, an impressive feat against a tough economic climate. Simons capped off the year with a new client win, working with Bank of Telecom on its acquisition by Dutch-listed Crystal Peak for $450m, another bumper de-SPAC deal.
When he is not scoring top corporate mandates, Simons helps run the firm’s European senior associate training course for associates wanting more responsibility, plus senior associates trying to step up into the counsel and partnership route.