Rob Irving

Practice Areas

Rob Irving is an experienced M&A and private equity partner and co-head of Dentons’ Corporate/M&A practice group in Europe. He has worked on landmark transactions throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Southeastern Europe (SEE) as well as outbound transactions by CEE and SEE clients around the world since 1991.

Work Highlights

- A UK-based, Europe-focused infrastructure fund: Advising the fund in connection with the auction sale of a Slovak energy group that invests across the energy sector, including energy generation, distribution and supply. In the context of an auction process involving the bids of a number of prominent European energy companies, the fund ultimately sold the group to a fast-growing Czech energy firm owned by a Czech investment group.

- A UK-based, Europe-focused infrastructure fund: Advising the fund in connection with the sale of a Polish gas distribution group.

- An SEE-focused private equity fund: Advising the fund in the acquisition of a Romania-headquartered coffee group that operates the seventh largest coffee retail chain in Europe. We also represented the fund in negotiating a minority investment by CEE’s leading mezzanine fund, in the fund’s acquisition vehicle for the transaction.

- Slovak technology company: Advising the company in connection with the sale of its machine vision and automation solutions business unit to a US listed technology company.

- Czech investment group: Advising the group on: (i) the sale of a 75 percent stake in the leading gaming and sportsbook operator in Croatia to an international sports betting and gambling company listed on the London Stock Exchange, and (ii) the contribution of its residual stake in exchange for a 25 percent stake in a newly established joint-venture vehicle. The transaction valued the target business at an estimated €920 million.

- The shareholders of a Czech-headquartered manufacturer of world class optical, opto-mechanical and optoelectronic products: Representing the family shareholders in connection with the sale of the company to a one of the largest global investment firms.

- A listed European real estate group: Advising the group in connection with a €250 million equity investment by an institutional alternative asset management firm into a Czech issuer. This investment involved a significant minority stake in a subsidiary that holds a diverse portfolio of 11 office and two retail properties in Warsaw, collectively valued at over €1 billion.

- Hungarian autonomous vehicle technology company: Advising the company and its shareholders on its sale to a multinational automotive manufacturing corporation.

- Hungarian drink producer: Advising the company, one of the most dynamically developing FMCG brands in the world, on all aspects of the establishment of a joint venture in Azerbaijan for the production and filling of aluminum beverage cans in Azerbaijan.

- An SEE-focused private equity fund: Representing the fund in connection with their acquisition of a Serbian holding company for an educational group operating across Serbia, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We also represented the fund in negotiating a minority investment by CEE’s leading mezzanine fund, in the fund’s acquisition vehicle for the transaction.

- A Bulgaria-headquartered global software company: Representing the company and its founders in connection with a €3.5 million seed capital financing round provided by a private equity fund and certain other investors.

- Slovakia-based process mining technology company: Advising the shareholders and management of the company on its sale to a leading global technology corporation listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange.

- A Hungarian private equity fund: Advising the fund in connection with its acquisition of the operator of Hungary’s leading private university.

- Czech Republic-based family-owned global leader in CN-based specialty chemicals: Advising the company on its strategic partnership with funds managed by a global investment manager specializing in alternative investments, which made a US$150 million preferred equity investment in the client’s company.

- Czech financial and investment group: Advising on its sale of a market-leading mobile phone operator in Montenegro to a Hungarian technology company.

- Listed Hungarian telecommunications and IT company: Advising on the acquisition of a telecommunications infrastructure and solutions provider in Hungary.

- A group of private investors: Advising a group of private investors as sellers in the sale of the second largest and fastest-growing mobile operator in Albania, to a Hungarian technology company.

- European customer data and experience platform: Advising the family office of a Slovak businessman on the sale of the platform to a US venture capital–backed eCommerce digital experience platform. In a related transaction, a global investment firm invested US$150 million in the platform.

- Private equity fund focused on investments in European software companies: Advising in connection with its investment in a Southeastern European company focused on software solutions for insurance companies with operations in five countries and insurance clients in several more.

- A Hungarian asset management company: Advising on the acquisition from a global private equity firm of a Dutch holding company that owned a 61 percent stake in a leading Class “A” office building and shopping mall investor and developer in CEE.

- A Slovakia-based technology company that provides a best-in-class audience interaction platform: Advising on its sale to a Silicon Valley tech giant.

Languages Spoken

English, French and Spanish