Lucy Gillett

Lucy Gillett is a Partner in the Firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions practice. Named a 2024 “U.K. Female Rising Star” by Law.com International, Lucy has experience across a broad range of transactions, from complex cross-border private equity portfolio acquisitions to acquisitions and disposals of interests in private equity firms and other alternative asset managers, as well as public M&A transactions. Lucy also represents clients on IPOs and other equity capital markets transactions and provides board-level advice on general corporate matters, particularly those relevant to U.K.-listed companies.

Lucy’s recent work highlights include:

• H.I.G. Capital in its proposed acquisition of Kantar Media from Bain Capital controlled Kantar Group
• Rosebank in its admission to trading on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange and its placing of ordinary shares 
• EQT in its recommended cash acquisition of Keywords Studios Plc
• Bridgepoint in its addition of ECP to its platform, to create a €57 billion global private markets asset manager
• Melrose in its demerger of the GKN Automotive, GKN Powder Metallurgy and GKN Hydrogen businesses into a new independent holding company, Dowlais Group plc, which was listed on the London Stock Exchange
• Baring Private Equity Asia on its acquisition by EQT AB for consideration valued at €6.8 billion
• Bridgepoint in its acquisition of EQT’s credit business
• Bridgepoint Group plc in its IPO on the London main market, as well as a number of financial sponsor-backed London IPOs, including Baltic Classifieds Group PLC (Apax), Calisen PLC (KKR), Auto Trader Group PLC (Apax) and Manx Telecom (HgCapital)
• Apax in connection with multiple significant block trades of ordinary shares in the capital of Baltic Classifieds Group PLC
• Multiple engagements for Melrose, including the acquisition by tender offer of its Nortek manufacturing business and associated rights issue, the £3.3 billion sale of its Elster utility metering business and associated return of capital and the disposal of its Walterscheid Powertrain Group to One Equity Partners
• Silver Lake in its Code-governed takeover of ZPG plc (with co-investment from GIC and PSP) for £2.2 billion
• Refinitiv and the Blackstone-led consortium in the US$27bn acquisition of Refinitiv by London Stock Exchange Group plc
• H.I.G. Capital in its acquisition of KPMG’s U.K. restructuring business
• Lone Star in its €1 billion acquisition of Manuchar
• Apax in its €1. billion sale of Spanish online real estate platform, idealista, to EQT
• Apax in its €1.04 billion sale of Rhiag to LKQ Corporation

During her time at the firm, Lucy has undertaken two secondments at Melrose, where she worked on multiple transactions and a number of commercial matters. Prior to joining Simpson Thacher in 2014, Lucy was at a magic circle firm, practising in their London, Moscow and Dubai offices.