Simon Lyell

Partner London

Biography

Simon Lyell
Simon Lyell is a Private Equity partner in London who specialises in the full spectrum of domestic and cross-border private equity transactions involving growth investments, acquisitions, disposals and restructurings, together with general corporate advisory work for portfolio companies of private equity clients.

He regularly advises clients including A&M Capital Europe, Blackstone Growth, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation, Brookfield, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, TCV and their portfolio companies on their transactions.

Simon is listed as a Leading Partner for Private equity in Legal 500 UK 2025 and has been described by clients as “an exceptionally creative and clever thinker who is able to articulate ideas very clearly, coming up with creative solutions... Simon provides clear and concise advice… He is a joy to work with and an outstanding lawyer leading his field”. He has been recognised as a leading lawyer for Private Equity by Chambers UK 2020, where clients describe him as "extremely pragmatic and practical," and takes “a good commercial approach to everything”, and he is ranked as Highly Regarded for Private Equity in IFLR 1000 UK 2021. Simon was previously included Financial News’ inaugural “40 Under 40 – The Rising Stars of Legal Services” list for lawyers across the UK and Europe.

Experience includes advising:

  • BCI on the sale of its majority stake in Hayfin to Arctos
  • Brookfield Asset Management and portfolio company Schoeller Allibert on its merger with Intelligent Packaging Limited
  • Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board: on the acquisition of Logoplaste group; as part of a consortium, on the £4.1 billion takeover of Inmarsat plc in one of the largest UK take-privates of 2019; its staged acquisition of the OGF group in France from Pamplona Capital; portfolio company Busy Bees on its acquisitions of Treetops Nurseries and BrightPath Early Learning; sell down of an interest in Busy Bees to Temasek; its acquisition of a significant minority interest in the Lowell Group; and on the acquisition and sale of Acorn Care and Education
  • Blackstone Growth: who, together with EQT Growth, participated in a $450 million funding round for Epidemic Sound that valued Epidemic at $1.4 billion; as lead investor in a $800 million Series C funding round for Mollie which values the company at $6.5 billion and on its follow on investment in RELEX
  • TCV as lead investor on: the Series E funding round for Revolut, making it one of Europe’s most valuable fintech groups; its Series D investment in WorldRemit; its acquisition and subsequent sale of Retail Merchant Services and on its follow on investment in RELEX
  • HM Government on its investment along with Bharti Global Limited to provide more than USD$1 billion to acquire OneWeb and fund the full restart of its business operations
  • A&M Capital Advisors Europe on: its acquisitions of Ayesa Inversiones, Carton Pack, IB Group, GB UK and STOK Emballage as well as numerous bolt-on acquisitions for these portfolio companies
  • Berkshire Partners on their acquisition and subsequent sale of Teraco
  • Real Capital Analytics on its acquisition of Datscha
  • The ad hoc committee of creditors of KCA Deutag on its restructuring, the acquisition of Saipem and the eventual sale of KCA Deutag
  • Ares on the refinancing of TalkTalk Telecom Group

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