Kamyar Abrar is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department, where he focuses on private equity and M&A transactions, including distressed transactions. He has handled numerous transactions in a variety of industries.
Kamyar also counsels clients on a wide variety of antitrust and compliance issues, ranging from mergers and acquisitions, B2B exchanges, joint ventures and distribution practices to civil litigation. He has represented clients before the European Commission, the German Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt) as well as German courts.
Kamyar is fluent in German, English and Farsi.
Experience
Prior to joining Willkie in 2020, Kamyar was a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in Frankfurt.
- “Very precise, experienced, creative, fast, assertive – a superstar."
JUVE on Kamyar Abrar (2020) - One of Germany's top M&A lawyers, an honor extended to only 91 German M&A attorneys
WirtschaftsWoche/Handelsblatt (2020) - Listed as top lawyer for M&A
Handelsblatt (2020) - Listed in Germany's Best Lawyers for M&A
Handelsblatt rating in cooperation with Best Lawyers (2020)
Since 2004, Kamyar has been a lecturer at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management where he teaches in the Master of M&A program.
Kamyar has advised on the following selected significant matters: *
- SGT Capital on the acquisition of ELATEC GmbH, a leading international developer and supplier of secure access management solutions
- EQT Growth on its investment in Integrity Next GmbH
- STARK Group on the acquisition of Austrian building materials distributor Schilowsky Baumarkt und Baustoffhandel KG
- EQT Growth on the acquisition of GotPhoto Company
- STARK Group on the acquisition of Saint-Gobain Building Distribution Ltd
- Blackstone and Blackstone Growth in numerous transactions, including the joint venture of portfolio company Clarion Events with gfu to host leading consumer electronics and home appliances trade show IFA; and Blackstone Growth’s investments in the DACH region
- STARK Deutschland GmbH on its acquisition of German building material distributor KONZ Group
- CALIDA GROUP, a global apparel group, on the acquisition of sustainable German lingerie brand erlich textil
- STARK Group on the acquisition of Dach & Wand Handels GmbH, a leading Austrian building material distributor
- commercetools GmbH, a portfolio company of Insight Partners, on its acquisition of Frontastic GmbH
- STARK Deutschland GmbH on the acquisition of Tröger & Entenmann Group, a leading German provider of water and gas supply and wastewater disposal solutions
- GHO Capital on its investment in Sanner Group
- SGT Capital on the acquisition of Utimaco Group from private equity fund EQT Mid Market Europe
- STARK Deutschland GmbH in its agreement to acquire Melle Gallhöfer, a leading German specialist dealer for roofs and facades, from private equity fund palero
- Questel and its financial sponsors Eurazeo, IK Investment Partners and Raise Investissement on the contemplated acquisition of NovumIP from Paragon Partners
- Consortium comprising lead investor Apax Partners, Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners, Summit Partners, GP Bullhound and the Founders in the sale of portfolio company Signavio, a leader in the enterprise business process intelligence and process management space, to SAP
- Apax Digital on the investment in Price f(x) AG (series C round)
- HPS Investment Partners on securing debt financing for the acquisition of Schülke by EQT Partners from Air Liquide
- Novalpina on the proposed acquisition of PharmaZell from DPE
- Lindsay Goldberg on the sale of VDM Metals Group to Acerinox S.A.
- Upfield Group B.V. on the acquisition of Arivia S.A.
- Bain Capital on the majority acquisition of Kantar from WPP
- Inven Capital on the investment in zolar GmbH (series B round)
- Lone Star Funds / Stark Group A/S on the proposed acquisition of the European building distribution business from CRH
- Apax Digital on the investment in Signavio and acquisition from Summit Partners (series C round)
- Lone Star Funds / Stark Group A/S on the acquisition of SGBDD from Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A.
- Inven Capital on the investment in and sale of sonnen GmbH to Shell New Energies
- Hannam & Partners on the sale of MKM to KME SE
- Advent/Culligan on the bolt-on acquisition of Aqua Vital Group
- GHO Capital on the acquisition of Linimed Group from Vitruvian Partners
- TowerBrook/Infopro Digital on the bolt-on acquisition of DOCUgroup from GMT Communications Partners
- Inven Capital on the investment in sunfire GmbH (series B and C rounds)
- Alibaba on the acquisition of Daraz Group from Rocket Internet
- HNA Airport Group GmbH on the acquisition of Frankfurt Hahn airport
- EQT Expansion Capital II on the sale of Roeser Group to Sana Kliniken AG
- Inven Capital on the investment in Cloud & Heat (series B and C rounds)
- TPG Capital on the sale MEDIA BROADCAST Group to Freenet AG
- Centerbridge Partners on the acquisition of Senvion SE from India’s Suzlon Group
- Bregal on the acquisition of Binder group
- Atos S.E. on the acquisition of the IT infrastructure outsourcing business of Xerox
- Cinven, Blackstone and CPPIB on their bid for assets disposed of by Holcim and Lafarge as part of their merger
- MEDIA BROADCAST Group on the sale of orbital and frequency rights to SES Astra S.A.
- General Electric on the sale of its European fleet businesses to Arval Service Lease S.A.
- Change Capital Partners on the sale of Hallhuber to GERRY WEBER International AG
- TPG Capital and DLJ Merchant Banking Funds on the sale of a majority stake in Grohe Group to LIXIL Group
- Charterhouse Capital Partners on the acquisition of Armacell Group from Investcorp SA
- General Motors on the acquisition of Ally Bank's European auto finance operations
- Summit Partners on the acquisition of a majority stake in 360 Treasury Systems AG
- Bregal on the acquisition of Novem Beteiligungs GmbH
* Kamyar advised on some of these matters prior to joining Willkie.
Credentials
Education
Universität Hamburg, Higher R.C. Frankfurt Assessor, 2010 Universität Hamburg, Dr. jur., 2007 Universität Hamburg, Referendar, 2003