Harold Vanden Berghe

Harold advises on cross-border and domestic M&As, finance and capital markets transactions, and provides the full spectrum of corporate and financial law advice, including market abuse, corporate governance and company law.

He has also experience in corporate reorganizations, joint ventures and venture capital transactions.

He works across a variety of sectors, including regulated industries such as energy, financial services and healthcare.

He is an assistant lecturer in a corporate and finance law course at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB).

ECM

• Advised the banks' syndicate on the IPO of Biotalys.

• Advised JP Morgan in the context of the EUR 500 million convertible bonds issuance of Umicore SA.

• Advised the banks' syndicate on the 2017 rights issue of Aedifica.

• Advised Viohalco, a major Greek industrial group, on several corporate reorganisations involving complex and innovative techniques. It included several cross-border mergers and the IPOs of two new holding entities on Euronext Brussels and the Athens stock exchange.

• Advised on various ECM files in the context of his secondment to the KBC Group's capital markets team.

M&A

• Advised Bia Group on its strategic partnership with Sumitomo Corporation. 

• Advised BeVet Group on its strategic partnership with Transition Capital Partners (including structuring, negotiation and implementation of the MIP).

• Advised International Post Corporation SC in relation to the structuring, coordination and execution of a reverse cross-border merger.

• Advised the French group, Vivalto Vie Holding SAS, on its EUR 185 million acquisition of a group of nursing homes in Belgium owned by Luxempart, Groupe Alliance, Caisse d'Epargne Nord France and other Belgian private shareholders.

• Advised a potential buyer of the insulation unit of Recticel in the context of Greiner's public takeover.

• Advised Anheuser-Busch InBev on its acquisition of SABMiller for EUR 92 billion through a three-step transaction consisting of a scheme of arrangement in the UK, a Belgian takeover bid and a reverse merger under Belgian law, whereby a new Belgian top company leads the combined group, with listings on Euronext Brussels, and the New York, Johannesburg and Mexico stock exchanges.

• Advised Elia on the transactional and regulatory aspects in relation to the acquisition of the local electricity transmission grid of Nethys SA in Belgium.

• Advised Asahi Glass Europe (AGC), a world-leading manufacturer of glass, chemicals, and high-tech materials, on the creation of a worldwide joint venture with Kinestral Technologies to sell, distribute and service smart-tinting glass.

• Advised RWE on the potential acquisition of T-Power, a Belgian company operating a combined-cycle power plant.

• Advised the Chugoku Electric Power Co. on the acquisition of 49% of the portfolios of operational onshore wind farms collectively known as EDPR France and EDPR Champions from EFG Hermes Holding and the Abu Dhabi Investment Council.

• Advised Essent/Innogy on the potential acquisition of E.ON's power and gas client portfolio in the Netherlands and Belgium.

• Advised Novartis on the carve-out and the reorganization of its Belgian activities in the context of the USD 25 billion Alcon spin-off.

Funds Structuring & Formation

• Advised WeLoveFounders Fund on its structuring, capital raising and capital raising.

• Advised SRIW and Sogepa on the structuring, creation and fundraising for the Amerigo Fund, a new fund launched by the Walloon government to assist companies in the post-COVID era.

• Advised the Belgian AIF, VVH Invest SA, on its structuring, establishment, capital raising and MIP.

• Advised a Belgian biotech fund on its structuring, establishment and capital raising.

• Advised ForsVC, a fund dedicated to videogames, on its structuring and establishment.

• Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) - Assistant Lecturer, Corporate and Finance Law
• London School of Economics (LSE) - Research Assistant, Securities Law (2014-2015)