Pitch Best Young M&A Lawyer 2021: Geoffrey van der Hauw, Lexence
Bekijk alle pitches & stem direct
Company: Lexence
Job Description: M&A lawyer
Age: 30
What are the specialties of this talent?
Geoffrey is a key member of our corporate M&A-team. He specialises in complex corporate and private equity transactions, both sell-side and buy-side. He has been the lead senior associate in more than sixteen notable transactions just this last year, including the sale of Quint Group by Synergia Capital Partners and Bolster Investments to Deutsche Private Equity, the sale of MACH Technology Group to Nordian Capital Partners, assisting ICT Group with multiple (cross-border) acquisitions in connection with its buy-and-build strategy, and multiple acquisitions and exits for Capital A (the acquisitions of Educator and QS Solutions) and for Synergia Capital Partners (e.g. the sale of The Human Network and the acquisition of Van der Arend Tropical Plantcenter). Geoffrey is able to take the lead, works highly independent, is always in control, and easily gains the trust of management boardmembers, private equity investors and other M&A-professionals much senior his age.
How does the talent distinguish itself from its peers?
Geoffrey stands out for his combination of deep knowledge of both legal and financial matters. In transactions he often bridges the gap between the legal and financial and valuation aspects of a transaction, a talent we do not see often with lawyers. Geoffrey has gained a deep understanding of accounting, finance and valuation through the Executive Master of M&A and Valuation at the Business School of the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and is excellent with numbers. In addition, he has strong analytical skills and is able to handle the most complex matters, also on subjects outside his specialization, while maintaining a helicopter-view in transactions and not losing sight of the objective. He easily coordinates, cooperates and builds relationships with clients, other advisors and various work streams and is liked by the client, his colleagues and his counterparts. Building on these qualities, he often takes the lead in notable transactions and is already building his own client-base.
What impact does the talent have within the organization?
Colleagues from all levels within the firm – from support staff to partners – like working with Geoffrey. He always brings positive energy in the room and is always willing to support team members when and where needed – not afraid to put his sleeves up. He is a real go-getter when things need to get done. He creates an open culture where all team members can speak up their mind and he is not afraid to do so himself. Geoffrey regularly helps updating know-how in general and in particular he has put tremendous time and effort in updating the firms' templates.
What impact does the talent have outside the organization?
Geoffrey easily connects with people and is able to attract new clients by himself. For a couple of years, he organized lectures for citizens from Amsterdam on all sorts of social topics – attracting notable and high-profile speakers from the academia and the political and corporate world. He published an article on the Warranty and Indemnity-insurance as strategic tool in M&A-transactions in a law magazine “Tijdschrift voor de Ondernemingsrechtpraktijk”.
To what extent does the talent make the difference to clients?
Clients value Geoffrey for his tireless dedication to the transaction, his can-do mentality, his pro-activeness and his quality of work. Geoffrey is recognized and appreciated by clients for his strategic insight and advice, determining the best approach and structure of a transaction. He is able to get stalled negotiations off the ground again by truly understanding the needs and desires (and sometimes emotions) of the parties involved and by bridging gaps between the parties with creative solutions or conclusive arguments. He swiftly understands the (value) drivers of a transaction and easily tailors the transaction documents accordingly. Due to his multidisciplinary background, he speaks the clients’ language and can explain complex legal matters in plain language. Clients really like Geoffrey as a person, genuinely like working with him and fully trust him handling the transaction – strongly leaning on his advice and judgment.
Why does the talent deserve this nomination?
Despite his age, Geoffrey is able to act at a level much senior to his age, and has an ability to build relationships with clients, counterparties and colleagues. He has matured in a short period of time and his understanding of accounting, finance and valuation is convincing and has proven decisive at numerous occasions in finding pragmatic and workable solutions where other lawyers struggle. This nomination underpins Geoffrey’s exemplary role within our firm for young lawyers, and is a token of our appreciation of Geoffrey’s hard work, combining a challenging practice, with business development and successfully completing an Executive Master of M&A and Valuation. We are not the only ones who believe Geoffrey deserves being recognized as Best young M&A lawyer. His nomination is supported by the Maurice Boon (CEO of Quint Group), Harm Uittien (General Counsel and Company Secretary of ICT Group), Willem Kok (CEO and shareholder of MACH Technology Group) and Wim Smit (Shareholder of Bookit Group):
Maurice Boon – CEO of Quint Group: “As an excellent and committed M&A lawyer Geoffrey has supported the executive board and the shareholders during the sale of Quint Holding B.V. in 2021. During this project Geoffrey showed in several occasions that he is on top of things and that he is fully aware of the different interests of involved internal and external stakeholders. Using his extensive knowledge, his earlier experiences and his empathy Geoffrey was always looking for the best possible solutions. His positive mindset, his humor and commitment has helped us to close the transaction in time and with the consent of all stakeholders. This is why we proudly support the nomination of Geoffrey as best Young M&A-Lawyer.”
Harm Uittien – General Counsel and Company Secretary ICT Group: “Geoffrey quickly and easily built a strong relationship with me. I appreciate his enthusiasm and dedication. Geoffrey combines the knowledge required of a good M&A lawyer with good communication skills, commercial savviness and empathy. Importantly, he also has a keen sense of the financial aspects of the deal and how to translate these into the documentation. He treats colleague lawyers and advisors with respect building professional relationships and is a good listener. He is determined to get the deal done and makes himself available when so requested.”
Willem Kok – CEO and shareholder of MACH Technology Group: “Selling the business MACH Technology Group, a business that I have built over many years, was a huge step. I did have some experience in the field of M&A, having acquired several companies over the years. But this was different. Geoffrey proved to be a very committed support in the process. His deep knowledge of all the aspects of the complex process proved to be very important to get the right kind of contract. Geoffrey was always available as a sparring partner with creative ideas without losing the necessity to reach a good deal for all parties involved out of sight. With all his energy, humor and respect for all at the table made it a pleasure to work with Geoffrey.”
Wim Smit – shareholder of Bookit Group: “Over the past year Geoffrey has assisted me on multiple transactions, including the acquisitions of Travel Company, Travel Club, Weekendjeweg.nl and BookUnited by Bookit, making Bookit one of the largest data-driven travel organisations in the Benelux. Geoffrey definitely deserves this nomination, because he is not only armed with a legal skill-set but also with deep financial knowledge as a result of which Geoffrey easily translates the financial drivers of a transaction into the legal documentation. He is firm on the content where he needs to be, but not afraid to take a pragmatic approach to solve the last issues and take the transaction to closing. Speed was of the essence in a complex travel world struck by COVID-19, and Geoffrey was able to deliver each time. For me, Geoffrey is the go-to M&A-lawyer.”
