Mehdi is a Senior Associate specialising in cross-border M&A transactions and private capital investment.
Mehdi has over 10 years' experience acting for domestic and international clients on a broad range of transactions. He specialises in cross-border M&A (private and public), private capital investment, and joint ventures, focussing on high-value and complex transactions. Mehdi works across key global geographies and international corridors (including US, Europe, Africa and Switzerland).
Clients said that his “knowledge and advice is outstanding. His full continental and common law qualification and background gives him the ability to navigate easily in an international context“ Legal 500 UK 2025 upper mid-market and premium M&A deals, £500 million + segment.
Experience & capabilities
Selected matters
- Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Limited on the acquisition of Haleon Plc’s nicotine replacement therapy business for £500 million (said to be one of the biggest outbound from India in this space)
- AustralianSuper on its on €1.5 billion acquisition of a significant minority stake in Vantage Data Centers Europe, Middle East and Africa
- Elliott Management and Brookfield Asset Management on its definitive agreement to acquire market data and television ratings group Nielsen for $16 billion
- Reliance Industries Limited on its technology licensing agreement with Nel ASA (Nel, OSE:NEL) for the purpose of manufacturing and commercialising alkaline electrolysers in India and for captive purposes globally
- Certares Opportunities LLC and Knighthead Opportunities Capital Management LLC on their US$225 million equity investment in Global Blue Group Holding AG, a leading strategic technology and payments partner
- Ixcellerate Limited on its US$200 million fundraising by, among others, Mubadala
- Telefonica on the £10 billion merger of its UK unit O2 with Liberty Global's Virgin Media
- The Ardonagh Group on the acquisition of two insurance broker companies for £600 million, and the reorganisation of its management incentive plan
- Goldman Sachs Asset Management on its exit from Beqom, a Swiss-based provider of employee compensation management and performance software solutions
- The Blackstone Group on its recommended cash offer (by way of a scheme of arrangement) for Hansteen Holdings plc, an AIM listed owner and asset manager of industrial property
- NEPI Rockcastle plc (listed on listed on Euronext and the JSE) on the sale of its subsidiaries which own a portfolio of office buildings in Romania to AFI Properties (with a deal value of €308 million). It is believed to be the largest deal in the Romanian real estate market and one of the biggest real estate deals in the Central and Eastern European region in 2019
- Synthomer plc, a FTSE 250 speciality chemicals company, on its proposed Class 1 acquisition of OMNOVA Solutions Inc. for approximately £654 million and a fully underwritten rights issue of up to £204 million
- Virgin Atlantic on the acquisition of Flybe and Flybe.com (the operating subsidiaries of Flybe Group) by Connect Airways, a joint venture company owned by Virgin Atlantic, the Stobart Group and Cyrus Capital, by way of scheme of arrangement
Background
Mehdi is dual qualified (England & Wales, and Switzerland). He first qualified in Geneva (Switzerland) and practiced as a Swiss lawyer for several years before qualifying in England & Wales and joining Herbert Smith Freehills’ M&A team in London in 2018. Mehdi holds an LLB, LLM Doctorate in law from Fribourg University (Switzerland) and a Master in Corporate Law from University of Cambridge (Darwin College).
