Go2Law and BDV advised Optimapharm founders Igor and Gordana Cicak and Wolf Theiss advised investor Mezzanine Management on the sale of Optimapharm to the Rohatyn Group. Babic & Partners, Taylor Wessing, and Nauta Dutilh advised the Rohatyn Group on the deal.
Founded in 2006, Optimapharm is a Croatian contract research organization. Mezzanine Management has been operating in Central Europe since 2000 through its offices in Vienna, Warsaw, Bucharest, Budapest, and Prague.
According to Mezzanine Management, it “provided a EUR 10 million mezzanine facility in October 2018 and acquired a minority equity stake in Optimapharm through AMC Capital IV, a EUR 264 million fund, marking its first investment into Croatia. Over the next 18 months, the capital was used to support organic expansion as well as three add-on acquisitions in the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Austria. The partnership saw Optimapharm increase its number of offices from 10 to 15 to serve an ever-increasing customer base across the whole of Europe.”
Go2Law’s team was led by Partner Hugh Owen.
BDV’s team was led by Partner Ivan Dvojkovic.
Wolf Theiss’ team included Partner Marcell Nemeth and Counsel Sasa Jovicic.
Babic & Partner's team included Partners Marija Gregoric and Iva Basaric and Associate Ivona Vidovic.
Editor's note: After this article was published, CEE Legal Matters learned that Taylor Wessing's team included, in London, Partners James Goold, Lerika Joubert, and Liz Wilson, Senior Counsel James Stewart, Senior Associates Mark Brewer and Alexander Walker, Associates Alice Thomas, Luc Swietochowski, Sarah Wallace, Anna Dugoni, and Katie Horbury, and Trainees Tom Witte and Laura Roberts, along with Vienna-based Partner Philip Hoflehner, Prague-based Partners Janka Brezaniova and Ivana Menhartova, Germany-based Partner Michael Stein, Budapest-based Partner Torsten Braner; and Warsaw-based Partner Olav Nemling.
