Pacific Andes
BANKING SPECIAL M&A
Ronil Sujan (1967)
has been Managing
Director and Head
of Asia-Pacific M&A
since 2008. Hejoined
Rabobank in 1998 and
has been instrumental
in the success of
Rabobank India Finance.
Prior to Rabobank, he
held senior positions
at Bank of America in
India, ANZ Investment
Bank in London and
Price Waterhouse in
the US. Sujan is a board
member of the Execu-
tive Committee of the
Rabobank-Rothschild
Cooperation.
go down well, notably here in Asia. This is a fast-moving,
entrepreneurial, relationship-driven market, so Rabobank's
speed, knowledge and relationship management skills
are advantages." It's a good place to go down well. GDP
growth in India, China and Indonesia is more than five
percent per year and their combined population is
a number of core Rabobank clients globally
in several transactions including: Sara Lee
in the sale of their Spanish bakery business;
Barry Callebaut in the sale of Stollwerck
(read more on page 36);Tereos in the sale of Quartier Francais;
Tangerine in the sale of the company to the Blackstone Group;
Bright Dairy in the acquisition of Yoplait and in the acquisition
of Synlait milk; Schreiber in the acquisition of Dean Foods
yoghurt business and Forlasa in the sale of the company to
Lactalis.
more than one-third of the world's.
Fernandez is positive about prospects in
Latin America, too. He says: "Latin America,
and specifïcally South America, is set play
out as a global force in F&A markets, not
just in growth but in influence on the
international space. Clients want knowledge,
but they also want the integrity and
continuity. That's a strong card we have:
competence with integrity." Durand spells
it out. "Our strategy is clear: To become the
trusted advisor to our chosen core clients
and position Rabobank, together with
WCI and FAR as the food and agri thought
leader. It is about working intensively
together and cross-fertilising our knowledge
and skills." In 2010-2011 Rabobank advised
When a consortium of investors led by global fishing giant Pacific
Andes looked at expanding its capability in Europe, itturned to
Rabobank's M&A group as its sole financial advisor. Result: the
acquisition of 10 German and French businesses of seafood
processor Icelandic Group HF. But Rabobank's involvement didn't
end there. The bank agreed to cover the Pacific Andes consortium's
obligations under the sale and purchase agreement. It is also
currently in advanced discussions over financing. With Pacific
Andes based in Hong Kong and Icelandic Group in Europe, the
transaction was facilitated by Rabobank's M&A teams in Germany
and Hong Kong.
Ronil Sujan, Head of Asia-Pacific M&A, says: 'This was a complex
deal and a complex situation and the teams combined well in
managing the client's expectations as well as concluding the deal.
The bank also participated in the financing and hedging facilities,
so it was a fully integrated service facility that we offered our cliënt."
The transaction allows Pacific Andes to extend its operations by
gaining direct access to secondary processing in the high-value-
added markets in frozen seafood in Europe. It's a prime illustration
of how Rabobank is using a global M&A approach to benefit its
clients - and to help secure other business for the bank.
Emmanuel Durand, Global Head of M&A, says: "Pacific Andes is a
world leader in the seafood market and is expanding significantly
globally. This cross-border acquisition has allowed Pacific Andes to
expand and implement its strategie ambitions. It has also presented
the bank with financing opportunities. Because of this transaction,
we are going to have other M&A opportunities in the future with
Pacific Andes on the acquisition side, the capital structure side and
every different possible strategie direction."
RI WORI.D