Diederik is a corporate and commercial lawyer with vast transactional experience and a profound understanding of entrepreneurial needs in businesses. His extensive expertise includes cross-border M&A work, multi-national (re)structurings, complex contracts, specialty lending and financing transactions across the world, with transactional values ranging from under a million to multiple billions.
Diederik acts for a wide variety of clients, from Fortune 500 and multi-national concerns to family-owned business and start-ups. He also advises private individuals on their legal needs. Diederik serves on the board of various international businesses as a non-executive director. A Belgian national, Diederik is based between London and Brussels and travels extensively for his clients. He is fluent in five languages.
I've found Diederik/Keystone to be an invaluable part of our story, as a startup founder it's important to surround yourself with the best people that complement your weaknesses and can offer solutions. Diederik has a refreshing approach to startups and continues to add value across HR, legal and general business practices as legal counsel and non-exec director to KLEEK. I can not recommend Diederik enough and look forward to working with him for years to come.
Antoine Commane, Founder
KLEEK
Expertise
- Cross-border and domestic M&A, buy and sell side
- Investment projects, private equity and venture capital
- Joint ventures and shareholder agreements
- Complex contracts
- International fractional ownership
- Specialty lending and funding structures
- Legal guidance to start-ups
- Holder of several non-executive board positions
- Company formation and business structuring
Experience
Germany
- Lead advisor to the buyer on the acquisition by US Recruitment Group of a German-UK software business (GBP 12m).
- Lead advisor to the buyer of the acquisition by Canadian-Dutch Group of German milling company (EUR 2m).
- Lead advisor for a German chemical group on 3 UK business acquisitions (aggregate GBP 34m).
- Lead advisor on the 40% share purchase and restructuring of a German fashion label and transition to UK.
- Acted for shareholders and UK investor in EUR 1.9m fundraising and investment & growth strategy advisor for a German-Austrian based vegan juice brand.
- Lead advisor to the owners on the sale of EUR 50m German frozen food consortium.
- Lead advisor on a EUR 22m bank loan restructuring for a German-Luxembourg consortium with a Liechtenstein bank.
- Acted for UK shareholders in the delisting and sale of a EUR 25m German listed real estate company.
- Acted for the owner on the EUR 8m sale and conversion of a Bavarian resort into a psychosomatic clinic.
- Advisor to a Saudi hotel group on two property acquisitions in Germany.
- Advisor to acquiring holding in a German PE investment (20% of shares – GBP 6m) in a UK racing car manufacturer.
- Advisor to the buyer in the acquisition by a German group of a UK calibrations business (GBP 1.2m).
- Advisor to the buyer in the acquisition by a German group of a Dutch software company (GBP 2.5m).
- Advisor to the investor of a German PE investment (17% shares – GBP 4m) in a UK solar panel manufacturer.
- Advisor to the buyer in the acquisition by a German group of a UK liquid level instrumentation business (GBP 3m).
- Advisor to a German PLC on the hostile take-over of a UK PLC traded on the open market.
- Advisor to the buyer in the acquisition by a German company of a UK pressure instrumentation business (GBP 4.2m).
- Advisor to the investor in a PE Investment of GBP 4.5m by a German investor in a UK racing car manufacturer.
- Global lead and coordination of due diligence phase in the acquisition by a German group of a global supplier of electro-technical services (EUR 30m) – 7 jurisdictions.
- Acted for Ilford Group on EUR 7.5m acquisition of German Tecco business by Ilford Group.
- Advised on EUR 1.5m acquisition of Dutch business Graphic Mission BV by German Group GMG Colour GmbH & Co. KG.
- Advised on a EUR 22m bank loan restructuring for a German–Luxembourg consortium with a Liechtenstein bank.
- Set up of UK based EIS film production fund, management and counsel to German fashion brand.
- Advised on EUR 7.5m acquisition of German Tecco business by Ilford Group, acted for buyer.
- Lead advisor on EUR 1.5m acquisition of Dutch business Graphic Mission BV by German Group GMG Colour GmbH & Co. KG, acted for buyer.
- Acquisition by US Recruitment Group of a German-UK software business (GBP 12m) – lead advisor to buyer
- Acquisition by Canadian-Dutch Group of German milling company (EUR 2m) – lead advisor to buyer
- Lead advisor for German chemical group on 3 UK business acquisitions (aggregate GBP 34m)
- Lead advisor on 40% share purchase and restructuring of German fashion label and transition to UK
- EUR 1.9m fundraising and investment & growth strategy advisor for German-Austrian based vegan juice brand – acting for shareholders and UK investor
- Lead advisor on sale of EUR 50m German frozen food consortium – acting for owners
- Lead advisor on EUR 22m bank loan restructuring for German-Luxembourg consortium with Liechtenstein bank – achieved 50% haircut
- Delisting and sale of EUR 25m German listed real estate company – acting for UK shareholders
- Advisor on EUR 8m sale and conversion of Bavarian resort into psychosomatic clinic – acting for owner
- Advisor to Saudi hotel group on 2 property acquisitions in Germany
- German PE investment (20% of shares – GBP 6m) in UK racing car manufacturer – advisor to acquiring holding
- Acquisition by German Group of UK calibrations business (GBP 1.2m) – advisor to buyer
- Acquisition by German Group of Dutch software company (GBP 2.5m) – advisor to buyer
- German PE investment (17% shares – GBP 4m) in UK solar panel manufacturer – advisor to investor
- Acquisition by German Group of UK liquid level instrumentation business (GBP 3m) – advisor to buyer
- Advisor to German PLC on hostile take-over of UK PLC traded on the open market
- Acquisition by German company of UK pressure instrumentation business (GBP 4.2m) – advisor to buyer
- PE Investment of GBP 4.5m by German investor in UK racing car manufacturer – advisor to investor
- Acquisition by German group of a global supplier of electro-technical services (EUR 30m) – global lead and coordination of due diligence phase – 7 jurisdictions
- Acted in the sale of the cable activities of Belgian municipalities to a telecoms group for EUR 900m, combined with a reinforcement of the group’s equity base of EUR 1.25bn
Middle East
- Renegotiation on behalf of Africa’s largest Telecom Group of USD 5bn strategic partnership contract
- Lead advisor on acquisition of 4 cable networks in central Africa by MTN Group
- Advisor on structuring of fractional ownership of holiday homes in Morocco
- Lead Advisor on $12m investment in South African foundation
- Renegotiation on behalf of Africa’s largest Telecom Group of USD 5bn strategic partnership contract.
- Lead advisor on the acquisition of four cable networks in central Africa by MTN Group
- Advisor on the structuring of fractional ownership of holiday homes in Morocco
- Lead Advisor on a $12m investment in a South African foundation.
- Restructuring of American hardware group – project coordinator for 14 African jurisdictions.
- Acted in the USD 1.745 bn demerger by the American Standard Companies Inc. of its global bath and kitchen business – coordination of 12 European and African jurisdictions.
Other
- Advised on numerous M&A and investment transactions in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa
- Acted in multi-jurisdictional JV and corporate group structurings
- Advised on several IPOs ranging in value from EUR 50m to 1.2bn
- Advised on fractional ownership acquisitions in England, Scotland, Italy and Morocco
- Acted in the reorganisation of the capital structure and the junior debt of an international telecoms company in connection with a high-yield bond issuance (EUR 750m)
- Acted in the restructuring of the EUR 160m debt of a listed IT group combined with the sale of the debt to another IT group followed by a swap of debt into equity, and advised on the change of control practicalities
- Renegotiated a USD 1.5bn contract concerning the international wholesale activities of a telecoms group
- Acted in the worldwide restructuring of an American hardware and technology group, split into 3 new divisions in 180 jurisdictions, with the sale of one global division for 1.75bn to a PE fund
- Advised on a EUR 22m bank loan restructuring for a German–Luxembourg consortium with a Liechtenstein bank
- Managed the worldwide tax-driven restructuring of an American pharmaceutical group (revenue USD 40bn), 17 jurisdictions, and advised on corporate matters
- Set up a joint venture between a UK student housing developer and an investment fund to invest £400m across Europe
- Acted on several £3–12m sales and purchase transactions across Europe, whereby hotels and private properties were converted into care homes
- Restructuring of American hardware group – project coordinator for 14 African jurisdictions
- USD 1.745 bn demerger by the American Standard Companies Inc. of its global Bath and Kitchen business – coordination of 12 European and African jurisdictions.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Career
Diederik qualified as a solicitor in 2003. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2015, he worked at the following firms:
- Roedl & Partner
- Baker and McKenzie