Akila has more than 25 years of experience in matters pertaining to mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate restructuring, and general corporate advisory.

She has extensively handled acquisitions, disposals, takeover offers, delisting offers, commercial contracts, and SEBI related matters. She specialises in public M&A. Akila has considerable national and international experience having served several significant clients across a broad range of industries and sectors.

Relevant Representation

• The Coca-Cola Company in its M&A transactions in India including the sale of 40% stake in Hindustan Coca-Cola Holdings to the Jubilant Bhartia Group; and the various refranchise transactions of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages.
• The GE group in its delisting offer of GE Transportation Financial Services; demerger of its Durgapur power boiler business to JSW; transfer of hydro and gas business undertakings; transfer of their loan assets portfolio to Shriram Transport Finance; investment in Birla Soft Limited; spin-off of its global engineering division and sale of its security business to UTC; and transfer of its nuclear business in India to EDF.
• Oracle Corporation on the acquisition of 43% stake in iFlex Solutions Limited.
• FedEx Corporation on its acquisition of Prakash Air Freight Private Limited and AFL Private Limited.
• The Government appointed board of Satyam Computer Services Limited on the public bid and sale of majority stake in the company to Tech Mahindra.
• Pernod Ricard India in in the sale of its ‘Imperial Blue’ business division to Grain & Grape Works, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tilaknagar Industries; and its minority acquisition in Aarti Distilleries.
• BNP Paribas on a global acquisition involving its India business.
• Fresenius Kabi in its acquisition of Dabur Pharma Limited, parental drugs business of Goa Formulations Limited and the India businesses of Fenwal Inc; sale of its sterile manufacturing business to Puniska Injectables.
• Alstom SA and Schneider Electric in its indirect acquisition of Areva India and their joint open offer to the public shareholders of Areva India; and global sale of Alstom’s thermal power business to GE.
• Siemens AG in connection with its voluntary open offer to the public shareholders of Siemens India Limited.
• Dixon Technologies in the acquisition of minority stake in Aditya Infotech Limited and joint ventures with Signify Innovations India Limited, Kunshan Q Tech Microelectronics (India) Limited, Ismartu India Private Limited and HKC Corporation Limited
• Adani on joint venture with Total Energies.
• Citigroup and DSP Merrill Lynch, on the buy-back offer made by Reliance Industries Limited.
• Restructuring of BBC India operations and setting up of new Indian owned and controlled entity.
• Akzo Nobel India Limited in the sale of powder coatings and International Research Center business to Akzo Nobel. N.V.
• PVR Limited in its acquisition of Cinemax India and consequent mandatory tender offer; acquisition of DT Cinemas; the sale of shares by Mr. Bijli to Warburg Pincus; and the sale of their BluO Entertainment business to Smaash Entertainment Limited.
• DLF Limited in the sale of 40% promoter stake in its commercial real estate arm to GIC Singapore; DLF Brands in the transfer of its Mother’s Pride, Lens Crafters and Sunglass Hut businesses to Reliance Retail.
• Mastercard in relation to its investment in Pine Labs Pte. Ltd.
• Persistent System in its acquisition of MediaAgility India, Shree Infosoft, Data Glove IT Solutions, Arrka Infosec Private Limited, Starfish Associates LLC and select assets from SoHo Dragon.
• The Promoters of ZEE Entertainment in the offloading of their stake to Oppenheimer Fund and other investors through off-market and on-market transactions.
• Philips India Limited in the demerger of its lighting business; Philips KPNV in the demerger and sale of its domestic appliances business to Hillhouse Capital.
• Signify in its acquisition of the global lighting business of Eaton Corporation
• Escorts Limited in its strategic venture with Kubota Corporation.
• Sanmina Corporation in its joint venture with Reliance.
• Azim Premji Trust in its various investments in India.
• Principal Group in transfer of its mutual funds business to Sundaram Mutual Funds.
• Krafton, Inc. in its investments in Talent Unlimited (Bobble), Nasadiya Technologies, Nautilus Mobile App and Mebigo Labs.
• Evosys Group in selling its middle eastern business to Mastek UK Limited.
• eClerx LLC in its acquisition of Eclipse Global Holdings.
• Aetna entities (part of the CVS group) on their exit from Indian Health Organization Private Limited.
• Allen Career Institute Private Limited in its strategic venture with Bodhi Tree Systems.
• Collective Newsroom Private Limited (Collective Newsroom), a new Indian owned and controlled entity set up by senior employees of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in India, in connection with the acquisition of the digital news business of BBC’s subsidiary in India and continuing arrangements with the BBC.
• Alghanim Industries in the sale of its stake in Rockwool India Private Limited to Saint-Gobain India Private Limited.
• Lear Corporation in its acquisition of the India business of Kongsberg Automotive.
• Stone Point LLC in its acquisition of Duff & Phelps.
• V-Guard Industries in its acquisition of Sunflame Enterprises.
• Acquisition of Incapsulate LLC by Accenture Inc.
• AUO Corporation in its acquisition of 100% stake in Behr-Hella Thermocontrol GmbH.
• Arcline Investment Management and its porfolio company Signia Aerospace in the acquisition of the Hoist and Winch business of Goodrich and Collins Aerospace.
• Bharti Group in the sale of 50% stake by to Brookfield REIT in Rostrum Realty for exchange of REIT Units.
• Pacific Avenue Capital Partners in the purchase the filtration business of Sogefi S.p.A. in India.

Awards & Recognition

• Consistently ranked in Chambers & Partners Global and Chambers Asia Pacific for Corporate and M&A practice as a Band 1 lawyer
• IFLR1000 has consistently named her a ‘Notable Practitioner’ for M&A; Private Equity for several years
• AsiaLaw leading lawyers has for several years featured Akila as a ‘Distinguished Practitioner’ for Corporate M&A
• Who’s Who Legal India has consistently named her as a global leader and thought leader in M&A and Governance for several year

Memberships

• Asia Pacific Regional Forum Liaison Officer, Women Lawyers’ Committee, International Bar Association
• Enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi, India
• Member of the Supreme Court Bar Association