Germaine Nicole Gurr

GERMAINE NICOLE GURR focuses on complex cross border transactions, portfolio shaping divestitures, and sector-driven platform builds for sponsors and strategics. She combines marquee private equity and public company deal experience with senior in-house leadership at a Fortune 500 global innovator in energy management, automation, and digitalization, where she served as vice president and deputy general counsel (global corporate transaction) and general counsel of its global software division, and was part of the team that worked to design and implement its corporate venture capital platform.

Germaine regularly advises on multi-jurisdictional carve outs and separations, particularly where software, data, and operations are deeply intertwined. Her experience includes the global carve out and combination of Schneider Electric’s industrial software business with AVEVA; the divestiture of Telvent DTN’s agriculture, energy, and environmental data platform; the sale of its transportation business to Kapsch TrafficCom; and the carve out and sale of its industrial sensors business to Yageo, along with other sensor and nuclear related automation divestitures.

In the energy, power, and mission critical infrastructure space, Germaine has advised Schneider Electric on strategic acquisitions such as Invensys, ASCO Power, and Renewable Choice Energy, and on joint venture microgrid and “energy as a service” platforms such as AlphaStruxure and GreenStruxure. She represented ABM Industries in its acquisitions of RavenVolt (microgrids and distributed energy), WGNSTAR (semiconductor and high tech managed workforce and equipment services), and Quality Uptime Services (mission critical UPS services for data centers), positioning ABM at the intersection of energy transition, semiconductors, and digital infrastructure.

Germaine’s automation, industrials, and supply chain work includes advising Schneider on its global industrial software and sensors strategy, and Nemetschek Group on its cross border acquisition of Firmus, an AI driven construction design and risk analysis platform with operations in Israel and the United States. She counseled Sole Source Capital on building industrial and supply chain technology platforms through acquisitions of Peak Ryzex and Optical Phusion (Peak Technologies), Supply Chain Services, Dallas Plastics, and other industrial and packaging businesses, and on multiple add-ons across North America and Europe.

Her practice also spans the full food and beverage value chain — Tata Consumer Products/Organic India, Azelis/Gillco Ingredients, and Sole Source’s Lee Fish USA and Individual FoodService platforms — as well as water, waste, and wastewater transactions for clients such as Gradiant (Advanced WaterTek, Aquachem, Aquarion/H+E Group) and Sole Source’s GrayMar Environmental platform.

Germaine is recognized in IFLR1000’s “Women Leaders Guide for M&A in the United States” 2021–2023, 2025, and listed among The Deal’s “Top Women in Dealmaking for M&A,” 2021–2023. Latino Leaders named her one of the “Top Latino Lawyers” in 2023 and she is listed in Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Guide and Euromoney’s Expert Guide for Corporate/M&A in the United States in 2021. Additionally, she was named “M&A Legal Advisor of the Year” by The M&A Advisor in 2020.

Energy, Power, and Mission Critical Infrastructure

• Schneider Electric – Take private acquisition of Invensys plc, a global industrial automation and software company, significantly expanding Schneider’s process automation and industrial software capabilities.
• Schneider Electric – Acquisition of ASCO Power, a leading manufacturer of automatic transfer switches and power reliability equipment for mission critical facilities such as hospitals and data centers.
• Schneider Electric – Acquisition of InStep Software, a provider of real time performance management and predictive asset analytics solutions for industrial and energy customers.
• Schneider Electric – Acquisition of Renewable Choice Energy, a provider of renewable energy and carbon offset products and services, enhancing Schneider’s sustainability and energy services offerings.
• Schneider Electric – Acquisition of the Electrical & Automation division of Larsen & Toubro in India and subsequent combination with Schneider’s existing India business and Temasek to create a leading LV/MV and automation platform.
• AlphaStruxure (joint venture of Schneider Electric and The Carlyle Group) – Long -term energy as a service concession to design, build, own, and operate microgrid infrastructure (including for the New Terminal One at JFK International Airport and Montgomery County Bus Depot).
• AlphaStruxure – Integrated fleet electrification infrastructure project for Montgomery County, Maryland’s electric bus fleet under an energy as a service model.
• GreenStruxure (joint venture of Schneider Electric and Huck Capital) – Strategic partnership with ClearGen, including a US$500 million capital commitment to finance on site renewable microgrids under long term contracts.
• Schneider Electric Ventures – Strategic investments in Qmerit (energy transition installation and integration), AutoGrid (AI driven distributed energy resource optimization), eIQ (fleet electrification solutions), and SmartD (next generation motor control technologies).
• ABM Industries – Acquisition of WGNSTAR, a leading provider of managed workforce and critical equipment service solutions for semiconductor fabrication and high tech manufacturing facilities.
• ABM Industries – Acquisition of Quality Uptime Services, a provider of mission critical UPS maintenance and services for data centers and critical facilities.
• ABM Industries – Acquisition of RavenVolt, Inc., a rapidly growing microgrid and distributed energy platform serving commercial, industrial, utility, and municipal customers.
• ABM Industries – Strategic investment in Noodoe, a global EV-charging software provider, to support ABM’s branded EV charging and EV OS platform and expand its turnkey eMobility offering.

AI, Automation, Industrials, Supply Chain Technology, and Tech-Enabled Services

• Sole Source – Acquisition of Brite, a U.S. cybersecurity and managed IT services platform.
• Schneider Electric – Global automation and industrial software strategy centered on the Invensys acquisition, the carve out and combination of industrial software with AVEVA, and subsequent full take private of AVEVA.
• Schneider Electric – Global carve out and divestiture of its industrial sensors business to Yageo Corporation and earlier divestiture of custom sensors and related industrial technology businesses to financial sponsors.
• Schneider Electric – Divestiture of nuclear related automation assets to Framatome and other portfolio reshaping moves in industrial automation.
• Schneider Electric Foundries – Incubation, establishment, and initial funding of NaviX Solutions, an energy management and data optimization business created in collaboration with EDB New Ventures in Singapore.
• Schneider Electric Ventures – Strategic investment in Augury Inc., a predictive maintenance and machine health AI company serving industrial and manufacturing clients.
• Sole Source Capital – Acquisition of Peak-Ryzex and Optical Phusion and formation of Peak Technologies, a leading AIDC and supply chain automation platform serving industrial and distribution customers.
• Sole Source Capital – Acquisition and build out of Supply Chain Services, followed by multiple add on acquisitions (including Dasco Label, Miles Data, Coridian, ISG Technologies, and Access POS) to create a North American AIDC, barcoding, and factory/warehouse automation platform.
• Peak Technologies / Supply Chain Services – Follow on acquisitions of Inovity, Bar Code Direct, DBK Concepts, Siena Analytics, VisionID, Dalosy, Graphic Label, Avalon Integration, and other targets, expanding the platform across the U.S. and Europe.
• Sole Source Capital – Acquisition of Dallas Plastics, a manufacturer of blown polyethylene film for medical, food, and industrial end markets, and subsequent add -on acquisitions of de Elliotte, Emballage MPP, and Hi-De Liners.
• Sole Source Capital – Acquisition of ID Images, a premier provider of product identification solutions, and its subsequent acquisitions of Summit Labels, Precision Label, Hickman Label, Digital Printing Concepts, Multi-Action, and Valley Forge Tape & Label in a separate transactions.
• Nemetschek Group (via Bluebeam) – Cross border acquisition of Firmus, an AI -driven construction design and risk analysis platform with operations in Israel and the United States.
• Various industrial and packaging companies – Strategic transactions involving contract manufacturers and packaging businesses linking industrial production to regulated end markets.

Food, Beverage, and Distribution

• Tata Consumer Products – Acquisition of Organic India, a premium organic and ayurvedic products brand, expanding Tata’s global wellness and packaged goods portfolio.
• Azelis – Acquisition of Vigon International, a U.S. specialty distributor and manufacturer of ingredients for flavors, fragrances, and cosmetics.
• Azelis – Acquisition of Megafarma in Mexico and Gilco/Gillco Ingredients in North America, expanding Azelis’ food and nutrition ingredients footprint in the Americas.
• Sole Source Capital – Acquisition of Lee Fish USA and, subsequent add -on of Raw Finds, creating scaled seafood distribution platforms with temperature controlled logistics and route to market capabilities.
• Sole Source Capital / Individual FoodService – Sale of Individual FoodService Holdings LLC to Kelso & Company.
• Church Brothers Farms – Acquisition of Mann Packing from Fresh Del Monte, enhancing value -added vegetable and salad capabilities.
• Contract manufacturing and packaging – Acquisitions involving Westwood Laboratories and related businesses providing contract manufacturing and packaging for food, beverage, and consumer staples clients.

Water, Waste, and Environmental Services

• Gradiant – Acquisition of Advanced WaterTek Oman LLC, a leading water treatment company in the Middle East focused on industrial and process water solutions.
• Gradiant – Acquisitions of Aquachem and Aquarion AG (including H+E Group), adding advanced industrial wastewater and ultrapure water technologies and expanding manufacturing and service capabilities across Europe and other regions.
• Sole Source Capital – Acquisition of GrayMar Environmental Services and subsequent add on acquisitions, creating an industrial environmental and wastewater services platform.
• Various industrial platforms – Transactions in environmental services and waste management businesses at the intersection of private capital, industrial operations, and environmental regulation.

Carve Outs and Divestitures

• Schneider Electric – Global carve out and sale of its industrial sensors business to Yageo Corporation, separating complex industrial technology assets and product lines.
• Schneider Electric – Global carve out and combination of its industrial software business with AVEVA, including separation of software, data, and services across numerous jurisdictions and subsequent integration into a listed industrial software platform.
• Schneider Electric – Global carve out and divestiture of Telvent DTN, an agriculture, energy, and environmental information services platform with mission critical data systems and regulatory sensitive operations, to TBG AG.
• Schneider Electric – Global carve out and divestiture of its global transportation business to Kapsch TrafficCom AG, involving traffic control and tolling systems, government contracts, and multi -country operations.
• Schneider Electric – Divestiture of Invensys Appliance division, which was renamed Robertshaw Controls Company, to an affiliate of Sun European Partners for £150 million.
• Schneider Electric – Global carve- out and divestiture of custom sensors and related industrial technology businesses to financial sponsors in a transaction valued at approximately US$900 million, including Schneider’s reinvestment alongside the buyers.
• Schneider Electric – Global carve out and sale of nuclear -related automation assets to Framatome, aligning nuclear activities with the EDF/Framatome group.
• Schneider Electric – Carve out and sale of Xantrex’s Mobile Power Assets to Mission Critical Electronics.
• Schneider Electric – Carve out and divestiture of Juno Lighting Group to Acuity Brands for approximately US $385 million.
• Sole Source Capital – Divestiture of Individual FoodService to Kelso & Company.
• Various portfolio companies – Multiple carve outs and business separations in connection with strategic sales, sponsor to sponsor exits, and joint venture formations (e.g., software, data, and industrial technology carve outs across North America, Europe, and emerging markets).

Commercial and Governance

• Harmonized and simplified the commercial licensing architecture for a global software business, creating a modular structure usable across multiple jurisdictions and types of licenses, and materially streamlining negotiations, supported by a comprehensive playbook and deal-guideline package.
• Developed scalable multi-entity, multi-tier decision-authority frameworks for multiple companies (public and private), improving approval efficiencies, internal controls, and serving as a tool/guideline for enterprise workflow and approval-system design.
• Streamlined and strengthened global corporate governance for a Fortune 500 organization by inventorying and standardizing governance documentation across more than 1,000 entities worldwide, selecting and onboarding an outsourced governance provider, and implementing a digital framework of rules and guidelines with internal teams to ensure complete, consistent, and readily accessible records.

Some of the above matters were handled prior to joining Sidley.

• Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, Executive Leadership Program Certification, 2024
• Hispanic National Bar Association
• Board member of Pine Point School (Stonington, CT)
• Board member of Edesia, a non-profit social enterprise that produces life-saving, ready-to-use therapeutic foods to treat and prevent malnutrition globally