George M. Hunter

GEORGE HUNTER advises companies and their boards on mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance situations. With a particular focus on public mergers, George guides clients through complex transactions involving diverse deal structures, often involving conflicts of interest and significant minority stakes in public companies or their subsidiaries. His extensive experience also includes representing public companies and boards in shareholder activism matters.

George has a broad industry reach, advising on M&A transactions across sectors such as aerospace, defense, energy, mining, banking, consumer goods, and retail. He has particular experience in counseling on digital infrastructure M&A and joint ventures, including data center development and acquisitions, as well as electric generation and transmission transactions involving data center providers.

In addition to his work with corporate clients, George’s public company M&A experience extends to frequently counseling investment banking firms in their roles as transactional financial advisors.

• Asurint, an industry-leading provider of background screening solutions, in its sale to A&M Capital Partners.
• FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) in a US$5.9 billion transmission joint venture with Brookfield.
• SITE Centers (NYSE: SITC) in the US$2.8 billion spin-off of shopping center REIT Curbline Properties (NYSE: CURB).
• RTI International Metals (NYSE: RTI), a global supplier of titanium and specialty metal products and services, in its US$1.5 billion sale to Alcoa.
• Calgon Carbon Corporation (NYSE: CCC) in its US$1.1 billion merger with Kuraray Co.
• OMNOVA Solutions (NYSE: OMN), a specialty chemicals manufacturer, in its US$824 million sale to Synthomer.
• U.S. Steel (NYSE: X) in the sale of its short line railroad division, Transtar, to Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors for US$640 million.
• American Greetings (NYSE: AM) in its take-private and in its subsequent sale of majority control to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.
• Shiloh Industries (NASDAQ: SHLO), a major global supplier to OEMs in the automotive and commercial vehicle markets, in its section 363 sale to Middleground Capital.
• Vintage Wine Estates (NASDAQ: VWE) in the sale of substantially all of its assets under section 363 of the bankruptcy code.

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