TOM THESING is the managing partner of Sidley’s office in London, co-head of the London Corporate group and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. His principal areas of practice are cross-border M&A, corporate finance and strategic counseling/corporate governance. Tom represents both buyers and sellers of public and private corporations and advises boards of directors on acquisitions, corporate and financial restructuring and corporate governance-related matters. He also has experience with private equity/venture capital investments and joint ventures. Tom has significant experience in transactions in regulated industries, such as financial and payment services, healthcare and life sciences, as well as technology and internet-related businesses. Recognized most for his cross-border experience, virtually all of the transactions Tom leads include parties and businesses in multiple jurisdictions and most frequently across continents, whether North or South America, Europe, Asia or Africa.
Tom’s recent transactions include advising:
- Arvelle Therapeutics, a Swiss-based biopharmaceutical company, on its sale to Angelini Pharma for a total cash consideration of up to US$960 million.
- F. Hoffmann-La Roche on its acquisition of Inflazome, a biotech company leading the development of orally available, small molecule NLRP3 inhibitors to address clinical unmet needs in inflammatory diseases by targeting inflammasomes.
- Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) on the acquisition, with GIC, of Blackstone’s 36% shareholding in Rothesay Life, the largest specialist annuity provider in the UK. Under the terms of the transaction, MassMutual and GIC each became equal 49% shareholders and the transaction valued the group at £5.75 billion.
- AppLovin Corporation on its acquisitions a Prague-based global developer and publisher of casual, competitive multiplayer mobile games, and a Beijing-based social games and mobile applications developer.
- F. Hoffmann-La Roche on its acquisition of the novel TMEM16A potentiator portfolio, from biopharmaceutical company Enterprise Therapeutics, for treatment of cystic fibrosis and other respiratory diseases.
- MBE WorldWide SpA, a leading third-party provider of shipping, fulfilment, print and marketing solutions to SMEs, on the growth investment in MBE WorldWide of up to €120 million by funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management LP.
- RoundTable Healthcare Partners in its agreement with Moberg Pharma AB, listed on the main list at NASDAQ OMX Stockholm, to acquire Moberg’s global consumer health business and to fund an equity investment and loan into Moberg Pharma’s MOB-015 development program.
- eBay on its acquisition of Motors.co.uk, to join Gumtree UK, a part of eBay’s classifieds group.
Tom has been recognized for Corporate/M&A work in a number of leading legal publications, including IFLR 1000, The Legal 500 UK, Chambers Global and Chambers UK. Most recently, Tom was recognized in Chambers UK 2021, with clients commenting “his subject matter expertise and holistic understanding of transactions is fantastic.” In the 2018 edition of Chambers UK, clients describe Tom as being a “very technical and practical partner,” and client comments in The Legal 500 UK 2017 note that he is a “‘very tough negotiator.’” Tom has also been recognized as a “Life Science Star” for finance and transactional matters in the LMG Life Sciences Europe guide.