Layla D'Monte

• Acting for BOA Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: BOAS) in relation to a business combination transaction with Selina Holding Company, UK Societas the world’s largest hospitality brand targeted to millennial and Gen Z travelers.
• Acting for The Chefz SPV Ltd (The Chefz) in respect of the sale of its entire issued share capital to Jahez International Company for Information System Technology (Jahez), a public company listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange Parallel Market (Nomu).
• Acting for the Utmost Group of Companies, in relation to its acquisition of Quilter International from Quilter PLC.
• Acting for Utmost Group plc on a £300,000,000 Tier 1 bond issuance.
• Acting for Promethean Investments LLP, in establishing and closing its first round of investment into its fourth fund with investments from a number of UK and US based investors. The fund will invest in part of a well-known online retail company.
• Acting for Veloce Esports closing a funding round with the UK Government and certain private investors in one of the first deals under the UK Government’s Future Fund project.
• Acting for the Hurst Point Group, a UK wealth management aggregator backed by Carlyle, to acquire the entire issued share capital of GBIM Limited (GBIM).
• Acting for J-Sun Limited in respect of the sale of Gunvor Resources Limited to Vaalco Energy Inc.
• Acting for the Utmost Group of Companies, backed by US private equity group Oaktree Capital, on its group reorganisation in order to bring its UK, Guernsey, Cayman, Isle of Man and Irish businesses together into one insurance group.
• Acting for Hurst Point Group, a UK portfolio company of US private equity giant Carlyle signed a deal to acquire Hawksmoor Investment Management.
• Acting for Life Company Consolidation Group (now Utmost Group) in relation to their agreement to acquire Generali Worldwide Insurance Company Limited and Generali Link Limited.
• Acting for AIM listed Cambria Automobiles PLC successfully concluding its management backed sale by way of recommended cash and share takeover offer, to Cambria Bidco.
• Acting for Eddie Stobart Logistics plc in relation to a rescue deal that could have affected over 6,500 jobs and jeopardised a key link in the UK’s supply chain.
• Acting for LCCG on its £1.8 billion deal with Equitable Life, Britain’s oldest mutual life insurance company.
• Acting for Anexo Group PLC on its IPO, the largest professional and legal services IPO to date with a market capitalization of £110 million.
• Acting for Glencore in relation to the acquisition of LPG assets in Russia and Turkey.
• Acting for Leon Restaurants in relation to a £25m private equity injection by Spice Private Equity.

Layla D'Monte is a senior associate in the firm’s International Mergers & Acquisitions practice. She specialises in public and private transactions and has extensive experience of working on transactions globally including public market deals in London, New York, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia and private transactions globally.

Layla was identified by Law.com International as a Rising Star and featured in the inaugural list of the top 25 female lawyers under 40.

Layla has substantial experience in the insurance sector having been the lead associate for the firm’s substantial insurance clients Utmost Group Plc and Hurst Point Group and having built a relationship with these clients over many years and more than a dozen acquisitions including Utmost’s £1.8 billion acquisition of Equitable Life.

Layla’s practice also includes a specialism in private equity. From fund formation through to acquisition and disposal of investments. 

Layla is growing her Middle Eastern practice and is currently instructed on several acquisitions and recently advised on the acquisition of the Chefz delivery application by Jahez.