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Helen Rodwell

Managing Partner
CMS Bratislava and Prague

Portrait of Helen Rodwell

Helen Rodwell

Managing Partner
CMS Bratislava and Prague

Contact
CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang, advokáti, v.o.s.
Palladium, Na Poříčí 1079/3a
110 00 Prague 1
Czech Republic
Languages English

Helen Rodwell is the Managing Partner of CMS in Prague and Bratislava.

Under her leadership CMS continues to be one of the busiest M&A legal advisors in CEE. Helen has extensive experience of leading large teams on complex transactions and ensuring clients receive excellent, commercially orientated advice.

She is ranked as a Band 1 corporate lawyer both for the Czech Republic and the entire CEE region by Chambers and has advised on M&A transactions across a number of sectors, including financial services, private equity, energy, consumer products and manufacturing industries.

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Relevant experience

  • A group of investors, led by Partech and including EBRD, Quadrille Capital and J&T Bank, on a EUR 190m fundraising for Rohlik.cz, one of Europe’s leading online grocery businesses. 
  • Zentiva, an Advent International portfolio company, on its acquisition of the CEE business of global generic and over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals manufacturer Alvogen. 
  • TPG on the acquisition of the Vector Parks Logistics Centres in Slovakia and Czech Republic from Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA). 
  • Cube Infrastructure on the investment into a fibre-to-the-home (FTTH), open-access networks for residential, business and public administration in selected areas of the Czech Republic currently under-served by high speed internet networks.
  • The shareholders in Kiwi.com, one of the most rapidly growing technology companies worldwide, on the sale of a majority stake in the company to General Atlantic.
  • PPF, the Czech-based financial group, on the acquisition, together with Sabanci Holding, of the Turkish bus manufacturer Temsa from True Value Capital Partners.
  • Advent International on the EUR 1.9bn acquisition of Zentiva, a leading pharmaceutical company in CEE. 
  • Mid Europa Partners on the sale of AeskuLab and Alpha Medical businesses in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to Unilabs. 
  • Arkance on the acquisition of CAD Studio, a provider of technical support services for autodesk software, from KKCG.
  • Erste Bank in over ten separate M&A transactions in the region since 1999, including: 
    • EUR 3.75bn acquisition of a majority shareholding in Banca Comerciala Romana, Romania's largest bank.
    • Successful bid and subsequent USD 517m acquisition of Česká spořitelna, a.s., the Czech savings bank  (privatisation process), including advising on the re-structuring of the loan portfolio.
    • Successful bid and subsequent EUR 400m acquisition of Postabank Rt. from the Hungarian State, including a public takeover bid made for the shares of Postabank Rt.
    • Successful bid and subsequent EUR 160m acquisition of Rijecka banka d.d in Croatia from the Croatian State Agency for Bank Rehabilitation.
    • Acquisition of Slovenská sporiťelňa a.s., the Slovak savings bank (privatisation process).
    • Successful bid and subsequent EUR 149.6m acquisition of 100% of shares in Diners Club Adriatic d.d. in Croatia, one of the leading Croatian credit card companies.
    • Acquisition 100% of Bank Prestige in Ukraine.
    • Acquisition of Novosadska Banka in Serbia (privatisation process).
    • Proposed bid to acquire DSK Bank AD in Bulgaria.
    • Proposed bid to acquire Nova Ljubljanska banka, Slovenia.
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Memberships & Roles

  • Member, Victorian Bar Association, Australia
  • Member, Czech Chamber of Advocates
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Education

  • 1991 - Bachelor of Laws (Hons), Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
  • 1989 - Bachelor of Economics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
more less

Helen Rodwell is the Managing Partner of CMS in Prague and Bratislava.

Under her leadership CMS continues to be one of the busiest M&A legal advisors in CEE. Helen has extensive experience of leading large teams on complex transactions and ensuring clients receive excellent, commercially orientated advice.

She is ranked as a Band 1 corporate lawyer both for the Czech Republic and the entire CEE region by Chambers and has advised on M&A transactions across a number of sectors, including financial services, private equity, energy, consumer products and manufacturing industries.

more less

Relevant experience

  • A group of investors, led by Partech and including EBRD, Quadrille Capital and J&T Bank, on a EUR 190m fundraising for Rohlik.cz, one of Europe’s leading online grocery businesses. 
  • Zentiva, an Advent International portfolio company, on its acquisition of the CEE business of global generic and over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals manufacturer Alvogen. 
  • TPG on the acquisition of the Vector Parks Logistics Centres in Slovakia and Czech Republic from Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA). 
  • Cube Infrastructure on the investment into a fibre-to-the-home (FTTH), open-access networks for residential, business and public administration in selected areas of the Czech Republic currently under-served by high speed internet networks.
  • The shareholders in Kiwi.com, one of the most rapidly growing technology companies worldwide, on the sale of a majority stake in the company to General Atlantic.
  • PPF, the Czech-based financial group, on the acquisition, together with Sabanci Holding, of the Turkish bus manufacturer Temsa from True Value Capital Partners.
  • Advent International on the EUR 1.9bn acquisition of Zentiva, a leading pharmaceutical company in CEE. 
  • Mid Europa Partners on the sale of AeskuLab and Alpha Medical businesses in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to Unilabs. 
  • Arkance on the acquisition of CAD Studio, a provider of technical support services for autodesk software, from KKCG.
  • Erste Bank in over ten separate M&A transactions in the region since 1999, including: 
    • EUR 3.75bn acquisition of a majority shareholding in Banca Comerciala Romana, Romania's largest bank.
    • Successful bid and subsequent USD 517m acquisition of Česká spořitelna, a.s., the Czech savings bank  (privatisation process), including advising on the re-structuring of the loan portfolio.
    • Successful bid and subsequent EUR 400m acquisition of Postabank Rt. from the Hungarian State, including a public takeover bid made for the shares of Postabank Rt.
    • Successful bid and subsequent EUR 160m acquisition of Rijecka banka d.d in Croatia from the Croatian State Agency for Bank Rehabilitation.
    • Acquisition of Slovenská sporiťelňa a.s., the Slovak savings bank (privatisation process).
    • Successful bid and subsequent EUR 149.6m acquisition of 100% of shares in Diners Club Adriatic d.d. in Croatia, one of the leading Croatian credit card companies.
    • Acquisition 100% of Bank Prestige in Ukraine.
    • Acquisition of Novosadska Banka in Serbia (privatisation process).
    • Proposed bid to acquire DSK Bank AD in Bulgaria.
    • Proposed bid to acquire Nova Ljubljanska banka, Slovenia.
more less

Memberships & Roles

  • Member, Victorian Bar Association, Australia
  • Member, Czech Chamber of Advocates
more less

Education

  • 1991 - Bachelor of Laws (Hons), Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
  • 1989 - Bachelor of Economics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
more less

Expertise

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CMS ad­vises Marsh on sale of share­hold­ing in IN­SIA
CMS has ad­vised Marsh, the world’s lead­ing in­sur­ance broker and risk ad­visor, on the sale of 80% of its share­hold­ing in IN­SIA a.s., in­clud­ing its Slov­ak sub­si­di­ary and Ro­mani­an branch, to UnilinkS.A. IN­SIA...
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29/09/2022
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We are pleased to share with you the 2023 edi­tion of the European M&A Out­look pub­lished by CMS in as­so­ci­ation with Mer­ger­mar­ket.
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CMS ad­vises on EUR 220m in­vest­ment in Roh­lik Group
In­ter­na­tion­al law firm CMS has ad­vised a group of in­vestors on the EUR 220m series D fun­drais­ing for Roh­lik Group (Roh­lik), one of Europe’s lead­ing on­line gro­cery busi­nesses. Foun­ded in 2014, Roh­lik...
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CMS Al­bania has ad­vised 4IG on the ac­quis­i­tion of One Tele­com­mu­nic­a­tions...
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In­ter­na­tion­al law firm CMS has ad­vised Iceland­ic as­set man­ager Kaupth­ing on the di­vest­ment of a large land bank sur­round­ing the D5 high­way near Pilsen to Ger­man re­tail chain Lidl. As a pro­spect­ive de­vel­op­ment...
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18/02/2021
Changes to the Czech Act on Busi­ness Cor­por­a­tions - New rules re­gard­ing...
On 1 Janu­ary 2021, an Amend­ment to the Czech Act on Busi­ness Cor­por­a­tions came in­to ef­fect, which in­tro­duced changes in the area of cor­por­ate gov­ernance. These in­clude changes to the li­ab­il­ity of stat­utory...
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Czech Re­pub­lic ab­ol­ishes prop­erty ac­quis­i­tion tax
Czech Re­pub­lic ab­ol­ishes prop­erty ac­quis­i­tion tax Ab­ol­ish­ment of the prop­erty ac­quis­i­tion tax in the Czech Re­pub­lic be­came fi­nal on 18 Septem­ber when Czech Pres­id­ent Mi­los Ze­man signed this bill in­to...
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