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Louise Wallace

Partner
Head of the CMS Corporate/M&A Group

Portrait of Louise Wallace

Louise Wallace

Partner
Head of the CMS Corporate/M&A Group

Contact
CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP
Cannon Place
78 Cannon Street
London
EC4N 6AF
United Kingdom
Languages English
Corporate

Louise is the Head of the CMS International Corporate/M&A Group, a global group of over 1400 Corporate lawyers throughout Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa and South America. Louise undertakes this role with co-head Malte Bruhns. 

Louise has been with CMS for over 30 years working on some of the largest, cross-border international transactions which CMS undertakes. She regularly works with colleagues in our CMS offices on global mandates. Her indepth knowledge enables her to provide the highest quality, seamless service that clients value.

Louise specialises in the hotels & leisure, consumer and retail sectors, specialising in M&A and all matters of corporate advisory matters for clients. 

Louise’s client relationship partners are several multi-national clients, and regularly speaks at conferences on a wide variety of sector, corporate and D&I issues.

Louise has recently been appointed as a Trustee to Look Good Feel Better Charity, a charity specialising in the physical and emotional wellbeing of cancer patients. 
 

Recommendations

Louise is recognised in Chambers and Legal 500. She is ranked as Band 1 for Hotels & Leisure, “she combines deep knowledge of the market in connection with the hospitality world. She is very tapped into that world not only legally, but also has good commercial sense of what is happening with the industry”. “She is extremely knowledgeable, and very clear thinking and very good at articulating complex things”.

Louise is also recognised for Corporate and M&A within Chambers “she looks at deals from the client’s perspective. She is brilliant”.

Louise is also recognised in the Legal 500 “a wealth of knowledge and an excellent grasp of all the key issues at play in the most complex of deals. She has an exceptional legal brain”. 

Best Lawyers 2022 Leisure and Hospitality Law

Super Lawyers 2017-2023 Leisure and Hospitality 

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"sensible, practical and tough".

Chambers

"She has “a very good reputation for Corporate work and M&A transactions” is “very commercial, very client focused and amenable” and is “such a strong leader that she very much takes the lead”.

Chambers Global, Chambers European and Chambers UK 2016

"sensible, practical and tough".

Chambers

"She has “a very good reputation for Corporate work and M&A transactions” is “very commercial, very client focused and amenable” and is “such a strong leader that she very much takes the lead”.

Chambers Global, Chambers European and Chambers UK 2016

Relevant experience

  • Vertiq Advisers on the acquisition of Bankside, an Autograph Hotel in excess of GBP 100m
  • Punch Taverns acting for management on the acquisition of Punch by Fortress Investment Group
  • advising Logistics Capital Partners Limited on numerous transactions including its joint venture with Invesco and joint ventures with Oxford Properties in relation to the logistics centre at Heathrow and West Midlands Interchange
  • advising Eaton Corporation on all the EMEA aspects, over 21 jurisdictions on the disposal of its hydraulics business to Danfoss for USD 3bn
  • DTGO Corporation on the acquisition of Marathon’s portfolio of 17 UK Hotel portfolio for a sum not exceeding GBP 500m
  • Invesco on the acquisition of a leading hotel in Europe for a price in excess of EUR 120m
  • Lone Star on the sale of 5 Hilton Hotels to LRC
  • Lone Star on the sale of a portfolio of 47 hotels in the Atlas Hotels portfolio for an undisclosed sum in excess of GBP 500m to London & Regional
  • Advance Publications on the acquisition of Stage Entertainment on the cross Europe theatres business for an undisclosed amount in the region of EUR 1bn
  • LRG on the new management and franchise agreements for 65 Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Hotels and the sale of 21 hotels to Kew Green, then owned by Goldman Sachs and TPG and the sale of a further 18 to Cerberus Investments for GBP 221m
  • Patron Capital on its Generator platform including the investment by Invesco and subsequent sale to Queensgate for approximately EUR 450m
  • Diageo on the UK aspects on the sale of its global wine business for USD 600m
  • Patron Capital and West Register Hotel Holdings Limited on the sale of 26 hotels to FICO Holdings Limited and Singha Estates for GBP 160m
  • Royal Bank of Scotland on its GBP 420m sale of its tenanted pub business to Scottish & Newcastle, a subsidiary of Heineken
  • Delhaize Group on the acquisition of Serbian retail Delta Maxi Group with operations in Serbia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania for EUR 932.5m
  • Royal Bank of Scotland on the acquisition and subsequent GBP 1.1bn disposal of a portfolio of 47 UK Marriott hotels
  • Accor on the GBP 440m sale and leaseback of 30 Hotels to Land Securities Trillium
  • NSB Retail Systems on its flotation on AIM, its move to the official list, various and numerous corporate acquisitions and disposals and corporate advice to include advising on its recommended takeover by Epicor Software and disposal of the UK business to BT
  • Gama Aviation on the matters for an acquisition and joint venture
  • Accenture on the acquisition of Media Audits
  • management and the chairman on the sale and reinvestment into Radley Group
  • Finsbury Food Group plc the AIM listed food producer on its joint venture with Genius Foods and subsequent disposal of its Free From business to Genius Foods Limited
  • the shareholders of Aurum Group, the UK’s leading luxury jewellery retailer owning Watches of Scotland, Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths to Apollo
  • Camelot Group plc on very high profile matters including: ticketing for the Millennium Dome, the buy back of the shareholding of GTECH following the GTECH libel action, the sale of shares to the Post office Limited and acting for Camelot on its sale to Ontario Teachers Pension Plan
  • the management of Simple Health and Beauty on the sale of Simple to Alberto Cuylver for GBP 240m
  • WT Foods on the sale of Noon Group Ltd to Kerry Foods Ltd, Bart Spices Ltd and advising Bridgepoint on the sale of WT to Grace Kennedy
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Education

  • 1988 - Law Society Finals (First class hons), Bristol
  • 1987 - LLB (Hons), King’s College, London 
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Hotels & Leisure

Louise Wallace has been a partner in the Corporate Team since 1997 and is a member of CMS’ Executive Committee. She covers all aspects of M&A, private equity, corporate finance, takeovers, joint ventures, corporate outsourcing, integrations and governance, and all forms of corporate restructurings.

Louise specialises in the hotels & leisure and the consumer and retail sectors. She is ranked in the top tier of Chambers 2016 for her work in the hotels & leisure sector and is recognised in Chambers for M&A (High End) GBP 250m+ deals.

Louise has acted on many of the leading M&A transactions in the hotels & leisure sector. She has advised owners and financiers on countless Management and Franchise Agreements with Hilton, IHG, Marriott, Accor as well as “White Label” Management Agreements with Redefine BDL, Chardon, Sangine, MacDonald Hotels to name but a few.

On the consumer and retail side, she has an in-depth knowledge of the sector and supports our clients with M&A, competition, media and advertising, food law, etc. Her detailed expertise as a corporate partner means Louise also regularly advises clients across a wide range of other sectors including real estate, manufacturing, support services, industrials and IT.

She has in-depth expertise in the consumer products sector (FMCG, food & drink, household & body care, cosmetics, textiles and retail), having advised retailers and manufacturers in a broad range of legal and market facing issues.
 

Recommendations

Louise is recognised in Chambers and Legal 500. She is ranked as Band 1 for Hotels & Leisure, “she combines deep knowledge of the market in connection with the hospitality world. She is very tapped into that world not only legally, but also has good commercial sense of what is happening with the industry”. “She is extremely knowledgeable, and very clear thinking and very good at articulating complex things”.

Louise is also recognised for Corporate and M&A within Chambers “she looks at deals from the client’s perspective. She is brilliant”.

Louise is also recognised in the Legal 500 “a wealth of knowledge and an excellent grasp of all the key issues at play in the most complex of deals. She has an exceptional legal brain”. 

Best Lawyers 2022 Leisure and Hospitality Law

Super Lawyers 2017-2023 Leisure and Hospitality 

more less

Relevant experience

  • LRG on the sale of 18 hotel assets to Cerberus Investments for GBP 221m.
  • Patron Capital and West Register Hotel Holdings Limited on the sale of 26 hotels to FICO Holdings Limited and Singha Estates for GBP 160m.
  • Royal Bank of Scotland on its EUR 420m sale of its tenanted pub business to Scottish & Newcastle, a subsidiary of Heineken.
  • LRG on the sale of 21 hotels to Kew Green, owned by Goldman Sachs and TPG.
  • Accor on the GBP 440m sale and leaseback of 30 UK hotels to Land Securities Trilium.
  • Royal Bank of Scotland on the acquisition and subsequent £1.1bn disposal of a portfolio of 47 UK Marriott hotels.
  • The Managed Hotels Unit Trust on the GBP 397m acquisition of management of 16 Hilton hotels.
  • Fawkes Holdings and Ernst & Young as administrative receivers on the GBP 620m disposal of 42 Marriott hotels.
  • RBS on the separate sales of the Grand Hotel Jersey and the Doubletree Hilton.
  • May Capital on the acquisition of a portfolio of Greene King pubs. 
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Education

  • 1988 - Law Society Finals (First class hons), Bristol
  • 1987 - LLB (Hons), King’s College, London 
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Consumer Products

Louise Wallace has been a partner in the Corporate Team since 1997 and is a member of CMS’ Executive Committee. She covers all aspects of M&A, private equity, corporate finance, takeovers, joint ventures, corporate outsourcing, integrations and governance, and all forms of corporate restructurings.

Louise specialises in the hotels & leisure and the consumer and retail sectors. She is ranked in the top tier of Chambers 2016 for her work in the hotels & leisure sector and is recognised in Chambers for M&A (High End) GBP 250m+ deals.

Louise has acted on many of the leading M&A transactions in the hotels & leisure sector. She has advised owners and financiers on countless Management and Franchise Agreements with Hilton, IHG, Marriott, Accor as well as “White Label” Management Agreements with Redefine BDL, Chardon, Sangine, MacDonald Hotels to name but a few.

On the consumer and retail side, she has an in-depth knowledge of the sector and supports our clients with M&A, competition, media and advertising, food law, etc. Her detailed expertise as a corporate partner means Louise also regularly advises clients across a wide range of other sectors including real estate, manufacturing, support services, industrials and IT.

She has in-depth expertise in the consumer products sector (FMCG, food & drink, household & body care, cosmetics, textiles and retail), having advised retailers and manufacturers in a broad range of legal and market facing issues.

 

Recommendations

Louise is recognised in Chambers Global, Chambers European and Chambers UK 2016. She has “a very good reputation for Corporate work and M&A transactions” is “very commercial, very client focused and amenable” and is “such a strong leader that she very much takes the lead”. Chambers also says she is “sensible, practical and tough”. 

Louise is also recommended in Legal 500 for M&A Upper Mid Market and Premium deals £250m+ and Private Equity transactions

Consumer Products Lawyer of the Year ACQ5 Global Awards 2015

Super Lawyers 2013-2015 Corporate Finance and Consumer Products

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Relevant experience

  • Diageo on the UK aspects on the sale of its global wine business for USD 600m.
  • Shareholders of Aurum Group on the sale of the UK’s leading luxury jewellery retailer owning Watches of Switzerland, Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths to Apollo.
  • Delhaize Group on the acquisition of Serbian retail Delta Maxi Group with operations in Serbia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania for EUR 932.5m.
  • Coca-Cola Enterprises on its joint venture with ECO Plastics in respect of rPET.
  • Management of Simple Health & Beauty on the sale of Simple to Alberto Culver for GBP 240m.
  • Finsbury Foods on its joint venture with Genius Foods, the subsequent sale of its Free From business to Genius Foods and various joint ventures.
  • Sara Lee on the sale of Sara Lee Bakeries and two very complicated group reorganisations.
  • Camelot on very high profile matters including ticketing for the Millenium Dome, the buy back of the shareholding of GTECH, the sale of shares to the Post Office and acting for Camelot on its sale to Ontario Teachers Pension Plan.
  • WT Foods on the sale of Noon Group to Kerry Foods, the sale of Bart Spices and advising Bridgepoint Management on the sale of WT Holdings to Grace Kennedy of Jamaica.
  • Youngs Bluecrest Seafood on the acquisition of Bluecrest Seafood, its merger with Youngs Seafood and the sale of Youngs Bluecrest to CapVest.
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Education

  • 1988 - Law Society Finals (First class hons), Bristol
  • 1987 - LLB (Hons), King’s College, London 
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Expertise

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CMS European M&A Study 2022
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Europe has re­turned to a ‘buy­er-friendly’ en­vir­on­ment, after the COV­ID-19 pan­dem­ic cre­ated more risk-averse at­ti­tudes. As a res­ult, CMS’ latest an­nu­al M&A study iden­ti­fied sig­ni­fic­ant in­crease in...
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01/12/2020
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In­ter­na­tion­al law firm CMS is pleased to an­nounce that part­ner Louise Wal­lace has been ap­poin­ted as Head of the In­ter­na­tion­al Cor­por­ate/M&A Group. Louise’s ap­point­ment was con­firmed in Novem­ber 2020...
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