Willkie client ARDIAN, an independent private investment company, announced that it has signed an agreement on selling ESIM Chemicals ("ESIM"), a leading Austrian fine chemicals manufacturer and among the top 3 of crop protection producers in Europe, to an affiliate of Sun European Partners, LLP ("SUN").

The transaction is expected to be closed in the first half of 2018.

ARDIAN acquired the Exclusive Synthesis ("ES") and Maleic Anhydride Intermediates & Specialties ("IM") business from DPx Holdings B.V. in 2015. Over the past three years, ARDIAN has supported the Management Team led by Wolfgang Hillisch (CEO), Harald Gruber (COO), and Bernhard Kienberger (CFO) in its efforts to combine ES and IM and to build a stand-alone corporate organization and infrastructure with departments for research and development, sales and marketing, finance and controlling as well as IT.

The basis of the successful sales process was the proven cooperation between Willkie and its Austrian partner firm Binder Grösswang Rechtsanwälte GmbH ("Binder") as well as the comprehensive, constructive and close cooperation with Dr. Michael Stelzel (General Counsel of ESIM).

The Willkie team was led by Dr. Maximilian Schwab and Mario Schmidt (both Corporate, Frankfurt) and included partners Jan Wilms (Finance, Frankfurt) and Susanne Zuehlke (Antitrust and Competition, Brussels/ Frankfurt), and associates: Dr. Stefan Bührle, Daniel Zakrzewski, Lukas Nein and Ali Kilic (all Corporate, Frankfurt), Laura Pfirrmann and Christopher Clerihew (both Finance, Frankfurt), as well as Philipp Heuser (Antitrust and Competition, Brussels/ Frankfurt).

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is an international law firm, comprising more than 650 attorneys with offices in New York, Washington, Houston, Paris, London, Milan, Rome, Frankfurt and Brussels. The headquarters are in New York, 787 Seventh Avenue, Tel.: 001 212 728 8000.

The Binder team was led by Dr. Thomas Schirmer (Corporate/M&A) and included partners Dr. Markus Uitz (Real Estate), Dr. Christian Wimpissinger (Tax), Dr. Ivo Rungg (IP/IT), Dr. Johannes Barbist (Regulatory), Dr. Angelika Pallwein-Prettner (Employment) and Christine Dietz (Antitrust and Competition), senior associates Sabine Apfl-Trompeter (Employment) and Clemens Willvonseder (Tax), and associates Lukas-Sebastian Swoboda (Corporate/M&A), Michael Delitz (Real Estate), Arne Greiner (IP/IT) and Artan Duraku (Real Estate).

Binder Grösswang Rechtsanwälte GmbH is one of Austria's leading full-service law firms with a strong international focus in all legal fields. Binder Grösswang Rechtsanwälte GmbH employs around 100 lawyers at its offices in Vienna and Innsbruck.