Barbara Kusak

Rechtsanwältin (Lawyer), Advokátka, Head of Prague Office, Partner

Private Equity
Mergers & Acquisitions

Barbara Kusak

Barbara Kusak is an experienced specialist for complex national, cross-border and multijurisdictional M&A transactions (including real estate transactions) and heads the M&A practice in Central and Eastern Europe. She advises companies comprehensively on investments and divestitures in the Czech Republic and CEE and has extensive experience of leading and coordinating large international teams in the region and beyond. She also advises on Czech and European Competition law.

Projects

  • Espira Investments: sale of the Czechia based call center operator ICON Communications to yoummday GmbH (2022)
    Magna Automotive Europe GmbH: acquisition of the Czech OEM supplier Klein automotive s.r.o. (2021)
  • BBA Capital Partners: acquisition of a stake in the Czech company Quinta-Analytica s.r.o., a leading clinical research company, from Genesis Private Equity Fund III (2021)
  • ISS A/S: sale of its main subsidiaries in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary to leading Hungarian facility management company B+N Referencia Zrt.
  • Bilfinger SE: sale of its Czech and Slovak industrial services business to funds advised by Deutsche Invest Mittelstand (part of Deutsche Invest Capital Partners) (2020)
  • NetBrokers Holding (Bauer Media Group): sale of its Czech SMS Service Business to Warsaw stock exchange listed company R22 (2020)
  • Bauer Media Group: sale of its Czech and Slovak publishing business to Mafra (2018); acquisition from the founders of a leading Czech OCP company NetBrokers Holding (srovnejto.cz, epojisteni.cz) (2018)
  • Daimler AG: investment in ride-hailing operator Taxify (lead and coordination Estonia, CEE, France, Africa) (2018)
  • Lone Star: enforcement and sale of real estate backed loans to a distressed real estate fund (2016/2017)
  • dnata (Emirates group): acquisition of Czech specialist aviation services company Air Dispatch, operating on the Prague, Warsaw and Bratislava airports (2016)
  • Allianz Real Estate: Joint Venture with the publicly listed project developer VGP N.V. re. real estate located in Germany, Czech Repbublic, Hungary and Slovakia (2016)
  • British RWS Group: USD 320m acquisition of Moravia IT, a Brno head-quartered global localisation and translation provider for the digital industry from Clarion Capital (coordination Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Japan, Ireland, Hungary) (2017)
  • Next Wave Ventures: acquisition of the Czech producer of high performance packaging solutions Petainer (2009); subsequent long term financing of Petainer by KKR by a  €100 million debt and equity investment (2016)
  • Saint Gobain: sale of its building distribution business in the Czech Republic and Hungary (2015/2016)
  • AB Agri Ltd (Associated British Foods group): acquisition Czech feeds and supplements producer Bodit Tachov (2015)
  • Cemex group: international exchange of sites and shareholdings (carving-out Cemex Germany West and transferring it to Holcim in exchange for the acquisiition of Holcim's Czech business) with Holcim-Group  (2014-2015)
  • Steinhoff International: acquisition of Austria-based Kika-Leiner Group, the second largest furniture group in Austria with a strong presence in CEE (2013)
  • BC Partners: Czech and Slovak aspects of its sale of portfolio group synlab to Cinven (2015); previous add-on acquisition of leading Czech provider of laboratory diagnostic in human genetics Chambon (2011)
  • Oaktree: acquisition of the foreign spirits business of Eckes AG, including leading Czech spirits producer Stock Plzen (2007)
  • Skoda Auto: successful defense in market abuse proceedings before the Czech antitrust authority (2004-2007)

Distinctions

  • "very knowledgable, very pragmatic, hands-on and solution-driven, extraordinarily responsive” Chambers Global (2021)
  • Recognised as the only expert in the Czech Republic in the WWL M&A and Governance Thought Leaders edition 2021
  • "handles cross-border assignments really well" "very responsive and reliable" "very client-oriented, extremely quick and goes into necessary details but remains pragmatic" (Chambers Global 2020)
  • “highly experienced in cross-border acquisitions and divestitures” Chambers Global (2018)
  • Recommended for M&A: large international deals, Legal 500 (2018)
  • “The ‘solutionoriented’ Barbara Kusak is experienced in leading regional deals” Legal 500 (2018)
  • Leading Individual for M&A, Best Lawyers Czech Republic (since 2014)
  • Recommended as leading expert for Corporate/M&A, Chambers Global (since 2007)

Career

Legal studies at the University of Passau, the University of Munich and the University of Paris (France)
With Noerr since 1999
Admitted to the Munich Chamber of Lawyers and to the Czech Bar Association

Memberships

  • Czech Franchise Association (ČAF)
  • Legal committee to the European Franchise Federation (EFF)
  • Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht [German Antitrust Lawyers' Association]
  • IBA

Publications

  • Private Equity, European Lawyer Reference Series, Czech Republic chapter, 1. Issue 2010, p. 105 et. seq.