GIC Pte. Ltd. – Joint Investment in WHI Holdings Co., Ltd. with Bain Capital
Leading Japanese law firm Nishimura & Asahi advised GIC Pte. Ltd., Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, on its joint investment in WHI Holdings Co., Ltd., a Japan-based human resources software provider, with global investment firm Bain Capital Private Equity, LP.
The Nishimura & Asahi team advising GIC was led by partners Keitaro Hamada and James Campbell from our corporate/M&A practice, Hideo Horikoshi from our finance practice, and Jiro Abe from our competition/antitrust law practice.
People
Keitaro deals with various cross-border M&A transactions, both inbound and outbound, backed by his experience working in U.S. and Australian law firms. He has an extensive track record of success in handling private equity deals, not only on acquisitions but also on exits. Further, his practice includes M&A generally, such as business integrations, carve-outs, and JV formation. Clients value his outstanding analysis, communication, and presentation skills beyond just language (both Japanese and English), which he leverages for successful discussions and negotiations with clients, advisors, and counterparties.
James has significant experience being the lead negotiator in complex cross-border transactions and coordinating teams of lawyers in multiple jurisdictions with respect to all aspects of such transactions, including with respect to multi-jurisdictional legal due diligence processes, antitrust and other regulatory filings and other local law issues. James has represented private equity and hedge funds, public and private companies and other clients in a broad range of domestic and cross-border transactions and other matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, minority investments, venture capital investments, public-private partnerships, private and public securities offerings, tender offers, proxy contests and corporate restructurings. Prior to joining Nishimura & Asahi, James was a corporate associate at firms in New York and Canada.
Hideo’s practice includes a broad mix of acquisition finance, project finance, cross-border syndicated lending, equity investment, and other innovative financing products. Hideo also has strong expertise in banking and frequently advises financial institutions, inter alia, on matters including debt restructuring and banking regulations. Leveraging his significant experience in investment-banking matters, he regularly advices financial institutions, major companies and governmental agencies on various corporate matters.