Sakil A. Suleman

Sakil is described by the Legal 500 UK as being “a highly technically able lawyer, with broad-ranging experience and commercial focus”. He is “technically very able and easy to talk to, and gets to the crux of the matter quickly”.

Sakil is a partner in the firm’s Global Corporate Group, with over 25 years of experience at the firm. In that time, he has built up a strong practice handling general corporate and commercial matters. Sakil acts for a broad range of clients across a number of industry sectors, who value his technical knowledge and commercial approach to issues, including major listed corporations, growth companies, and start-ups. He has a wealth of experience in cross-border transactions involving the United States, South and East Asia, the Middle East, Turkey, and emerging European countries.

Sakil handles mergers and acquisitions, as well as VC and private equity transactions, and advises on general company law. He also has strong experience in restructuring and distressed deals, working closely with our insolvency group. He heads up the firm’s company secretarial function and has significant experience in company law and partnership law. Sakil has strong experience in real estate transactions covering SPV sales and purchases, and also advising on investment structures and related property management, hotels and leisure, HMAs, and operator agreements.

On the commercial side, he has developed extensive skills in a broad range of commercial agreements, including joint ventures and strategic alliances, as well as large, multi-jurisdictional service, technology, and outsourcing transactions; manufacture, supply, procurement, logistics, and warehousing; and advising on day-to-day matters such as standard terms and conditions, advertising, marketing, and consumer laws. He also has strong experience in AI, technology, e-commerce, and data and privacy, including software development, licensing, mobile apps, SaaS, and cloud computing.

Sakil is one of the leading partners in the firm’s Retail and Consumer Goods Group, with a deep knowledge of the sector. As part of his commercial practice, Sakil has a particular focus on franchising, distribution, and agency law. He is a member of the International Distribution Institute (IDI) and serves as their UK Country Expert. He has a wealth of experience advising on all aspects of marketing and sales structures, licensing arrangements, and white labelling, including new agreements and advising on restructurings and terminations. He is an authority on agency law and the Commercial Agency Regulations, with strong experience coordinating advice on a multi-jurisdictional basis.

Sakil has gained invaluable commercial exposure working in-house, having spent time on secondment with the legal departments of international corporations Sara Lee and AkzoNobel, where he advised on general commercial matters, including supply, manufacture, distribution, and agency agreements; standard terms and conditions; competition law; consumer law; advertising, marketing, and sales promotions; data privacy; IT, e-commerce, and internet trading; and intellectual property development, protection, and licensing, including confidentiality, research and development, and collaboration.

Sakil also serves as part of the Diversity and Inclusion leadership team in the UK, and is a member of the firm’s Responsible Business Committee.

Experience

Representative matters

Indian bank, Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) in its $205m bid to acquire Standard Chartered’s Indian asset management business.

Ingka Investments on its £400m acquisition of the flagship property, 214 Oxford Street (former Selfridges building) out of administration from the Arcadia Group.

Ingka Investments (Ikea) on a number of UK investments, including What3Words, TaskRabbit and Urban Jungle.

M&A

Indian bank, Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) in its $205m bid to acquire Standard Chartered’s Indian asset management business.

Ingka Investments on its £400m acquisition of the flagship property, 214 Oxford Street (former Selfridges building) out of administration from the Arcadia Group.

Ingka Investments (Ikea) on a number of UK investments, including What3Words, TaskRabbit and Urban Jungle.

Private Equity firm PNC Riverarch in its acquisition of Steelite International, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and retailers of tableware, cutlery and cooking products.

Private Equity firm PNC Riverarch in its acquisition of Pirtek, market leading provider of hydraulic fittings and other car parts and the subsequent exit and sale to Franchise Brands.

World Kinect Corporation on its investment in luxury concierge group, Quintessentially.

World Kinect Corporation, on the disposal of its land fuel division, Watson Fuels, in an auction process and subsequent sale to Inspirit Capital.

Health care service provider, Nations Healthcare in a £15m equity investment by Nomura Private Equity Group

Respironics, Inc., in its recommended takeover offer of Profile Therapeutics Plc, a company involved in the pharmaceuticals and health care sector

Eusa Pharma in the recommended takeover offer of pharmaceuticals company, Talisker Limited.

Philip Morris in its investment in a business operating a chain of vaping retail units.

Debenhams Plc on the disposal of its Magenta printing division to the Paragon Group.

Debenhams Plc on its investment in and collaboration with Blow Ltd for the provision of hair and beauty services.

A US based buyer on the acquisition of the Crew Clothing business, including over 70 stores and the online business.

A US based buyer on its acquisition of Moss Bros plc.

A Russian based purchaser in its acquisition of the Lincrusta home furnishings business.

Alfred Publishing in the acquisition of an international music publishing business from Warner Bros. and the subsequent disposal of certain parts of the acquired businesses to Faber Music in the UK

Sara Lee Corporation on its disposal of the Kiwi shoe polish brand to S.C Johnson.

Sara Lee Corporation on its disposal of its home furnishings division, involving a series of disposals of brands including Christy Towels, Standfast, Weavstyle and Courtaulds Textiles.

Sara Lee Corporation on its acquisition of a substantial equity interest in a number of textile manufacturing facilities in Sri Lanka, including agreeing new joint venture and other commercial arrangements with the new joint venture partner.

Akzo Nobel N.V. on the cross-border disposal of its PVC Additives Business in the UK, Eastern Europe, USA and Brazil to GIL Investments.

Fortune 500 company, First Advantage Corporation on its multi-jurisdictional share acquisition of a pre-employment screening business run by the Quest Research Group, with entities in India, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Dubai and the BVI

Shareholders of World Class Learning Group, on the disposal of the World Class education advisory business and network of international schools based in USA and the Middle East, to Sovereign Capital.

IT company, SunGard in its acquisition of data services provider, Monis Management.

Shareholders of tech company, Ingage, in the disposal to Computershare.

Sagem in its acquisition of Matsu Limited, manufacturer of payment processing terminals and related software and technology

US Fortune 500 company, Kowabunga, Inc. in its acquisition of UK based internet advertising solutions provider, Web Diversity.

Unicredit, in its equity investment in Martur, a major Turkish automotive parts manufacturer.

Commercial

Channel 4 on a series of IT software development and licensing transactions, including in relation to its Video on Demand platform and its advertising sales system.

ITV on its news platform, including its collaboration with ITN and a number technology suppliers to the platform.

IT Service provider Trinity Expert Systems on a long term, multi-million pound outsourcing project with Life Assurance Holdings (an affiliate of Swiss Re).

Mellon Bank in the IT outsourcing by Barclays of the back office administration and management of certain financial products.

Hibu/Yell Group in the transatlantic outsourcing of the administration of all of its employee share plans to Mourant based on a bespoke, web based solution.

Real Estate group, Gerald Eve on the automation of its contract management process, including preparing template and standard form documents.

Radley Associates in relation to its real estate risk analysis product portfolio, including on a number of software licensing deals with major financial institutions such as Nationwide and Santander

Philip Morris in its collaboration with a leading supermarket, including the supply of gantries across its portfolio of stores in the UK.

Sara Lee in the Europe wide tender process of its IT function, including ultimate contract negotiations with Hewlett Packard

Clothing retailer, Gant in the development and hosting of its first e-commerce trading site for the UK and the outsourcing of its operation to Drive Business.

Advising Debenhams plc on the development of a new ecommerce site for its international division, including all data and privacy aspects.

Advising Wonderbra on the development of a mobile platform offering ecommerce functionality on a SaaS platform with Venda Solutions.

Assisting a major online e-commerce platform launch in the UK, including advice on consumer law issues, including rights relating to distance selling on a cross border basis covering multiple jurisdictions.

Brooklyn Brothers in the launch of its brand in Turkey on a franchise basis, including various licensing arrangements with local partners in Turkey.

A major IP rights holder on the termination of its existing agency structure in the EU and the roll out of a new structure, negotiating agreements on a multi-jurisdictional basis.

US fashion retailer implement a franchise structure in Europe and the Middle East.

A pharma client on new distribution agreements in the UK, EU, Turkey and Middle East.

AGA Rangemaster on its selective distribution structure and other commercial and logistics arrangements in the UK and Europe.

Gilead Sciences on a European wide outsourcing and licensing of certain logistics and facilities management services and systems.

Acting for the Richemont Group for a number of its brands on commercial and marketing arrangements, including Alfred Dunhill, Montblanc, G/Fore and Laureus Sport.

House of Fraser on a long-term warehousing and logistics arrangement with a major listed provider.

DB Apparel on a number of sponsorship contracts, including with Rachel Stevens, Anna Kournikova, Sally Gunnell and England Netball.

Douwe Egberts Coffee on a number of major manufacture and supply agreements with an established department store and major supermarket.

Courtaulds on its collaboration with BG Technologies relating to new bra technology. The arrangement involved licensing of existing IP, further research and development and dealt with ownership and use of new IP

Online operator World Gaming Plc in its partnership with Sportingbet for the white label provision of an online sports betting offering. The transaction involved the merger of two businesses, rolled into a new entity in which Sportingbet took an equity interest, followed by a suite of commercial agreements relating to the white label offering and further software development.

Advising Sagem in relation to Supply and Maintenance Agreements relating to security technology (fingerprint, face and eye scan recognition technology) to a number of government bodies.

Advising software provider, Idox Information Solutions on its standard software development and licence terms on its portfolio of products and advising on cross border data protection and privacy issues.

Advising media and brand imaging solutions provider Schawk, Inc, on a joint software development project with an Indian based digital company relating to software development and integration and launch of a new collaborative software solution and product.

GAVI Fund Affiliate, which is part of the worldwide charity organisation the Global Alliance on Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI), on day to day corporate and commercial matters, including charity law.

Advising charity, See the Difference on its setup, creation of website, standard terms and all commercial contracts, including its outsourcing of back end payment processing to Virgin Giving.

Vision Service Plan in its UK collaboration with Monroe Sutton, relating to the setting up of a jointly operated health benefits discount scheme. Advising on the collaboration agreement, website set up and related IP issues.

Recognitions

Listed as a Notable Practitioner in IFLR1000 Global for United Kingdom M&A and United Kingdom Private Equity, 2020-2025
Listed in the Pro Bono Recognition List of England & Wales, 2024