Category: Poland

Former Ramp General Counsel Artur Bilski has joined Poland’s Alior Bank as its new Head of Legal.

In his new role, Bilski will be in charge of all legal affairs related to corporate and investment banking as well as IT, fintech, and innovations. He joined Ramp in 2018 (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on November 2018). He spent two previous years with Hogan Lovells, where he worked, among other projects, on the securitization of lease receivables by Europejski Fundusz Leasingowy (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on November 10, 2017) and on the establishment by mBank Hipoteczny S.A. of a mortgage-covered bonds program (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on August 7, 2017). 

Before joining Hogan Lovells in 2016 he spent two and a half years with Clifford Chance, where, among other things, he advised Arctic Paper S.A. and its subsidiaries in Poland and Sweden on the refinancing of their indebtedness (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on November 9, 2016).

From 2012-2014 he was an analyst in the ECM & Corporate Finance Department of PKO Bank Polski.

Bilski commented for CEE Legal Matters that the main reason for change is that he would like to try his “luck as a manager” and develop his leadership skills. He added: “I will still be deeply involved in new technologies and the Fintech sector; it is also worth noting that Alior Bank is clearly one of the leaders in the industry, known for its disruptive approach and the first bank to use a public blockchain for a direct customer service solution.” Talking about his previous role, he said: “There’s a big part of me that’s sad to be saying goodbye to this amazing project and people that I call friends”. 

Mrowiec Fialek and Partners has advised Schindler Polska sp. z o.o. on the acquisition of 100% of the share capital of Torun-based DZWIG Polska sp. z o.o. Ostrowski and Partners advised DZWIG on the deal.

Schindler Polska belongs to the international Schindler Group, which is based in Switzerland. The company sells and services lifts, escalators, and moving sidewalks.

DZWIG Polska is a family company that was founded in 1990 and specializes in the supply, installation, and servicing of lifting equipment.

The Mrowiec Fialek and Partners team consisted of Partner Miroslaw Fialek, Senior Associates Dominika Leszczynska, Pawel Cyganik, Malgorzata Banaszkiewicz, and Maria Krupa, and Associates Katarzyna Witak and Martyna Marczewska.

The Ostrowski and Partners team was led by Partner Piotr Bieniek.

SK&S has advised IB Vogt, a German photovoltaic company operating in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, on its investment in a portfolio of PV companies in Poland.

According to SK&S, the deal included a change in “the majority shareholding in four companies that are building seven photovoltaic farms with a total planned capacity of all the farms at approximately 100MW.”

The SK&S team included Partner Krzysztof Cichocki, Senior Associate Piotr Plesinski, and Junior Associate Kacper Kurowski.

SK&S did not reply to our inquiry on the matter.  

Norton Rose Fulbright has advised Santander Bank Polska S.A. and Bank BNP Paribas Bank Polska S.A. on loans to companies operating the DUKA, Miloo Home, and Incood consumer brands in Poland.

DUKA is a kitchen equipment retailer, DLH is a wood products producer, Miloo Home is a home equipment retailer, and Incood is a stationery and school materials producer.

According to Norton Rose Fulbright, “the structure of the financing involved term loan facilities for the refinancing of existing financial indebtedness and financing CAPEX and ancillary facilities, which included overdraft facilities, guarantees and letters of credit.”

Norton Rose Fulbright’s Warsaw-based team was supervised by Partner Grzegorz Dyczkowski and included Counsel Tomasz Rogalski and Associates Aleksander Haleniuk, Daniel Popek, and Jan Ptaszynski.

Norton Rose Fulbright did not reply to our inquiry on the matter.

CMS has advised Green Investment Group, owned by Macquarie, on the acquisition of the Zajaczkowo wind farm located in Poland’s Pomorskie Province, from Mitsui Renewable Energy Europe Limited and J-Power Investment Netherlands B.V. Dentons advised the sellers on the deal.

The 48 MW wind farm purchased by Green Investment Group consists of 24 wind turbines and was commissioned in 2008. 

The CMS team included Partners Piotr Ciolkowski, Blazej Zagorski, and Graham Conlon, Counsels Maciej Ziolkowski and Agnieszka Skorupinska, Senior Associates Paulina Karpinska-Huzior, Agnieszka Starzynska, Olga Czyzycka, and Monika Kowara, Associates Rafal Burda, Piotr Prawda, and Wojciech Szopinski, and Lawyers Ada Szon, Mateusz Mazur, Pawel Ura, Maciej Brezden, and Piotr Lipinski. 

The Dentons team included Partners Arkadiusz Krasnodebski and Ewa Rutkowska-Subocz, Managing Counsel Agnieskza Kulinska, Senior Associates Emanuel Koska and Jan Dubinski, and Associates Filip Rucinski and Dawid Krakowiak.

RKKW has advised Harvent Capital on its agreement to invest in the construction of a holiday apartment complex on the Polish coast.

The target value of the transaction is estimated at nearly PLN 23 million.

Harvent Capital is specialized in investing in development projects on the commercial real estate market. The company is focused on investing in small and medium enterprises in Poland, in the consumer services and products sector, and in innovative companies with high growth potential.

RKKW’s team included Legal Counsel Marcin Jasinski and lawyer Pawel Izdebski, both working under the supervision of Partner Krzysztof Wrobel.

RKKW did not reply to our inquiry on the matter.

Dentons has advised Cavatina Holding,on preliminary agreements for the sale of two Polish office buildings — Chmielna 89 in Warsaw and Tischnera Office in Krakow — to Globalworth. Weil Gotshal & Manges advised the sellers.

The Dentons team included Partner Bartlomiej Kordeczka, Senior Associates Martyna Racz-Suchocka and Hanna Zarska, and Associate Joanna Fidecka.

The Weil team included Partner Pawel Zdort, Counsel Monika Kierepa, Senior Associate Piotr Fedorowicz, and Associates Barbara Skardzinska, Karolina Bakowska, Aleksandra Kabac, Tomasz Karkowski, Tomasz Bakowski, Sebastian Mikina, and Aleksandra Sliwa.

Gessel has advised Polimex Mostostal on the acquisition of a majority stake in Energomontaz – Polnoc Belchatow, a specialized designer, producer, and installer of steel structures, power generation devices, and industrial operations. BDO Legal reportedly advised Energomontaz – Polnoc Belchatow on the deal.

The Polimex Mostostal group is a Polish engineering and construction company. According to Gessel, the company “builds specialized facilities, in Poland and internationally, for the energy, petrochemical, gas, environmental protection sectors as well as producing, processing, and exporting steel structures.“

The Gessel team was led by Partner Maciej Kozuchowski and included Managing Associate Magdalena Szeplik, Senior Associates Michal Trociuk, Michal Szutenbach, and Karolina Krzal-Kwiatkowska, and Associates Urszula Sleszycka, Bartosz Kolarz, Anna Haciuk, and Bernadeta Kasztelan-Swietlik.

The BDO legal team included Partners Wieslaw Latala and Pawel Duda.

Dentons has advised Spain’s Comsa S.A.U. on debt restructuring and its issue of new shares in Trakcja PRKiI S.A., a Polish infrastructure and energy company listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The program’s value exceeds EUR 230 million and includes bridge and long-term financing provided by banks, insurance companies, and the Industrial Development Agency. DLA Piper advised Trakcja on the deal, White & Case advised the insurance companies, and Clifford Chance advised the Industrial Development Agency. Allen & Overy reportedly advised the banks.

The banks involved included mBank, Credit Agricole Bank Polska, Bank Polska Kasa Opieki, Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego. The insurance agencies were AXA Ubezpieczenia Towarzystwo Ubezpieczen i Reasekuracji, Credendo-Excess & Surety Societe Anonyme (operating in Poland through Credendo-Excess & Surety Spolka Akcyjna), Generali Towarzystwo Ubezpieczen, Korporacja Ubezpieczen Kredytow Eksportowych, Sopockie Towarzystwo Ubezpieczen Ergo Hestia, Powszechny Zakład Ubezpieczen, and Towarzystwo Ubezpieczen UNIQA.

The Dentons team was led by Partner Jakub Celinski and included Counsels Piotr Nerwinski and Michal Wasiak, and Associate Lukasz Błaszczak.

The DLA Piper team included Co-Managing Partner Krzysztof Kycia, Partners Mariusz Hyla and Jakub Domalik-Plakwicz, Counsel Wojciech Kalinowski, Senior Associate Pawel Turek, Associates Adam Marszalek, Michal Banasiak, and Klaudia Lorent, and Junior Associates Alicja Grzebyk and Julia Rychlinska.

The Clifford Chance team included Partner Milosz Golab, Senior Associates Michal Jadwisiak, Maksymilian Jarzabek, and Wojciech Wator.

The White & Case team included Partner Tomasz Ostrowski and Local Partner Aneta Urban.  

Gessel has advised Black Forest, an investment fund controlled by Polish businessman and rally driver Michal Solowow, on its investment in Polish startup Tikrow.

Gessel describes Tikrow, which was launched in late 2017, as “a temp work agency and operator of a marketplace platform bringing together companies in search of flexible staffing solutions and individuals interested in working on a ‘per hour’ basis.” 

The Gessel team was led by Partner Maciej Kozuchowski and included Counsel Inarda Bielinska, Managing Associate Adam Kraszewski, Senior Associates Michal Trociuk, Karolina Krzal-Kwiatkowska, Marta Grabiec, and Associates Anna Haciuk and Bartosz Kolarz.