Deal: Aware Super and Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets have been advised on a consortium bid for Vocus Group Limited.

Value: $3.5 billion.

Area: Corporate.

Key players: The Hogan Lovells corporate legal team was led by M&A (Australia) partners Charles Bogle and David Holland, with support from senior associate, Madison Smith and associates, George Hanna and Zac Forrai.

Hogan Lovells Sydney-based finance partner Bryan Paisley advised Aware in relation to the consortium’s debt financing on the bid. Other Hogan Lovells offices involved included Brussel-based partner Salome Cisnal De Ugarte and associate Ivan Pico who focused on the antitrust analysis.

Deal significance: Vocus Group Limited is an ASX-listed specialist fibre and network solutions provider. The company owns and operates a purpose-built 30,000-kilometre fibre network.

Meanwhile, Aware Super (formerly First State Super) is one of Australia’s three largest superannuation funds with $140 billion assets under management.

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“Vocus announced on 9 March 2021 that it had entered a Scheme Implementation Deed under which an entity owned by the Aware and MIRA consortium has agreed to aquire 100 per cent of the share capital of Vocus for A$5.50 a share representing an acquisition price of $3.5 billion (and an enterprise value of $4.5 billion),” a statement from Hogan Lovells explained.

“Subject to court and shareholder approval, the acquisition is due to complete in the second half of 2021.”