Ian Keefe

Ian is a partner in the Private Equity group at Goodwin. He joined Goodwin in 2024.

Ian specialises in pan-European and international private equity and M&A transactions. His clients include institutional investors, alternative asset managers, corporates, senior management teams, founders and portfolio companies.

He advises on the full range of private equity and financial sponsor backed transactions including leveraged buyouts, consortium deals, bolt-on acquisitions, carve-outs, co-investments, minority deals, public to privates, secondary transactions, recapitalisations, divestments, distressed M&A, public-to-privates, joint ventures, reorganisations and restructurings together with advising on general corporate matters.

Ian’s experience includes advising:

• ICG on its investment in 6point6 and the subsequent sale of 6point6 to Accenture*
• ICG on its acquisition of Broadstone*
• ICG and Broadstone on the carve-out of 20-20 Trustees (“20-20”) and the merger of 20-20 with Punter Southall Governance Services to form Vidett*
• Apax Global Impact on its investment in Integrated Environmental Solutions*
• CGE Partners and Enhesa in relation to the minority investment by Bregal Sagemount in Enhesa alongside CGE*
• CGE Partners on its acquisition of Datapharm*
• CGE Partners in relation to investment in Aurora Energy Research*
• Bridgepoint in the sale of Miller Homes to funds advised by Apollo*
• Bridgepoint on its investment in ltsu*
• Bridgepoint and all other selling shareholders on the sale of Pret A Manger to JAB Holdings*
• Bridgepoint on its acquisition of the master franchise of Burger King® in the UK*
• Bridgepoint and its investee company, Element Materials Technology Group, on the public to private acquisition of Exova Group plc.*Wiggle (backed by Bridgepoint) on its merger with CRC*Hellman & Friedman on the sale of SSP*
• TA Associates on its sale of Flashtalking to Mediaocean, a portfolio company of Vista Equity Partners*
• Graphite Capital on its agreement to acquire Digital Space*
• Graphite Capital on its investment in BabbleCloud*
• Graphite Capital and management shareholders on the sale of Random42 to The Lockwood Group, a portfolio company of Ares Management*
• Phoenix Equity Partners on the acquisition of Nexus Vehicle Rental (“Nexus”) and the subsequent exit of Nexus to funds managed by Equistone*
• Phoenix Equity Partners on its sale of 1000heads to Labelium Group*
• Phoenix Equity Partners on its investment in Redington*
• Phoenix Equity Partners on its investment in Logiq*
• Marlin Equity Partners on the dale of Qualitest to Bridgepoint*
• All selling shareholders on the sale of Offsite Archive Storage and Integrated Services Holdings (OASIS) to Montagu Private Equity*
• M&G on its investment in Atelier Capital Partners*
• S.A. Brain & Company on its deal with Marston's pie to restructure its pubs business*
• The administrators of Laura Ashley on the sale of its brand to US restructuring and investment firm Gordon Brothers*

* Denotes experience prior to joining Goodwin.

Ian previously practiced at a London headquartered law firm where he trained and became a partner in 2018.

Ian has been recognized as a “Rising Star” and one of “the next generation of City private equity talent” by Law.com.

Clients in the Legal 500 2023 have described Ian as ”a truly outstanding lawyer. Qualities I ascribe to Ian are trust, competence, smart, experience, thoughtfulness, and commerciality.”

Clients in the Legal 500 UK 2023 have stated that “[Ian] is very quick to respond to questions that I put to him, and is very commercial in his approach. He stands up well to opposing lawyers on the other side of the deal.”

Ian is the author of the chapter on acquisition documentation in Private Equity: A Transactional Analysis 5th Edition, Edited by Chris Hale (Globe Law and Business, 2024) and has spoken regularly at BVCA events.