Women in Dealmaking

Overview

Across corporate America, women are leading the conversations, negotiating the terms, and closing the deals for some of the biggest transactions in mergers and acquisitions and private equity. The days of being “the only women in the room” are fading, replaced by a lively dealmaking environment that showcases the creative dynamism, close collaboration, and keen business insights of women leaders.

At Nixon Peabody, we understand that bringing like-minded, high-powered women together has a multiplying effect. And we know that corporate women play pivotal roles in supporting each other’s growth and success. In 2021, three of our women partners founded the firm’s Women in Dealmaking initiative to build on the momentum of this evolution and direct its benefits to our clients, industry peers, and colleagues.

Women in Dealmaking is a robust national network of trailblazing women leaders in M&A and private equity created to establish strong cross-industry connections, capitalize on new business opportunities, and elevate the voices of women in these spaces to increase equity and impact in a space long dominated by men. This network is now over 1,000 women strong, and it has led directly to significant deals, new streams of work, and lifelong professional connections.

Leveraging our community of women lawyers, we connect the broader network of women in dealmaking through a variety of platforms, including industry panels, podcasts, and professional development and networking events.

Diverse perspectives in the dealmaking community directly lead to better business outcomes and happier clients—which benefit women and men alike.

Representative experience

The following is a sampling of recent deals led or co-led by the women leading this initiative.

• ZyMōt Fertility: represented reproductive technology company DxNow Inc., the owner of ZyMōt Fertility Inc., in the sale of ZyMōt to CooperSurgical Inc.
• Confidential client: represented an upstate NY medical practice in a complex transaction that included the sale of substantially all of the practice’s non-clinical assets to a private equity
• SAES Getters S.p.A.: represented an Italian public company in the sale of its Nitinol business and, in particular, of the US subsidiaries Memry Corporation and SAES Smart Materials, Inc., to Resonetics, LLC for $900 million
• High Purity New England., Inc.: represented a premier provider of single-use solutions for bioprocessing applications in its sale to Datascope Corp., a US-based subsidiary of the Swedish public company, Getinge, for $120 million (+ earn-out opportunity)
• Boehringer Ingelheim: represented a large pharmaceutical company, its affiliates, and subsidiaries on recent transactions
• Pet Food Express, LLC: represented a premium pet food retailer in its sale to an affiliate of Rainier Capital Partners
• Health Catalyst, Inc.: represented a leading provider of data and analytics technology and services to health organizations, in its acquisitions of Healthfinch, Inc.; VitalWare, LLC; Twistle, Inc.; KPI Ninja, Inc.; Armus Corporation; Electronic Registry Systems, LLC, Carevive, Inc., and Lumeon Limited
• Sobriety Centers of New Hampshire: represented a drug rehabilitation center in northern New Hampshire specializing in in-patient and out-patient drug rehabilitation programs and sober living facilities, in its sale to a private equity fund
• Mid-States Bolt & Screw LLC: represented a family-owned fastener-distribution and inventory-management company in its acquisition by a subsidiary of the private-equity firm, Morgenthaler Private Equity
• Represented management team of insurance consulting business in the sale of the business to a strategic acquiror, including negotiation of go-forward employment, restrictive covenant, and incentive arrangements
• Confidential client: represented a clean energy investment firm in a debt financing transaction
• Confidential client: represented a family-owned integrated platform of leading flexible packaging businesses, in the sale of assets from one of its portfolio companies to Bulk Lift International, LLC
• Represented the owners of ROI Communications LLC; allConnex, LLC; and Blue Front Technology Group, LLC in the sale of its companies to an affiliate of Gemspring Capital Management, LLC
• Confidential client: represented a privately owned life sciences company in its sale to a major publicly traded company in the same field for $145 million
• Medicus Healthcare Solutions, LLC: represented a staffing solutions and provider to healthcare organizations in the sale of its business to the private equity fund Beecken Petty O’Keefe & Company
• Creo Capital Partners: represented a food and consumer-focused private investment firm in numerous investments in middle-market companies
• Constellation Brands: represented one of the leading producers of beer, wine, and spirits in a strategic venture with a celebrity backed entity, including trademark and personality licensing, services, and promotion by the celebrity personality; in support of the development and launch of a new California wine brand
• Grupo Nutresa, S.A. (BVC: NUTRESA): represented a food-processing conglomerate in its acquisition of CCDC OpCo Holding Corporation (Cameron’s Coffee) for $113 million

Events and Thought Leadership

• Litera Global M&A Activity report—Amy O’Keefe was quoted in the reports Q&A section with influential women in the middle market discussing broader market trends, the increasing role of B2B transactions in M&A, how advancing technology and heightened regulatory scrutiny are impacting the industry, and more. 
• M&A Empow'her'ment series by Withum—Marissa Wiley joined as a guest to discuss her journey, strategies, and lessons learned while navigating the M&A world. She speaks about her role in helping clients navigate the M&A process and the successes of the Nixon Peabody Women in Dealmaking initiative.
• Litera Global M&A Trends: Midyear 2024 Expert Roundtable Webcast—Rachel Pugliese spoke on the panel about trends likely to spur or dampen dealmaking activity; valuation multiples, interest rate, and inflationary pressures; industries driving deal volume for the remainder of 2024 and future projections for the M&A market.
• “Would Google buy HubSpot? Experts say yes—but see hurdles ahead” (Boston Business Journal, July 5, 2024)—Boston Corporate partner Amy O’Keefe, co-leader of NP’s Women in Dealmaking initiative, is quoted throughout this article on Google’s potential deal to acquire Boston’s HubSpot and challenges the potential megadeal could face along the way. Amy discusses trends we are seeing in the tech M&A space while noting that an aggressive regulatory environment has not stymied deals. 
• “Rise of earnouts and seller notes in behavioral health M&A” (Behavioral Health Business, June 3, 2024)—This article covers the rise of earnout provisions and seller notes in behavioral health mergers and acquisitions. Boston Corporate partner Amy O’Keefe, co-leader of NP’s Women in Dealmaking initiative, and New York City Healthcare partner Jéna Grady are quoted in this coverage from a recent webinar on the topic, discussing the gap in valuation expectations between buyers and sellers as well as healthcare regulatory risks.
• “Analysis of a deal gone wrong: Can iRobot survive?” (Boston Business Journal, January 31, 2024)—Boston Corporate partner Amy O’Keefe, co-leader of the firm’s Women in Dealmaking initiative, is quoted in this article analyzing the termination of a merger deal between Amazon and Massachusetts-based company iRobot. Amy explains that a recent trend of longer delays between deal announcements and closings is putting similar deals at significant risk.
• “M&A Lawyers See Flood of Work from Tool That Delays Deal Payouts” (Bloomberg Law, February 7, 2024)—Nixon Peabody Corporate partner Marissa Wiley is quoted in this article exploring earnouts in M&A deals and the significant increase in these provisions compared with the pre-pandemic deals environment.
• Hot Topics in the Middle Market: annual session with Nixon Peabody’s Women in Dealmaking Team—Annual roundtable discussion featuring a panel of leading women dealmakers discussing Private Equity and M&A trends and opportunities.
• Let’s Talk!—Our women-focused conversation series showcases dynamic women by inviting them to speak about their career journeys and paths to leadership.
• She Talks Law—Members of our Women in Dealmaking initiative invite peers in their industry to join NP host and corporate associate Jennifer Jovcevski to share legal knowledge, industry insights, and market trends.

Recognition

• Nixon Peabody has been named a Tier 1 National firm for Venture Capital Law in the 2025 edition of Best Law Firms®.
• Corporate partner Amy O’Keefe has been named:
  • Women in Business Law—“Mergers and Acquisitions Lawyer of the Year” for 2024
  • Mergers & Acquisitions “Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A” for 2024
  • The Legal500 US 2024 editorial recommendations for M&A/corporate and commercial “M&A: Middle-Market (sub-$500m)”
  • The Deal “Top Women in Dealmaking” for 2023
• Corporate partner Marissa Wiley has been named:
  • Albany Business Review, 40 Under 40 Alumni in 2024
  • Women in Business Law—Shortlist for “Energy Natural Resources & Mining Lawyer of the Year,” “Media & Entertainment Lawyer of the Year,” and “Private Equity Lawyer of the Year” for 2024