Skadden shores up Doughty Hanson relationship on RHM float

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom’s London office has shored up its relationship with private equity house Doughty Hanson by landing the lead role in the £1bn flotation of its UK food manufacturing arm RHM.

Corporate partner Allan Murray-Jones is leading Skadden’s team on the floatation, which is planned for next month and will be one of the first floatations under new prospectus disclosure rules that come into affect on 1 July.

RHM is owned by Doughty Hanson and manufactures brand name foods such as Hovis bread and Mr Kipling cakes.

Skadden has been building up its relationship with Doughty Hanson since Murray-Jones joined from Lovells in 2001, taking a sizeable chunk of Doughty’s European work with him to the US firm.

The relationship was further reinforced when Julie Bradshaw also joined Skadden from Lovells in April this year. Bradshaw had been Lovells key relationship partner for RHM.

Skadden capital markets partner James Healy is assisting Murry-Jones in leading the firm’s team. Senior associate Lorenzo Corte is also assisting.

Allen & Overy corporate partner Alison Beardsley is leading the firm’s team advising Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB), the sponsor and the underwriting syndicate of banks on the deal.

She is being assisted by corporate partner Richard Browne, capital markets partner Daniel Epstein and senior associate James Row.