Gfi Informatique Sells its Stake in GFI Solutions

Members of the GFI Solutions management team in partnership with Investissement Québec, Capital régional et coopératif Desjardins and Fonds de solidarité FTQ bought out the 62.4 per cent stake held by French IT firm Gfi Informatique S.A. in GFI Solutions Group Inc. (“GFI Solutions”) for an aggregate price of $75 million. The transaction closed on March 1, 2012.

Fonds de solidarité FTQ and GFI Solutions management members already held stakes of 31.1 per cent and 6.7 per cent respectively. Following the transaction, Fonds de solidarité FTQ holds 38.4 per cent of shares, Investissement Québec 27.6 per cent, Capital régional et coopératif Desjardins 19.7 per cent, and GFI Solutions management members, 14.3 per cent.

GFI Solutions specializes in the design, implementation, integration and support of business, accounting and banking IT solutions.

GFI Solutions was represented in-house by André Goyer and by McCarthy Tétrault LLP, with a team that included Éric Gosselin, Laurent Gauthier and Monique Handfield; Madeleine Renaud and Marilyn Leblanc (competition) as well as Richard O'Doherty (financial services).

Capital Régional et Coopératif Desjardins and Investissement Québec were represented in-house, respectively by André Dessureault and Lilia Pouliot and by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, with a team that included Shahir Guindi, Éric Blondeau, Raphaël Amram, Marie-Ève Desjardins and Pierre Fournier-Simard (corporate and M&A); François Auger, Alain Fournier and Julia Qian Wang (tax); Étienne Massicotte and Maxime Laverdière (financial services); and Peter Glossop and Matthew Anderson (competition).

Fonds de solidarité FTQ was represented in-house by its Senior Legal Counsel Yvan Nantel.

Gfi Informatique S.A. was represented by Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, with a team that included, in Canada, Frédéric Boucher, Jean Michel Lapierre, Robert Paré and Rebecca McLeod (corporate and M&A); Gilles Carli (tax); Jean-Philippe Mikus (intellectual property); Martin Racicot and Francis Trifiro (banking) and Douglas New (competition); and, in France, Ginette Leclerc (corporate).

Lawyer(s)

Julia Qian Wang André Dessureault Raphaël Amram Martin Racicot Rebecca McLeod Lilia Pouliot Jean Michel Lapierre Douglas C. New Eric Blondeau Matthew Anderson Yvan Nantel Alain Fournier André Goyer Shahir Guindi Madeleine Renaud Etienne Massicotte Éric Gosselin Richard O'Doherty Frédéric Boucher Maxime Laverdière Monique Handfield Peter L. Glossop Laurent Gauthier Gilles Carli Marie-Eve Desjardins Jean-Philippe Mikus Francis Trifiro François Auger