Travers Smith LLP has acted for founders of Aviate Global LLP, a global institutional equity brokerage, on its sale to Northern Trust.
Established in 2007 by Guy Gibson and Gary Paulin, Aviate is an institutional-focused equity brokerage firm offering market research, trading and execution services with licenses in multiple global jurisdictions. The firm serves clients internationally from offices across three continents including London, New York, Hong Kong and Sydney.
The sale to Northern Trust, a leading Chicago-headquartered wealth and asset management firm, is an important step in strengthening Aviate’s global trading and transition management services offering. The combination will expand the firms’ joint brokerage capabilities and significantly enhance their ability to provide global institutional clients with a comprehensive set of solutions to meet their investment servicing needs.
The Travers Smith team which acted for the sellers was led by corporate partner Jon Reddington who was supported by associate Mark Anderson. Tax partner Simon Yates and associate Maudie Leach handled the tax related elements of the transactions.
Northern Trust was advised by Richard Sheen of Norton Rose Fulbright LLP.
The transaction is currently subject to applicable regulatory approvals and is anticipated to close in the first quarter of 2016.