Practice Expertise

  • Corporate Law
  • Capital Markets
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Areas of Practice

  • Capital Markets
  • Corporate Law
  • Corporate - M&A
  • Corporate Finance - Equity Capital Markets
  • M&A
  • View More

WSG Practice Industries

WSG Leadership

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Profile

Henrik Laursen is a partner in our Corporate Finance team and has extensive experience in large complex transactions across all public M&A and capital markets transactions (IPOs, rights issues, ABBs, takeovers, restructurings, etc.) as well venture capital and private M&A transactions. In addition to transactional work, Henrik provides advice in relation to ongoing disclosure obligations and corporate governance.

Henrik is among the most active capital markets lawyers in Denmark, having completed transactions with an aggregate value of more than DKK 200bn. Henrik has been involved in several Danish landmark transactions across multiple industries, including the IPOs of Netcompany, Nets, ISS and Scandinavian Tobacco Group, the takeover bids on Topdanmark and Nørresundby Bank and led the Plesner equity capital markets (ECM) team advising Tryg on its DKK 37bn Rights Issue, the largest ever ECM transaction in Denmark. In addition, Henrik regularly advises most Danish and international investment banks active in Denmark. 

In addition to substantial experience and a successful track record with capital markets transactions in the Danish market, Henrik is among the most experienced Danish practitioners within cross-border capital markets transactions, currently advising Noble Corporation on its combination with Maersk Drilling and subsequent listing on NYSE and Nasdaq Copenhagen and have advised on the IPOs of Forward Pharma (first main listing on Nasdaq NYC), Ascendis Pharma (second main listing on Nasdaq NYC), Bavarian Nordic (abandoned US IPO), Zealand Pharma (first dual-listing on Nasdaq NYC), Orphazyme (third dual-listing on Nasdaq NYC) Nordic Waterproofing (IPO on Nasdaq Stockholm) as well as the restructuring of SEK 350m bonds issued by Trigon Agri A/S (listed on Nasdaq Stockholm). 

While working across multiple industries, Henrik has a particular focus on the technology and life science sectors as well as providing advice to financial institutions.

Capital Markets
  • IPOs for a combined value of approximately DKK 42bn of Netcompany, ISS, Nets, Trifork, Green Hydrogen Systems, Aquaporin, Orphazyme (initial Copenhagen IPO as well as Nasdaq NYC IPO), Zealand Pharma (NYC), Nordic Transport Group, Scandinavian Tobacco Group, Nordic Waterproofing (Nasdaq Stockholm), Forward Pharma (NYC) and RISMA Systems (Nasdaq First North)
  • Takeover bids for RSA (by consortium consisting of Tryg and Intact), Topdanmark (by Sampo), Nørresundby Bank and Migatronic for a combined value of approximately DKK 68bn
  • Private placements of new shares in among others Zealand Pharma, Tryg, Orphazyme, Bavarian Nordic, Ambu, Greenmobility for a combined value of DKK 8bn
  • Rights issues for a combined value of approximately DKK 38bn in Tryg, Bang & Olufsen and Nordjyske Bank
  • Private placements of existing shares in among others Netcompany, NTG, Genmab, Matas, Chr. Hansen, Genmab and Asetek for a combined value of DKK 9bn
  • SPACs - several undisclosed aborted de-SPAC transactions
  • All-stock combination - pending of Maersk Drilling and Noble Corporation for a combined value of approximately DKK 22bn
  • Various other transactions, including debt-to-equity restructuring and listing of warrants in Agromino and equity finance and license transaction involving Zealand Pharma and Alexion 
Private Transactions
  • Numerous biotech transactions, including equity financing rounds in Ascendis Pharma, IO Biotech, UNION therapeutics, sale of Santaris Pharma (acquired by Roche), acquisition of PDE4i/Orismilast from LEO Pharma and acquisition of Tetramer Shop by 10x Genomics for a combined value of approximately DKK 4bn  
  • Numerous tech transactions, including advising Facebook and Airbnb on their first Danish M&A transactions acquiring respectively Eyeproof and Gaest.com and various equity financing rounds, including in Trustpilot and Too Good To Go 
  • Various other transactions, including DONG Energy/Goldman Sachs, ATP and PFA private placement, the acquisition of Fan Milk International, and the acquisition of Riemann by Orkla

Education
2011 Advokat
2008 Master of Laws, University of Copenhagen
2006 University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law

Areas of Practice

  • Capital Markets
  • Corporate Law
  • Corporate - M&A
  • Corporate Finance - Equity Capital Markets
  • M&A

Professional Career


Professional Activities and Experience
Accolades
  • 2022 Legal 500
  • 2020 2021 2021 2022 IFLR
  • 2020 2021 Legal 500
  • 2019 Legal 500


Articles

Co-author of the chapter about Denmark, The International Capital Markets Review, second edition, 2012


"Pensionsrettigheder ved virksomhedsoverdragelse" (Pension rights in business transfers), Justitia No. 3, 2010

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