Ashurst hires senior partner to lead its private equity practice in Milan

International law firm Ashurst announces the appointment of partner Fabio Niccoli to lead the private equity offering in Milan.

Fabio joins from CDP Equity (previously Fondo Strategico Italiano S.p.A.), where he has been general counsel since 2012, having been responsible for the set-up of the entire legal structure of the business. A highly regarded and technical lawyer, Fabio has over 20 years of experience across both private practice and in-house. Recognised in the GC Powerlist of the most influential general counsel in Italy by The Legal 500, Fabio has advised on a number of high-end private M&A and private equity deals, with a particular focus on the Italian mid-cap market. He began his career at Bonelli Erede Pappalardo. He has also worked at Gianni Origoni Grippo Cappelli & Partners, before joining the newly-founded firm Labruna Mazziotti Segni contributing to its start-up and becoming a partner in the M&A and private equity practice.

Commenting, Carloandrea Meacci, Milan office managing partner said:

"This is a significant development for our practice in Milan - we are able to offer first-rate private equity expertise to complement our market-leading offering in all areas of infrastructure and energy M&A. Fabio is an excellent practitioner with a unique background and he will play a key role in helping us realise our strategy to operate a high performing integrated European corporate M&A and private equity team, as well as to provide support to our existing practices. This appointment also demonstrates our strong commitment to the Italian market, where we have operated for 20 years."

Global head of corporate, Jason Radford, added:

"Fabio is a key strategic hire for the European corporate team, reflecting our aim to further invest in and strengthen our private capital offering. We are delighted to welcome him to the team to help develop a successful private capital and M&A practice in Italy. His background and experience in private practice and as general counsel with a leading Italian investor will complement our existing Italian offering very well."

Fabio Niccoli said:

"I am excited to be joining Ashurst. The firm has great ambitions for its Italian office and European corporate offering. I am looking forward to working with the Italian and global team to deliver some exceptional results for our clients."