David A. D'Souza
David D’Souza is a corporate partner with a particular focus on private equity transactions.
He advises private equity houses, financial sponsors and their portfolio companies and management teams on a wide range of matters, including leveraged buyouts, acquisitions and disposals, growth equity transactions, shareholder and management incentive arrangements, joint ventures, restructurings and refinancings.
David has over 18 years’ experience as a private equity M&A specialist with a focus on the financial services, business services, tech and infrastructure sectors.
Clients note that "David's client service and general level of service, level of sophistication and commercial vision are very strong. David is very responsive, highly knowledgeable, pragmatic, and a genuine private equity expert" (Chambers and Partners, 2024). They also say, "David D'Souza stands out as a savvy professional and able to go toe to toe with even the most technical practitioners in the City" (Legal 500 UK, 2025).
Experience
Aquiline
- Acquisition of Wealth at Work
- Acquisition of Isio
- Investment in Smart Pension
BC Partners
Acquisition of a majority stake in United Group, a leading media and communication services provider across Southeast Europe, from KKR and United Group on its acquisition of Tele2 Croatia
Blackstone
- $14 billion acquisition of Copeland/Emerson Climate Technologies
- £140 million strategic investment in Currencies Direct
- £3.5 billion take private of Signature Aviation
- Strategic investment alongside the founders in app developer Murka
DWS (as manager of certain infrastructure funds)
- First transactions as part of its new sustainable growth equity investing strategy
- Acquisition and disposal of GSE specialist TCR
EQT
- Acquisition of Independent Vetcare (IVC) from Summit Partners
- Disposal of Vertu
Goldman Sachs Asset Management
- Various transactions for the emerging markets strategy including, IXcellerate and CIAN
- Its investment in fintech Form3
- Its exit from Beqom
GIC
Disposal of its stake in an Irish telecoms operator Eir
Macquarie Funds, Allianz Capital Partners and the Finnish State Pension Fund
€3.6 billion acquisition of Finnish power distributor Elenia Networks
Permira
- Its acquisition of Cisco’s Service Provider Video Software Solutions business
- Its acquisition of a stake in Swedish-headquartered fintech company Klarna
- Together with Cinven and Mid Europa Partners, their acquisition of Allegro Group, Poland’s leading online marketplace, from Naspers for $3.253 billion
- Its acquisition and IPO of Akindo Sushiro
- Its acquisition of Dr. Martens
- Exits from Arysta LifeScience and Iglo Foods Group
Thoma Bravo
- The £3.1 billion recommended cash offer for Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity solutions
- Its acquisition of Majesco
The Ardonagh Group (backed by HPS and MDP)
Merger between Markerstudy Group and Atlanta Group
USS
- Acquisition of Moto and sell down to CVC
- Acquisition of Westerleigh Group
Waterland
Disposal of Cooper Parry
Rankings
Recommended for Private Equity: Transactions – mid-market deals (up to £500 million)
Legal 500 2025
Recognised as a Notable Practitioner: M&A
IFLR1000