John Danahy is a partner in the London office where he leads the Real Estate practice.
John's practice is diverse, and he has strong capability in prime real estate, energy and infrastructure, nuclear and blockchain/DLT technologies.
John specialises in the efficient delivery of major real estate, energy and infrastructure transactions for leading international fund, investor, developer and operator clients. He helps clients realise their commercial objectives across a range of asset classes including office, industrial, power, leisure, healthcare and logistics.
John's approach is collaborative and pragmatic. He generally leads a multidisciplinary team of specialists delivering the best outcomes for clients. John is particularly adept at assisting international clients investing in UK assets or establishing UK operations.
As a former IT consultant, John has experience in delivering process optimised solutions to global finance and telecoms companies. Prior to re-joining KWM, John delivered and implemented a global artificial intelligence solution for a full-service global law firm, where he was a partner, adopting a uniquely collaborative partnering approach with a leading AI innovator.
John's insights are frequently published, and he presents at FinTech conferences in relation to the potential of Blockchain/DLT technology in the real estate and energy sectors.
Experience
- A leading Institutional Asset Manager on the corporate portfolio acquisition of two large central London hotels for c£180 million, co-investing with a leading Danish pension fund
- A World Class Developer on the leasing of new European Headquarters of a leading International Technology Company in the largest leasing deal in West London for 20 years
- A leading Investment Manager on its acquisition, for a US client, of a large prime central London office building for c£200 million for extensive redevelopment
- Twitter on the leasing of its European Headquarters
- A leading Institutional Asset Manager on its corporate acquisition of a 50% stake in a premium quality regional shopping centre and its back-to-back joint ventures with UK and Chinese investors
- A Chinese SOE on the real estate aspects of its c£10 billion investment in new power projects
- A leading European Renewables Operator on its disposal of a minority interest in its onshore and offshore operational wind power business in a transaction with an enterprise value of c£1.5bn
- A Global Institution on its refinance of three large CCGT plants for cUS$420 million. The transaction included extensive work on issues relating to associated infrastructure
- A Large-Scale Gas Plant Operator in relation to the acquisition and development of a c1.5GW gas power plant and the associated 27km gas pipeline
- A Chinese SOE's renewables division on its strategic acquisition of onshore wind assets
- A None-Departmental Public Body on two c£500 million disposals of the former nuclear plants, with particular focus on legacy decommissioning and contaminated land
- A leading Distributed Ledger Technology Provider, as a core member of the development team, delivering the globally significant Instant Property Network
Languages
- English
Qualifications (only qualified jurisdictions of practice)
- Solicitor, England and Wales
