The Italian based gluten-free pasta producer Andriani welcomes financial holding Nuo as minority shareholder. Andriani was assisted in the operation by Orrick with a team of professionals that included Attilio Mazzilli. Chiomenti and Gitti and Partners were Nuo’s advisors, while USB mid-market also acted as financial advisor for the operation.
Orrick, Attilio Mazzilli assists Andriani in welcoming Nuo as minority shareholder
Recently, the financial holding company created by Exor and The World-Wide Investment, Nuo, entered the Italian food sector by becoming a minority shareholder of Andriani, a company based in Puglia (Southern Italy) and specialized in the production of high-quality gluten-free pasta, starting from excellent raw materials. The Italian Group was assisted by Orrick’s Corporate Partner Attilio Mazzilli, who played a key role in the formation of a new partnership between the holding company run by CEO Tommaso Paoli and the gluten-free pasta producer. The agreement establishes that Nuo enters Andriani’s capital as a minority partner with a 26.4% stake. The Italian Group will hence continue to maintain the majority of the share capital, while brothers Michele and Francesco Andriani will lead the company’s management. This operation will help the Apulian company accelerate its industrial development plan, which aims to a rapid expansion into the American and the Asian markets. Included in the plan is also an increase of the investments in innovation and supply chain projects and in long-term sustainability projects, including the achievement of carbon neutrality by 2050.
The profile of Attilio Mazzilli, Orrick’s Corporate Partner and key player in the operation
Attilio Mazzilli was among the professionals that played a key role in the operation that led to the partnership between Nuo and Andriani. Partner of the global law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP since 2015, he is a lawyer specialized in private equity and venture capital transactions who provides counsel to companies, startups and venture capital firms on financing, corporate law, M&A and listings. He is Co-Head of Orrick’s Italian offices, Head of the Italian Tech Group and Member of the International Technology Company Group. Attilio Mazzilli participated in a significant number of major acquisitions and mergers, assisting renowned Italian companies such as Intesa San Paolo, Banca Sella Holding and Cerba Healthcare. He was the advisor in Scalapay’s last funding round led by Tencent as well as in the previous funding round led by Tiger Global. He also played an important role after the outbreak of the pandemic, since he collaborated with the Italian Ministry of Innovation, the Finance Commission and VC Hub to draft urgent measures that would financially support Italian tech companies. The app of one of his clients, Bending Spoons, was chosen by the Italian Ministry of Health to track spread of COVID-19 throughout the country. Attilio Mazzilli received several awards during his career and he was appointed “Lawyer of the Year for Venture Capital”. His work contributed to a significant number of awards for Orrick, including “Law Firm of the Year 2021 for Venture Capital” (BeBeez and PBV) and “Law Firm of the Year 2020 for Fintech” (TopLegal Industry Awards).
