VdA was also distinguished for advising the winning transaction in the Europe M&A Deal of the Year category, which consisted of the sale by the José de Mello Group and Arcus of Brisa's majority stake (81.1%) to a consortium of international investors, which includes APG (the largest Dutch asset manager), NPS (Korean National Pension Service) and SLAM (Swiss Life Asset Manager).

VdA advised Brisa and the José de Mello Group on this operation, which has been recognised as an 'outstanding achievement and success' in the context of international financing projects that took place in 2020.

VdA's team was led by Partner Cláudia Cruz Almeida and the core team that advised this transaction included partner José Pedro Fazenda Martins, Managing Associates Inês Gomes Ferreira and Sofia Bobone and Senior Associate Cristina Melo Miranda. This transaction was also supported by João Vieira de Almeida (Managing Partner) and a team led by Partner Paulo de Barros Baptista who assured Brisa continuous support throughout the process.

For Cláudia Cruz Almeida "The recognition of this very special transaction, prepared and launched in the pre-Covid-19 world and agreed upon, negotiated and successfully concluded post-COVID-19, fills us with pride. It was a privilege to make this trip with the José de Mello Group, our historic client, together with Arcus, its partner for over a decade, and other legal and financial advisors, in a remarkable team effort. It was also a pleasure to work with the advisors of the purchasing consortium, whose exemplary commitment, focus and collaborative spirit contributed to achieving this result".

PFI- Project Finance International - is one of the world's leading Project Finance magazines, whose annual awards distinguish the most important transactions in the market.