PRESS RELEASE
9 September 2025

A&O Shearman Advises Exponent And Natara On Natara’s Cash Offer To Acquire Treatt Plc

AO
A&O Shearman

Contributor

A&O Shearman was formed in 2024 via the merger of two historic firms, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling. With nearly 4,000 lawyers globally, we are equally fluent in English law, U.S. law and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets. This combination creates a new kind of law firm, one built to achieve unparalleled outcomes for our clients on their most complex, multijurisdictional matters – everywhere in the world. A firm that advises at the forefront of the forces changing the current of global business and that is unrivalled in its global strength. Our clients benefit from the collective experience of teams who work with many of the world’s most influential companies and institutions, and have a history of precedent-setting innovations. Together our lawyers advise more than a third of NYSE-listed businesses, a fifth of the NASDAQ and a notable proportion of the London Stock Exchange, the Euronext, Euronext Paris and the Tokyo and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges.
A&O Shearman is pleased to announce it is advising Exponent and its portfolio company Natara on the terms of Natara’s all-cash acquisition of Treatt plc, a leading manufacturer and supplier of natural extracts and ingredients.
United States

A&O Shearman is pleased to announce it is advising Exponent and its portfolio company Natara on the terms of Natara’s all-cash acquisition of Treatt plc, a leading manufacturer and supplier of natural extracts and ingredients. The offer values Treatt at GBP156.6 million.

The transaction will bring together two highly complementary businesses to create a leading global ingredients platform in the Food and Flavoring (F&F) sector, leveraging Natara’s expertise in specialty base aromas and Treatt’s long-standing capabilities in high-value natural ingredients. Together, they will be able to accelerate innovative solutions and provide customers with a broader product portfolio across key markets. The transaction will offer significant strategic and operational benefits, such as a global salesforce and state of the art facilities to capitalize on opportunities not readily available to either company on a standalone basis. Employees will also have greater learning and development opportunities as the scale and scope of the combined businesses will create a broader platform for collaboration and investment in talent.

Exponent is a longstanding client of A&O Shearman, which also advised on Exponent’s original acquisition of Natara, formerly the UK-headquartered Flavor Specialty Ingredients division of International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. A&O Shearman has advised a number of bidders and targets on public takeovers in 2025.

The multi-practice A&O Shearman team is being led by partners and European co-heads of private equity, Peter Banks and Neil Sinha, and partners Matt Hamilton-Foyn, Chris Sabine, and James Green. Antitrust advice is being provided by partner David Weaver.

Commenting on the transaction, A&O Shearman global co-head of private equity and partner, Peter Banks, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Exponent and Natara on this transformative, strategic acquisition. Advising on these public takeovers and their related financing arrangements is a particular area of expertise for the firm, and we’re delighted to be supporting another client on a pivotal transaction.”

Contributor

A&O Shearman was formed in 2024 via the merger of two historic firms, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling. With nearly 4,000 lawyers globally, we are equally fluent in English law, U.S. law and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets. This combination creates a new kind of law firm, one built to achieve unparalleled outcomes for our clients on their most complex, multijurisdictional matters – everywhere in the world. A firm that advises at the forefront of the forces changing the current of global business and that is unrivalled in its global strength. Our clients benefit from the collective experience of teams who work with many of the world’s most influential companies and institutions, and have a history of precedent-setting innovations. Together our lawyers advise more than a third of NYSE-listed businesses, a fifth of the NASDAQ and a notable proportion of the London Stock Exchange, the Euronext, Euronext Paris and the Tokyo and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges.

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