Cross-Border Group Restructuring Across 12 Jurisdictions

Overview

A diversified industrial group with operations spanning 12 jurisdictions across Europe, Asia Pacific, and North America approached us with a fragmented holding structure accumulated over two decades of acquisitions. The existing framework—comprising 47 separate legal entities across three continents—was creating significant compliance overhead, suboptimal capital allocation, and governance complexity that hindered strategic decision-making. Management sought a comprehensive restructuring that would streamline operations while preserving operational flexibility in key markets.

Approach

Our engagement began with a comprehensive diagnostic phase, mapping the existing legal entity structure against operational flows, capital requirements, and strategic priorities. We identified significant redundancy—23 entities served purely administrative functions with no direct operational activity.

Working alongside local counsel across all 12 jurisdictions, we developed a target operating model that consolidated entities by strategic function while maintaining presence in jurisdictions required for market access, regulatory compliance, and tax efficiency. The restructuring design balanced simplification against the need to preserve operational flexibility and existing contractual arrangements.

Implementation planning addressed sequencing constraints—certain jurisdictions required completion before others could proceed—ensuring a coordinated execution across all regions. We established governance frameworks for the consolidated structure, including updated reporting lines, board compositions, and intercompany arrangements.