Diana Dimova is the Managing Partner of the Sofia office, the head of the local M&A, Corporate & Private Equity services and the co-head of the firm-wide Financial Institutions (transactional) sector.
Diana has advised numerous international companies on their market entry in Bulgaria and has extensive experience in M&A, corporate, private equity, energy and natural resources, as well as in infrastructure and projects.
Diana Dimova is hands down the best M&A lawyer in Bulgaria. Diana helped meet a ridiculously tight deadline to signing with superb and practical advice.
Diana Dimova: brings commercial acumen and the level of advice needed at any given stage in an instruction. Provides excellent service and understands the industry well. Proactive, tenacious and extremely hard-working.
RECENT ENGAGEMENTS INCLUDE ADVISING
- KBC BANK on several acquisitions of financial institutions in Bulgaria: (i) the EUR 1,015 million acquisition of Raiffeisenbank Bulgaria from Raiffeisen Bank International (the largest transaction in the Bulgarian banking sector to date); (ii) the EUR 77.7 million acquisition of NN’s pension insurance and life insurance businesses in Bulgaria (one of the largest deals in the domestic insurance sector); (iii) the EUR 610 million acquisition of United Bulgarian Bank (UBB) and Interlease leasing company in Bulgaria from the National Bank of Greece
- TAWAL on the acquisition of the telecommunications tower assets of United Group B.V., consisting of more than 4,800 towers across Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia, for EUR 1.2 billion
- UNITED BULGARIAN BANK on its merger with CIBANK and providing full-scope assistance with the transaction, structuring, TUPE-like transfer of over 2,500 employees, and merger approval
- MERIDIAM, a French infrastructure investment fund, on the Bulgarian legal aspects of their winning bid in the tender for the 35-year concession of Sofia Airport valued at EUR 4.3 billion (the largest public-private partnership project in Bulgaria in recent years)
- KIN+CARTA, a global digital transformation consultancy and a B Corp company, on its acquisition of Bulgarian award-winning software development company Melon Group together with its subsidiaries in North Macedonia and Kosovo
- A FRENCH DEVELOPER OF RENEWABLE ENERGY POWER PLANTS on an intended acquisition of a large photovoltaic power plant project in Bulgaria as well as on the acquisition of the Bulgarian subsidiaries of a global renewable energy company which owns and operates wind farm projects
EDUCATION
- 2009: The College of Law, London, UK, Practice Diploma in International M&A
- 2006: King’s College London, UK, PG Diploma in EU Law
- 2002: University St. Kliment Ohridski, Sofia, Bulgaria, Faculty of Law, LL.M.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATION
- Sofia Bar Association
- International Bar Association
LANGUAGES
Bulgarian, English