Issue 7 2020

Acquisition International - Issue 7 2020 5 News : from around the world A Warm Welcome FisherBroyles, LLP, the first and largest distributed law firm in the world, is pleased to welcome Thomas K. Wiesner II, who has joined the Firm in London and in New York. Thomas joins FisherBroyles from Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, where he practiced primarily in its Madrid office. Previously, he practiced in the New York office of Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP. He is the latest partner with Am Law 50 experience to join FisherBroyles and its unique Law Firm 2.0® model. Thomas joins the Firm as it increases headcount in the U.S. and U.K. and explores expansion into the Middle East and Asia. Recently, the Firm announced the appointment of dozens of new partners to its U.S. team, the majority of which joined from Am Law 100 firms, and the expansion of its offering in London. Thomas advises financial institutions, corporates, private investment funds, and real estate investment trusts, both in the United States and internationally. Thomas handles securities law, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, financing, syndicated loan transactions and corporate governance matters. His sector expertise includes life sciences, real estate, technology, financial institutions, energy, infrastructure, industrials, and consumer products. Thomas received his B.A. from Yale University and earned a J.D. from the University of Michigan, where he was Managing Editor of the Michigan Law Review. In addition to his work at the Firm, he is also an adjunct professor of business law at Saint Louis University’s Madrid campus. Michael Pierson, Managing Partner of the Firm’s Global Corporate practice, said: “We are delighted to welcomeThomas to our team in London and in NewYork. Our rapid growth and recruitment on both sides of the Atlantic continues, and Thomas is an invaluable addition to our Corporate department, as we expect he will play a significant role in the expansion of the Firm’s cross-border capital markets practice. Certainly, accessing a lawyer of Thomas’ ability and experience is rare, and our partners and clients will benefit from his depth and breadth of expertise. Thomas is a superb addition and we are as pleased as we could possibly be.” Thomas Wiesner said: “I was drawn to FisherBroyles by the strength of its partnership across a wide variety of practice areas and levels of collaboration unmatched by traditional lockstep firms.The Firm’s model of minimal overhead allows clients to receive the highest quality service at significant discounts to the rates of competitors.” FisherBroyles welcomes Thomas Wiesner in London and in New York. The senior capital markets partner joins the firm from Davis Polk. Bentley Systems, Incorporated, a leading global provider of comprehensive software and digital twins services for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure, announced the acquisition of NoteVault, a San Diego-based provider of voice- based field automation for construction management. The acquisition expands Bentley’s SYNCHRO digital construction environment with industry-leading mobile field applications to track and manage labour, materials, and equipment. Together, these comprehensive offerings further extend the value of digital twins across construction management, enabling projects to combine immersive 4D models of the construction progress with detailed up-to-date reports on resource expenditures, enabling more effective management of cost, schedule, and risk, leading to better project outcomes. NoteVault’s reporting automation solutions are used widely by both large and small construction companies across the global ENR Top 400 Contractors. Designed to simplify and accelerate job site information collection, NoteVault’s SaaS solution is deployed via mobile devices, uniquely offering natural language automated speech-to-text, augmented with automated machine learning, and human transcription to ensure accuracy. Because NoteVault has been engineered specifically for construction site mobile field reporting, it recognises construction-specific language for accurate transcription, and enables automated translation so non-native English speakers can submit daily reports more easily using their native language. With NoteVault on their mobile devices, construction professionals can help synchronise status reporting effortlessly while saving time and money, reducing the risk of contractual disputes. “Digital twins continue to transform the way projects are delivered and operated. Inherent in every digital twin is a stream of continuously updated data, and for construction, automating the semantic interpretation of field reports can now be one of the richest sources of live project information,” said Dustin Parkman, vice president, project delivery, Bentley Systems. “With the addition of NoteVault’s market-leading resource tracking capabilities, the SYNCHRO 4D construction environment delivers the most comprehensive construction digital twin solution available. We are excited to continue advancing the scope of construction digital twins.” Peter Lasensky, CEO, NoteVault, added, “Bentley’s vision for transforming construction through digital twins is the perfect vehicle to expand the reach and impact of our innovative voice-based field automation solutions. “Updating 4D construction models through insights gleaned from our software for field-captured reporting fully extends the power of voice and positioning technologies together. Combining NoteVault and SYNCHRO is a natural next step in our overall mission, with Bentley, to drive greater efficiencies in construction.” Driving Greater Efficiencies In Construction