Longstanding Baker & McKenzie client Ecolab Inc. announced today that it has closed on its merger with Nalco Holding Company.  The closing follows the overwhelming approval of the deal by shareholders from both Ecolab and Nalco on November 30, with 99% of each company’s shareholder votes cast in favor of the merger.  Baker & McKenzie advised Ecolab in the USD8.3 billion transaction.

The merger creates the global leader in cleaning, sanitizing and water treatment technologies and services, with coverage in more than 160 countries and annual sales of approximately USD11 billion.  The transaction, first announced in July 2011, is the largest in Ecolab’s 80+ year history.  For more information on the transaction, please click here to view Ecolab’s press release. 

Baker & McKenzie’s global team was led by Chicago corporate partner Dieter Schmitz and included Chicago corporate head Craig Roeder and corporate partner Edward Harrison.  The team included lawyers from more than a dozen jurisdictions, and was supported by Thomas Doyle, Samuel Kramer, Maura Ann McBreen, Creighton Meland, Carole Spink and John Watson in Chicago; Thomas May and Paul McNulty in Washington, DC; Guenther Heckelmann in Frankfurt, Germany; Graciana Mussi in Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Georgina Foster in Sydney, Australia.

“Ecolab and Nalco’s combined operations will provide a global platform for growth, and we congratulate Ecolab on successfully closing the most significant transaction in its storied history,” said Mr. Schmitz, who first started representing Ecolab about 25 years ago.  

Ecolab’s corporate legal team was led by its general counsel, James Seifert, and associate general counsel and corporate compliance officer, Michael McCormick.  Mr. Seifert, who has successfully led many significant transactions during his legal career, said,  “We were very pleased to have Baker & McKenzie as lead counsel in this transaction.  Baker’s international deal team worked seamlessly with our talented in-house team to bring this strategically important merger to close.”

With sales of USD11 billion and nearly 40,000 employees, Ecolab (NYSE: ECL) is the global leader in cleaning, sanitizing and water treatment products and services. Ecolab delivers comprehensive programs and services to the food, energy, industrial, healthcare, and hospitality markets in more than 160 countries. More information is available at www.ecolab.com.