Alison S. Ressler

As co-head of Sullivan & Cromwell’s private equity group, Ressler utilizes her wealth of industry experience to lead clients to monumental deals across industries. She has been an attorney for 35 years, and she said that working in different industries and with different clients stimulates her.

“It’s been a very fun, busy, and rewarding year,” she said. “The highlight of the year would probably be the sale of Kite Pharma to Gilead.”

Last year, she represented Kite Pharma Inc. in its $11.9 billion acquisition by Gilead Sciences Inc. Ressler navigated the mergers and acquisition process smoothly among Kite’s push to commercialize a new cancer therapy while simultaneously working with Gilead.

She maximized value for Kite’s shareholders with the promise that the therapy would receive Food and Drug Administration approval, without risking failure. The deal closed within five weeks, and the FDA approved the drug two weeks after. The acquisition is both the largest amount paid for a pre-commercial biopharmaceutical company, and Gilead’s largest acquisition, according to the firm.

She said she considers the deal a highlight because of the high purchase price. She said it was a record price for a company that had not yet obtained FDA approval or started to commercialize its product.

In another key pharmaceutical industry investment, she led Verily Life Sciences LLC, a life sciences research and engineering organization, in an $800 million minority equity investment by Temasek Holdings. She had represented Verily at the time it formed in 2015 wherein it was the first Alphabet Inc.-affiliated company created during Google’s corporate reorganization, according to the firm.

She also represented billionaire Joseph Tsai in his purchase of a stake in the Brooklyn Nets NBA team. She said that he has the ability in the future to take control of the company.

Ressler said that since her cases are often quite complex and have many moving parts, she prioritizes approaching the clients’ needs in a structured, needs-driven manner.

“I think it’s really about figuring out what your client’s objectives are, and then how to achieve them in the most successful way,” she said.

— Caroline Hart