Jake Kling Honored as a 2025 Power Player in Private Equity
Financier Worldwide has recognized Jake Kling, a partner in Wachtell Lipton’s Corporate Department and co-chair of the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice, as a 2025 Power Player in Private Equity. Jake advises public and private companies across industries including banking, financial services, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, life sciences, technology, media and telecommunications, sports, industrial, retail, private equity, and real estate.
Jake has led some of the most significant and complex M&A transactions in the United States, including Norfolk Southern’s $85 billion merger with Union Pacific to create America’s first transcontinental railroad; Palo Alto Networks’ $25 billion acquisition of CyberArk Software; and multiple transactions for Global Payments, including its $24.25 billion acquisition of Worldpay from FIS and GTCR, its concurrent $13.5 billion sale of the Issuer Solutions business to FIS, and its $45 billion merger of equals with Total System Services.
His experience also includes advising Pfizer on its $31 billion consumer healthcare joint venture with GSK and related demerger of Haleon; the PGA Tour on its up to $3 billion investment by Strategic Sports Group; TD Ameritrade on its $26 billion merger with Schwab; Carlyle on its $6.7 billion acquisition of Sedgwick from KKR; Goldman Sachs on its sale of GreenSky and related loan assets to a Sixth Street–led consortium; and Ford Financial Fund on the $3.6 billion reverse merger of Mechanics Bank with HomeStreet.
Jake’s recognition underscores his ability to deliver exceptional results for clients navigating the most challenging and consequential transactions.