199 Bay St, Suite 4000, Commerce Court West, Toronto, ON
Year called to bar: 2004
Kurt Sarno is a partner who practises in the areas of mergers & acquisitions, and private equity at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. Kurt is the co-leader of the firm’s Private Equity Group and the co-author of the firm’s Canadian Private Equity Deal Study. He advises buyers, sellers and targets on domestic and cross-border mergers & acquisitions; private equity investors and sponsors on buy-outs, investments and exits; and businesses across various industries and jurisdictions on complex joint ventures and strategic transactions. Kurt has experience in a wide range of industries, including infrastructure, industrials, food, beverage & agribusiness, and media & technology. Before becoming a partner at Blakes, Kurt practised at a preeminent law firm in New York, concentrating in mergers & acquisitions and private equity. Kurt was recognized by Lexpert as one of Canada’s "Leading Lawyers Under 40" in 2016. He was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 2004 after obtaining his LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2003.
On November 16, 2017, Encore Consumer Capital (Encore), a US-based private equity firm that invests exclusively in leading consumer products companies, completed the sale of Atlantic Aqua Farms (AAF) and its affiliated entities to Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (Ontario Teachers’). AAF is the largest grower of live mussels in North America and offers a wide selection of oysters, clams and live Maine and Canadian lobster.
