When Mumbai-based Hindalco quietly joined the bidding race for Alcan spinoff Novelis in December, it tapped a team of Canadian and U.S. Torys' lawyers, led by indefatigable deal maker Patricia Koval. It is the second time that Pat has acted for Aditya Birla Group, the massive Indian holding company that owns Hindalco. The first transaction she led for the company was its C$126 million acquisition of Minacs Worldwide.
The Birla family turned to Pat after she was recommended by the Reichmanns, a Canadian business family. The Reichmans got acquainted with the Birlas last year, and when a former O&Y executive introduced the Birlas to Pat, she said, "we became friends immediately."