 This was a controversial takeover, since never before in Germany had a company as large and successful as Mannesmann been acquired in a hostile takeover by a non-German owner.The merger was said to have been engineered in a private deal concluded between Mannesmann's management and Vodafone.The acquisition was spearheaded by Vodafone's Chief Executive, Chris Gent, and Goldman Sachs' Scott Mead, who was then the chief advisor on the deal.