Sullivan & Cromwell has completed its first UK corporate deal for Rio Tinto, acting opposite Baker & McKenzie on the $1.2bn (£742,058) disposal of Rio’s Alcan Food Americas division to US packaging company Bemis.

The US firm was instructed by Rio Tinto last year following a beauty parade and fielded a team from London and New York led by London M&A partners Tim Emmerson and Nikolaos Andronikos, assisted by tax partner Michael McGowan.