The Middle East M&A Summit 2020, organized by The Legal 500, convened over 100 leading in-house counsel from across the region to discuss the latest developments affecting the in-house profession. The event took place on February 5, 2020, at the Shangri-La Hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The summit's agenda covered a range of pertinent topics, including investments in the booming healthcare and education sectors, recent advancements in M&A processes such as due diligence and risk mitigation, and strategies for managing risks in M&A transactions within the Middle East. Additionally, sessions delved into the psychology of deal-making and the impact of disruptive innovation and technological convergence on the role of in-house counsel.
Attendees had the opportunity to engage in networking sessions and hear from notable speakers such as Adjou Ait Ben Idir from Norton Rose Fulbright, Dean Sheehan of PepsiCo, and Mohammad Tbaishat from Pinsent Masons LLP. These sessions provided valuable insights into the evolving landscape of mergers and acquisitions in the region.
The summit was particularly beneficial for in-house legal professionals seeking to stay abreast of current trends and challenges in M&A within the Middle East. It offered a platform for sharing experiences, discussing best practices, and exploring strategies to navigate the complexities of the regional M&A environment.
Categories
Speakers(16)
Adjou Ait Ben Idir
Corporate Finance Lawyer at Norton Rose Fulbright
Adjou Ait Ben Idir is a corporate finance lawyer based in the Dubai office of Norton Rose Fulbright, covering the Middle East and Africa, particularly North Africa and OHADA countries in West and Central Africa. She is recognized for her experience in advising on mergers and acquisitions, privatisations, private placements, and international joint ventures across various sectors. Previously, she was based in Norton Rose Fulbright’s Paris and Casablanca offices and is fluent in French, English, Arabic, and Berber.
Arvind Mathur
Former General Counsel at GEMS Education
Arvind Mathur, formerly General Counsel of GEMS Education, the largest private school operator in the world, discussed the stable returns offered by the education sector. He noted that parents prioritize the quality and continuity of education, making it a non-discretionary expense. Mathur also addressed challenges such as regulatory frameworks and the time required to build a brand and reputation in the market.
Chadi Salloum
Partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
Chadi Salloum is a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, where he presented an overview of deal activity in the healthcare and education sectors during the summit. He noted that transactions in these sectors are being fueled by population growth and rapid technological developments, with each sector having unique drivers shaping the types of deals pursued and the approaches taken by lawyers.
Dean Sheehan
Vice President and General Counsel, Middle East and Africa at PepsiCo
Dean Sheehan joined PepsiCo in 2012 as Senior Legal Director and assumed his current position as Vice President and General Counsel for the Middle East and Africa in 2015. He leads a diverse legal team of 20 lawyers from eleven countries, 70% of whom are women. Formerly an M&A and corporate finance partner at a major UK law firm, Sheehan has worked on numerous major transactions since moving in-house, acting as project leader on both legal and non-legal aspects of M&A transactions with a combined value of more than $1 billion.
Joanna El-Khoury
Senior Associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
Joanna El-Khoury is a senior associate in Morgan Lewis’s corporate team. During the summit, she moderated discussions to gain a better understanding of why education has become a significant business in the Middle East, engaging with panelists to explore the factors driving investment and growth in the sector.
Joanna Maria El Khoury
Corporate and Financial Transactions Lawyer
Joanna Maria El Khoury focuses her practice on corporate and financial transactions, with experience in cross-border matters across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and North America. She advises on complex mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and corporate restructurings, and has experience advising investment funds in private equity and venture capital matters. She is admitted to practice in New York and speaks English, French, and Arabic.
Katie Lenko Hiess
Founding Team Member at SGH Global
An English-qualified solicitor, Katie Lenko Hiess joined SGH Global in 2018 as a founding team member. She structured and implemented the first digital security offering to be listed on the FCA-regulated London Derivatives Exchange. Previously, she was head of legal at A.P. Moller Capital and developed a legal and compliance function for a company operating across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. She began her career with leading international law firms in London and Dubai.
Mayank Dhingra
Senior Education Business Leader at HP
Mayank Dhingra is the Senior Education Business Leader at HP. He highlighted that the UAE is the largest education market in the world, with over 600 international schools catering to more than 600,000 students. Dhingra discussed the attractive returns for investors in the GCC's education sector, noting profit margins of 20% to 30%, and emphasized the market's potential for consolidation and growth.
Mohammad Tbaishat
Partner at Pinsent Masons LLP
Mohammad specializes in public and private M&A, joint ventures, and UAE regulatory work. He has acted for a range of clients including banks, financial institutions, corporates, and private equity firms. Fluent in Arabic and English, Mohammad holds a B.A. degree in Law from the University of Jordan and a Master in Law degree from Harvard Law School. Prior to joining Pinsent Masons in October 2016, he spent ten years at a magic circle firm in Dubai.
Mustasan Jaleel Basharat Mir
Group General Counsel at VPS Healthcare
Mustasan Jaleel Basharat Mir is the group general counsel for VPS Healthcare, overseeing legal and corporate affairs for 25 hospitals and over 100 clinics, along with brand and pharmaceutical portfolios. He has advised on and executed M&A transactions exceeding $3 billion, including structuring and leading acquisitions of major public listed healthcare and private equity funds in the GCC.
Nadim El Haj
Head of Legal at Abu Dhabi National Hotels
Nadim El Haj joined Abu Dhabi National Hotels Company (ADNH) in October 2016 and is currently Head of Legal and a member of the Executive Management Committee. During his tenure at ADNH, he has been involved in the negotiation and closing of the AED2.2 billion acquisition of five Emaar Hotels in Dubai, one of the largest ever M&A transactions in the UAE hospitality sector, as well as multiple projects that have helped ADNH in its strategic shift from a management to a franchise business model. Before joining ADNH, he was General Counsel and Senior Advisor in the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Interior’s Social Security Fund.
Nils Vormelker
Head of Legal and Compliance, Middle East and Africa at Siemens Healthineers
Nils Vormelker is the Head of Legal and Compliance for the Middle East and Africa at Siemens Healthineers. He discussed the parallels between the healthcare and education sectors, emphasizing the impact of demographic development and the economics of consolidation. Vormelker highlighted the challenges of meeting growing demand for medical services profitably and the importance of understanding market dynamics in managing M&A risks.
Roula Khaled
Mergers and Acquisitions Legal Counsel at Etisalat
Roula Khaled is a Lebanese-qualified lawyer with over 15 years of experience in cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions, including acquisitions of data centers, as well as a wide variety of corporate, commercial, and strategic transactions in the Gulf Cooperation Council, Asia, and Africa. She spent seven years as M&A legal counsel at Etisalat, working on significant deals in the region.
Santiago Lucero
Acting Head of Legal at Alghanim Industries
Santiago Lucero is acting head of legal at Kuwait-based Alghanim Industries, one of the largest privately-owned companies in the Gulf region. His experience encompasses various areas of law relating to cross-border practice, including corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, franchising, and international dispute resolution. He regularly advises all Alghanim Industries business units worldwide on diverse legal matters.
Stavros Panayi
General Counsel at Careem
Stavros Panayi is general counsel at Careem, a ride-hailing service based in Dubai, operating in over 100 cities across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. In 2019, Careem became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uber following a $3 billion buyout, one of the most significant tech acquisitions in the Middle East. Panayi is an emerging markets specialist with extensive experience in the region.
Tarek Nakkach
Head of Legal, Middle East at Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Tarek Nakkach heads the legal department for the Middle East region at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. He is a leading expert in technology law and a member of the International Association for Artificial Intelligence and Law. During his career, Tarek has advised on many multimillion-dollar disputes across the region and regularly advises on technology adoption for litigation management for in-house legal teams and law firms.
Event Details
- Date
- February 25, 2020
- Location
- 🇦🇪 Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Shangri-La Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road, P.O. Box 75880
- Audience
- In-house legal professionals, corporate counsel, M&A practitioners
- Attendees
- Over 100