Baker McKenzie’s capital markets partner hire in Riyadh
Baker McKenzie has announced the hire of Khalid Alyafi as a partner in its transactional practice Group, based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 1, 2024. Alyafi’s arrival adds further bench strength to the Firm’s transactional and capital markets capabilities globally and in the Middle East & North Africa region (MENA). He is one of more than 50 partners to have joined Baker McKenzie’s global transactional team in key business markets over the past 18 months. Alyafi joins the Firm from Khoshaim & Associates (K&A), prior to which he had spent nearly a decade working at Allen & Overy (now A&O Shearman) in London where he advised on landmark international capital markets transactions.
Alyafi’s practice focuses on both debt and equity capital markets (including Rule 144A and Reg S). He has extensive experience advising issuers, sponsors, and underwriters on sovereign, corporate conventional, Islamic debt and high-yield issuances (both public and private), as well as IPOs, rights offerings, and public M&A matters across Europe and MENA. Khalid has advised clients on IPOs on the Tadawul main market, London Stock Exchange and Euronext, dozens of Sukuk and bond issuances in the GCC, and has also advised on some of the largest public M&A transactions in the Saudi market.
Commenting on Alyafi’s hire, Baker McKenzie’s Saudi Arabia managing partner, Karim Nassar, said, “Khalid’s arrival adds significant depth to our Saudi capital markets practice and further bolsters our position as a transactional powerhouse. His cross-border experience will be extremely valuable to our clients, especially as we see growing demand from investors and corporations for sophisticated legal expertise in international transactions. We are delighted that he has joined our Firm and the Saudi team.”
Adam Farlow, global chair of Baker McKenzie’s Capital Markets practice, added,”We are excited to welcome Khalid to our Transactions team in Riyadh. Khalid has an impressive track record advising global clients in the MENA and European ECM and DCM space. His addition underscores our continued commitment to expanding our capital markets and transactional offering in the GCC and other key business markets, in line with our clients’ needs.”
On his appointment, Alyafi said,“I am delighted to join the Firm’s leading Transactional and Capital Markets practices and to contribute to the growth of the MENA practice. It is an exciting time for capital markets practitioners in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, with both DCM and ECM transactions expected to increase significantly in the coming years in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 Financial Sector Development Program. The strength and global reach of the Baker McKenzie platform positions the Firm exceptionally well to be at the forefront of this growth. I look forward to working closely with my exceptional colleagues to navigate complex cross-border transactions and deliver value and results for our clients.”
Alyafi obtained his LLB from King Abdulaziz University and his LLM from Georgetown University Law Center, and is admitted to practice in Saudi Arabia and New York.
