DWF Middle East appoints of head of corporate and defence and security

DWF has appointed corporate partner Kayaan Unwalla to its Dubai office, where he will head the business’s Corporate and Defence and Security Practice as it continues to strengthen its Middle East presence. Unwalla has significant Middle East experience and is well-respected for his work in the defence, security and aerospace sectors. Unwalla routinely provides legal advisory services to government contractors in relation to highly complex matters involving acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic PPPs, investigations and regulatory compliance. This is an important strategic appointment for DWF and further reinforces its commitment to the region. As well as being a highly regarded corporate lawyer, Unwalla is recognised for his skills in drafting laws and policies relating to national and border security and his expertise in defence offset structuring, military logistics, cyber-security and dual-purpose technologies, which complements the business’s existing defence and security credentials. Kayaan has previously served in the Legal Department with the US DoD, UK MoD and NATO prime contractor and worked in London, Afghanistan (LOGCAP IV), Central Asia, Africa and the MiddleEast.

Commenting on his appointment, Shiraz Sethi, managing partner of DWF Middle East, said: “We are delighted to bring Kayaan on board, as his appointment will not only help bolster our corporate offering to our clients within the region but also further strengthen our defence and security capabilities within the region and globally. Kayaan has a tremendous reputation within the market and we envisage his joining will only further demonstrate DWF’s ambition to attract first-class lawyers to its fold.”

Unwalla commented, “I am delighted to be a part of the DWF story, which will create new opportunities to expand our practice and service our clients better. The teams in Dubai have incredible energy and I look forward to growing our corporate, defence and security practices by collaborating closely with my DWF colleagues globally”. DWF Middle East recently appointed Shiraz Sethi as the business’s Regional Managing Partner, partner James Fox as Head of Dispute Resolution Middle East and partner Umera Ali as Global Head of Islamic Finance and Head of Banking and Finance Middle East. The business now has twelve Partners throughout the Middle East, servicing clients from its Dubai and Doha offices as well as via Riyadh and Jeddah, through its exclusive alliance with Harasani & Alkhamees.