Elias Hayek joins Squire Patton Boggs
Squire Patton Boggs continues the expansion of its global hospitality practice with the addition of Elias J. Hayek, former vice president, legal – EMEA Division, at Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Hayek, who joins the firm as a partner, will be working out of the Dubai and London offices, and will lead the firm’s global Hospitality & Leisure Practice Group, with a particular focus on its development in EMEA.
Hayek has been practicing law since 1995 and has nearly two decades of experience in corporate and commercial, real estate, licensing, franchising, leasing, M&A, branded residential and asset acquisition and disposition transactions across the hospitality sector. During his tenure at Starwood, Hayek worked in both the Brussels and Dubai offices and was responsible for overseeing all regional legal matters for Starwood in the Middle East, Africa and Indian Ocean, including advising corporate executives, hotel management, operations, acquisitions, development, HR, sales and marketing, dispute resolution, litigation and arbitration. He closed more than 300 hospitality and leisure projects across virtually every major city in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Central Asia.
Hayek is fluent in Arabic, proficient in French and a native English speaker. He is the former chair and president of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Middle East chapter, a position he has held since the ACC Middle East was launched in 2014. Hayek holds two leadership positions in the International Bar Association: as vice chair of the Corporate Counsel Forum, where he works with an esteemed group of private practice and in-house lawyers to steer the strategic and operational objectives of the forum; and as an officer of the Arab Regional Forum of the Legal Practice Division, where he is jointly responsible for directing strategy of the IBA in the region. He received his B.Sc. in Business Administration from California State University, where he majored in Finance and Economics, and his J.D. from the University of the Pacific – McGeorge School of Law, where he was a member of the International Moot Court Honors Board.
“Squire Patton Boggs’ regional reputation, global platform, collegial culture and commitment to the hospitality industry are extremely attractive to me. I look forward to working with my new colleagues to propel our Hospitality & Leisure Practice to the top of the market,” said Hayek.
