This week’s Movers & Shakers (Sep 12, 2024)

Majed Alkuraydis returns to White & Case; Norton Rose Fulbright hires Aditi Sanyal; CMS strengthens banking and finance practice and Ahmad Anani joins Charles Russell Speechlys in Qatar.

Majed Alkuraydis returns to White & Case in Riyadh

White & Case LLP has expanded its Global Capital Markets Practice and Global Financial Institutions Industry Group with the return of Majed Alkuraydis as a partner in Riyadh.

“We continue to experience high demand from leading international clients for support on their key finance deals in the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia,” said White & Case partner John Vetterli, co-head of the firm’s global capital markets practice. “White & Case has built a strong reputation for delivering groundbreaking capital markets advice in both mature and growth markets, and Majed’s arrival adds new strength to our global team.”

Alkuraydis rejoins White & Case from privately-held Al Faisaliah Group (AFG), one of Saudi Arabia’s leading investment companies, where he was general counsel. He started his legal career at White & Case and qualified into the firm’s office in Riyadh, where as an associate he advised clients on capital markets, M&A and corporate matters until 2019. Majed left White & Case to study at Harvard Law School, where he gained his Master of Laws. He subsequently held a role as counsel at Saudi law firm STAT, before joining AFG.

“We’re delighted to welcome Majed back to the White & Case office in Riyadh where he is already well known to, and respected by, our lawyers and clients,” said Waad Alkurini, White & Case office executive partner in Riyadh. “He is the third Saudi-qualified partner in the Riyadh office and his skills and experience add to our on-the-ground capabilities to support clients on their key matters in the Kingdom.”

White & Case partner and vice chair Oliver Brettle said, “Establishing a direct presence in Saudi Arabia at the end of 2023 was another landmark for White & Case as the only international law firm with a seven-decade track record of support for the Kingdom. That enduring commitment is again evident in 2024 as we continue to strengthen our presence in Riyadh, with Majed’s arrival following the recent lateral addition of M&A partner Abdallah Maher.”

Aditi Sanyal joins Norton Rose Fulbright’s Middle East banking team

Norton Rose Fulbright is further expanding its Middle East banking and finance team with the appointment of new partner Aditi Sanyal. Sanyal, who joins from Simmons and Simmons, focuses on supporting financial institutions across the UAE, Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with their conventional and Islamic financing needs. She has more than a decade of experience in the Middle East and is well versed in the full spectrum of financing transactions. She regularly represents borrowers and lenders across a broad range of financing transactions, including syndicated and bilateral corporate finance, real estate finance, acquisition finance and restructuring.

She will be based in the firm’s Dubai office and will work alongside existing general banking and finance partners Mohammed Paracha and Nicholas Robinson in Dubai, as well as Abdulkhaliq Elshayyal in Riyadh. She will also work closely with the projects team, including new partner Prakruthi Gowda who joined the practice earlier this year.

Mohammed Paracha, head of Middle East at Norton Rose Fulbright, said, “Aditi is an outstanding addition to our fast-growing Middle East practice, which has doubled in size over the past three years. She further enhances our bench strength in the banking and finance practice across the wider region, bringing invaluable financing experience and a complementary book of clients. We are delighted to welcome Aditi back to the firm as a partner.”

Sanyal said, “I am thrilled to be re-joining Norton Rose Fulbright, where I trained 15 years ago. The firm’s market leading financing practice, combined with its breadth of offering and global network, make it the ideal platform for me to take my existing practice to the next level and provide an enhanced offering to my clients.”

CMS strengthens Middle East Banking and Finance practice

CMS has appointed partner Robin Balmer to support the growth of the firm’s Banking and Finance practice in the Middle East. Balmer joins from Norton Rose Fulbright, where he led the firm’s Banking and Finance practice in Saudi Arabia. With over 20 years of experience in the Middle East, Balmer has a broad practice advising on asset finance, project finance, property finance, trade finance and Shari’ah-compliant transactions. He is recognised as a leading individual in both Chambers and Legal 500.

Balmer will be based in CMS’s Dubai office, but his practice will have a considerable focus on Saudi Arabia.

Adrian Bell, CMS partner and joint managing director for the Middle East and Asia, said, “Robin’s arrival is a significant boost to our Banking and Finance capabilities in the Middle East. His stellar reputation and extensive experience in the region, particularly in Saudi Arabia, will be invaluable as we continue to build a market-leading practice. Robin’s proven ability to develop strong relationships with clients and regulators alike will enhance our on-the-ground expertise and drive the growth of our practice. We look forward to his joining.”

Robin Balmer commented, “Joining CMS at this exciting time of growth is a great opportunity. CMS has a leading reputation among international banks in Europe, and I aim to replicate that success in the Middle East. By leveraging the firm’s strong reputation in Europe and its established regional offering, I am confident that the practice can achieve significant growth and recognition in the Middle East.”

This marks the fifth partner appointment by CMS in the Middle East in 2024 alone, following the hires of Ken Wong (July), Rizwan Osman (June), Keith Bullen (May) and James Abbott (January), reflecting the firm’s strong commitment to the region.

Ahmad Anani joins Charles Russell Speechlys in Qatar

Charles Russell Speechlys has announced the appointment of Ahmad Anani in Doha, Qatar, as head of capital markets and regulation (ME) in the Corporate team. Anani will be based out of the Firm’s Doha office. Anani is regarded as one of the leading corporate, regulatory and capital markets lawyers in the region and joins from PwC Legal (Doha), having joined in 2022 as partner and leader of legal business solutions.

Prior to his role at PwC, Ahmad was office managing partner for Addleshaw Goddard (Doha), and also managing partner for Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman (Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha).

Alim Khamis, partner and head of Qatar Office, commented, “This is a significant addition to our Corporate offering in the Middle East. Ahmad will strengthen and enhance our excellent Middle East Corporate and Commercial practice, increasing our bench strength in the region as we continue to grow. The appointment reflects our maturity in the market and our direction of travel internationally. In just the past year alone, our Firm saw total international revenue growth of 15 per cent, and we have similar aims looking ahead to 2025. The Qatar office and other offices in the Middle East are proud to be a part of this growth story. We hope that Ahmad will settle in quickly and wish them all a warm welcome.”

Ahmad Anani commented, “I am excited to be joining Charles Russell Speechlys in Doha. The Firm has a strong track record in transactional and capital markets work, both in the GCC region and in other jurisdictions such as London, and has an extremely exciting roster of clients. I look forward to meeting and collaborating with my new colleagues in due course.”