UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Taylor Wessing appoints new corporate partner in Middle East

January 2013

TAYLOR Wessing (Middle East) has announced the appointment of Tahir Ahmed as a new partner in its Corporate Finance Group. Tahir’s appointment brings the total number of partners in the Dubai office to six and follows the recent appointment in June 2012 of Neale Downes as a partner to lead the finance team.

Ahmed has over 14 years of experience working as an international corporate and regulatory lawyer. He has spent the last eight years in the Middle East including most recently at Dewey & LeBoeuf where he worked as a partner in its Dubai office. Prior to that, Tahir held partner positions at both Ashurst and Norton Rose.

Ahmed’s areas of practice include M&A, private equity, fund formations, joint ventures, ECM, DCM, sukuk, private placements and financial regulatory matters. He has worked on a number of landmark capital markets and M&A transactions in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region and has received numerous citations and awards for his work.

The firm was also presented the Legal Advisor of the Year Award at the Emirates Solar Industry Association’s (ESIA) inaugural solar awards.The award recognises Taylor Wessing’s advocacy for clean energy in the UAE and its position as one of the world’s leading legal advisors to companies in the sustainability sector.

Commenting on the accolade, Dr Michael Krämer, Senior Associate and Energy Specialist at Taylor Wessing said: “We are delighted to win this prestigious award reflecting the confidence and trust that the ESIA’s members have in our work. Building on that trust, we will continue to assist in the creation of a sustainable solar market in the UAE by developing legal models and frameworks which bring together the solar industry and local utility providers.”