About

In place at Engie in Dubai since 2012, Paul Kirkby is now responsible for more than 90 companies in the region and has revolutionised the way these entities are run: ‘Historically these were run through spreadsheets and stored files. I recommended and then implemented bespoke company secretarial software to manage the secretarial function. This was a time-consuming endeavour but it has regularised the company secretariat function and removed substantial risk from this part of the business’. In addition to this, he has overseen some major transactions, including the US$1.2bn refinancing of Al Dur – which received a Project Finance International award – and the ongoing extension project for Omani power purchase agreements for existing assets. The latter is described by Kirkby as a ‘complex, high-value and commercially important piece of work in which the legal team has added real value on strategy and risk mitigation’. He regards being appointed as chief legal officer for operational assets as one of his career highlights. ‘I became responsible for a fleet of 26 assets across the region with a profit in the hundreds of millions’, says Kirkby. ‘I enjoyed becoming part of the operational management team and learning about and feeling part of a much wider business. In addition, I have enjoyed the ENGIE way of managing the assets as a team of professionals from all disciplines rather than a “silo” departmental approach’.