About

Carillion is a leading UK-based international integrated support services business operating in the UK, Canada and the Middle East. In the Middle East region, Carillion operates construction and facilities management businesses in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. In the UAE specifically, Carillion’s construction business is run through a joint venture, Al Futtaim Carillion, established with the Dubai-based Al Futtaim Group. The team, led by David Anderson, general counsel, includes associate general counsel Matthew Ashwell and legal assistant Angela Halfpenny. The team is embedded within the business, interacting directly with the managing directors and other senior directors, including attending board and senior management meetings, project reviews, strategy meetings and contributing to business plans and key policies. The team, while small, is flexible and able to adapt to changing priorities and the needs of the business, also providing hands on commercially-driven support for the business. The team’s input includes: procedures for enhanced risk assessment at pre-contract stages; development of claims and disputes strategies; guidance on the management of design risk; and greater visibility of risks during operational stages by virtue of wider regional coverage. The team also inputs directly to governance and compliance, including delivery of ethics and competition law training across all MENA jurisdictions and supporting in worker welfare initiatives, including compliance with the UK’s Modern Slavery Act. As a small team, a creative approach is adopted in managing wider additional support from Carillion’s in-house legal teams located in the UK, including Carillion Advice Services (CAS), Carillion’s in-house paralegal/commodity legal support team. Support is also provided by external firms, with the team instructing three firms selected from Carillion’s Legal Network, based on their relevant experience in the region. The quality of the team’s legal work is externally recognised through its Law Society Lexcel accreditation. The team was the first in-house team in the MENA region to receive this accreditation in 2012.