GLA & Company

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M&A is a key pillar of strength for GLA & Company‘s corporate team, which is adept at advising on large local and cross-border M&A transactions. Senior partner Nader Al Awadhi and managing partner Alex Saleh have a solid track record in the M&A space, while Yousef Al Amly is well versed in handling joint ventures, franchising and distribution agreements, and corporate governance and compliance matters.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘US-style advice in the Gulf.’

  • ‘Alex Saleh is recommended.’

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Key clients

  • Cognita Middle East Holdings Limited
  • National Technology Enterprises Company, KSC
  • Gatehouse Bank PLC
  • Bashar Al-Ameer; and Bait Al Aseel Group for General Trading and Contracting
  • Automak Automotive Company KSC
  • Emirates NBD Bank
  • Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
  • Arab Investment & Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (“Dhaman”)
  • A’ayan Leasing and Investment Co. K.S.C.P.
  • Kuwait Food Company KSC (Americana)
  • KFH Capital
  • FDH (Fluor, Daewoo, Hyundai consortium)
  • Hyundai
  • Maire Tecnimont
  • Abyaar
  • Emerson Electric Company
  • Silver Lake Technology Management, LLC

Work highlights

  • Advised Cognita Middle East Holdings on the acquisition of a stake in Universe Education Company KSCC.
  • Advised Gatehouse Bank, a Sharia-compliant UK-based bank, on the divestment of its Kuwait investment company.
  • Advised Automak Automotive Company KSCC on restructuring its ownership, involving a third-party buyer purchasing a 35% stake, worth approximately US$ 24 million, in the client.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Alex Saleh
Alex Saleh is a Founder and Managing Partner of GLA & Company and takes a leading regional role within the firm with respect to its M&A and Private Equity practice.  With over 25 years of experience in both the GCC markets as well as the US, he has accumulated sizable expertise in the areas of banking & finance, mergers & acquisitions, capital market deals and infrastructure projects.  His experience garners praise from the leading legal directories as he is annually awarded “Market Leader” by the IFLR1000, “Band One” by Chambers & Partners and “Leading Individual” by Legal 500.  Alex’s transactions regularly win Deals of the Year by the same institutions and organizations. With respect to his corporate practice, Alex has closed on a significant number of GCC merger & acquisition transaction in various industries including logistics, education, health care, construction, and finance.  He has also represented many private equity firms in various investments in the same industries developing and building a good relationship with that community over the years. He also represents many GCC-based financial institutions in all facets, including basic bilateral facility agreements, syndicated loan transactions (conventional and Sharia-compliant) and project finance.  He has also been involved in many of the large bond and sukuk debt capital market issuances in the region. Finally, Alex has also acted in many large infrastructure projects such as power generation plants, water desalination plants and wastewater projects, in the context of both public private partnerships and more traditional structures.  On various transactions, he has alternatively represented GCC governments, private sponsors and project lenders depending on the particular project.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Nader Al Awadhi, Alex Saleh, Yousef Al Amly