Philip O'Riordan

Philip advises multinational corporations, sovereign and sovereign-related entities, family offices, private capital investors, developers and regional conglomerates on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic investments, corporate structuring and regulatory matters. He is particularly recognised for combining sophisticated transactional expertise with deep regional market knowledge and for helping clients navigate complex transactions throughout the Middle East.

He has developed long-standing relationships with many of the region’s leading corporates and investors, resulting in a substantial volume of repeat instructions and referrals across multiple practice areas. He is regularly instructed as lead adviser on strategic transactions involving market entry, local structuring, licensing, governance and regulatory matters, which frequently develop into broader M&A, joint venture and dispute-related mandates.

Philip has extensive experience advising on corporate real estate transactions, including development JVs strategic investments and real estate M&A transactions. He regularly acts for developers, sovereign entities and investors on some of the region’s most significant development projects and strategic investments.

Philip is consistently recognised by Chambers Global and The Legal 500 as a leading corporate/M&A lawyer and has been described by Chambers as a “preeminent practitioner” recognised for his “excellent all-round quality service”.

Prior to joining Charles Russell Speechlys, Philip was Head of Corporate for Clyde & Co’s Middle East practice and played a leading role in the establishment and growth of the firm’s Saudi Arabian practice from its inception in 2011 into one of the Kingdom’s leading international legal practices.

M&A and Private Capital

• Advising a consortium of financial investors on the acquisition of Petrofac Emirates, Petrofac’s UAE-based engineering and construction business, as part of the wider restructuring of the Petrofac Group
• Advising Select Investments on the establishment, funding rounds and subsequent trade sale of GymNation, one of the UAE’s leading fitness operators, to JD Sports plc
• Advising a European industrial gases group on the strategic auction sale of non-core businesses in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to a Fortune 500 buyer
• Advising Simpson Spence Young (SSY), the world’s largest independent shipbroker, on its acquisition of F3 Offshore Group, the offshore specialist shipbroker with offices in Hamburg and Dubai
• Advising Thomson Reuters on the acquisition of Zawya Limited, the leading MENA business intelligence platform
• Advising on the sale of Millennium Offshore Services Superholdings LLC, a leading provider of offshore jack-up accommodation service vessels across MENA and Asia-Pacific
• Advising on the sale of Milestone Overseas Holdings Limited (METS), a leading supplier of oil country tubular goods with operations in the UAE, Oman and Iraq
• Advising on the sale of Safar Gas and Oil Field Services to TWI
• Advising a leading Saudi conglomerate on the acquisition of a UAE outdoor advertising business
• Advising a sovereign family office on the sale of a leading UAE school to an international education operator and the partial sale and joint venture of an outdoor adventure business

Real Estate, Hospitality and Development Projects

• Advising a UAE sovereign wealth fund on its acquisition of an interest in a major branded hotel and residences project in Ras Al Khaimah
• Advising a global real estate developer on an AED 3 billion joint venture with an Abu Dhabi sovereign-owned entity relating to the Marina Gate Residence development in Dubai Marina
• Advising on the Peninsula mixed-use development project in Business Bay
• Advising on a joint venture relating to the acquisition and development of a luxury hotel and branded residences project on Palm Jumeirah
• Advising on the development of one of the world’s tallest luxury branded residences
• Advising Emirates on its joint venture with Whitbread plc to establish and operate Premier Inn hotels across the GCC
• Advising a leading Saudi healthcare provider on its joint venture to establish and operate IVF clinics in the UAE
• Advising a Saudi family group on strategic partnerships and joint ventures in the healthcare sector across the UAE and Saudi Arabia
• Advising a regional healthcare investment platform on a GCC-wide strategic partnership with a leading European provider of medium and long-term physical and psychiatric care
• Advising various healthcare operators on the establishment and structuring of specialist and general hospitals in the UAE

Industrials, Manufacturing and Strategic Joint Ventures

• Advising a leading international beverage supplier on the structuring and implementation of a regional joint venture covering the UAE, Qatar and Oman, including associated distribution and intellectual property arrangements
• Advising SCA/essity, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of branded personal care products, on its joint venture with Jordan’s Nuqul Group, involving a multi-jurisdictional acquisition and due diligence exercise across the Middle East and North Africa
• Advising Cummins Inc. on its joint ventures in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and the subsequent sale of a 49% interest in its Saudi Arabian operations
• Advising ACWA Holdings on a USD 120 million disposal of 50% of its Saudi piping and coatings divisions and the subsequent joint venture with Welspun

Equity Capital Markets and Public M&A

• Advising ADX-listed National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC) on its merger with National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC), one of the largest UAE M&A transactions of 2020, creating a leading integrated oil and gas and marine services EPC group across MENA and South Asia
• Advising Le Blanc International on the sale of its Saudi interests to Al Babtain Power and Telecommunications (Tadawul-listed), involving a combination of cash and shares and described by HSBC Saudi Arabia as a landmark transaction
• Advising Lamprell plc (LSE-listed) on its USD 366 million acquisition of Oslo-listed Maritime Industrial Services Co. Ltd Inc, a public takeover partially funded by a rights issue
• Advising Northern Region Cement Company on its SAR 900 million initial public offering on the Saudi Tadawul