Following a string of international lateral hires over recent months, Clyde & Co continues to bolster its team in the Middle East with Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) Islamic finance specialist Adil Hussain joining the firm.
Hussain will join Clydes as head of Islamic finance in Abu Dhabi in a bid to grow its regional Islamic finance offering. His arrival takes the firm’s Abu Dhabi partner numbers to seven and regional partner numbers to 39. He will work closely with Clyde’s finance and corporate practices, and in particular with Dubai-based banking and finance partner, Adrian Low, and corporate and finance partner Abdulaziz Al Bosaily in Riyadh.
Having been based in the MENA region for over eight years, including spending three years in Riyadh, Hussain has experience of acting for local and regional banks on structuring and developing Islamic finance products, and on transactional matters for corporates and banks. Some of his key clients include ABC Islamic Bank, BBK, Emirates NBD Bank, Al Baraka Islamic Bank Bahrain, Bank of London and the Middle East, and May Bank Bahrain in relation to Al Bayan Group Holding Company’s debut syndication in the regional debt market. Hussain joined HSF in November 2009, before which he was executive vice president and general counsel at Gatehouse Bank since April 2008.
Hussain said: ‘The Islamic finance industry has experienced dramatic growth in recent years and is predicted to double in industry size by 2017. With the development of the market, I see a lot of potential, both from a regional perspective and an international point of view. I look forward to working alongside the existing Clyde & Co team to build upon its current client offering and strengthen the firm’s international reach.’
Niall O’Toole, regional board member and head of Clyde & Co’s MENA corporate practice, added: ‘Adil’s experience will further strengthen the capabilities of the Abu Dhabi office and our regional transactional offering. His arrival is another indicator of our ongoing investment into the region and our commitment to our clients in providing specialist services.’
The hire follows the trophy partner hire of Eversheds’ regional chairman Christopher Jobson who joined as a partner in Abu Dhabi last month.
Meanwhile, in Singapore, US firm Jones Day has hired private equity partner Mae Shan Chongin from rival firm White & Case, to grow its private equity and M&A practices in Southeast Asia. Chongin has experience of advising private equity and corporate clients and investment banks and hedge funds on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, buy-outs and corporate reorganizations. Some of her clients include CHAMP Private Equity, CLSA Capital Partners, Challenger Emerging Markets Infrastructure Fund, Hermes GPE, Nestlé Waters and PT Pertamina.
Jones Day’s partner-in-charge of the Singapore office Sushma Jobanputra said: ‘We are delighted that Mae will be joining us in Singapore. Mae’s international experience will add strength and depth to our team as we continue to grow our private equity and M&A practices in Southeast Asia and further enhance our ability to provide Singapore law advice to our clients.’
Chuck Hardin, co-chair of Jones Day’s private equity practice, added: ‘Mae is an excellent lawyer, and her cross-border experience adds more depth to our strong private equity capabilities throughout the world. Her experience in emerging markets in South and Southeast Asia, and more broadly throughout Asia, will be of great value for our clients involved in transactions throughout the region.’
Jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk
