Will Seivewright

Siv-riteHe/himPartner
Head of Corporate, Middle East
Will is very experienced, particularly when dealing with counterparties from this region. He is a super-nice guy who is very good to deal with.
Chambers 2022
About

Based in Dubai, Will Seivewright is a corporate / M&A lawyer with over 20 years’ experience advising multinational clients on cross-border transactions. His clients span across multiple sectors including technology, life sciences, energy and natural resources, financial services and industrials.

Will has previously practiced in London, New York and Hong Kong before moving to the UAE in 2009 and so brings a global perspective to clients’ problems.

Will is particularly experienced in advising clients on transacting across the Middle East, notably in mergers and acquisition (public and private), joint ventures, private equity, corporate reorganisations and venture transactions.

Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

EXPERIENCE

  • Advised ADX-listed Abu Dhabi Ports on their USD 2 billion merger with Eskan Al Jamae Group. 
  • Advised Aditya Birla Group / Ultratech Cement on its US$ 101m, 29.39 per cent equity stake in ADX and Kuwaiti Bourse dual-listed RAK for White Cement and Construction Materials. 
  • Advised Nozomi Networks, a global leader in Operational Technology (OT) and Internet of Things (IoT) security solutions. Forward Investments is the venture capital and M&A arm of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). The fund is the first-of-its-kind for a utilities-based corporate entity in the MENA region, established to partner with, and invest in, growth-stage utilities, power and associated technology companies.
  • Advised Booz Allen Hamilton on the sale of its Middle East management consulting business to Oliver Wyman.
  • Advised Equinix on its arrangements with Omantel to build and operate a data center in Salalah, Oman.
  • Advised digital retail finance and payments company Zip Co on its strategic investment in Spotii, a Middle East buy now, pay later (BNPL) interest-free payments platform.
  • Advised Abu Dhabi National Oil Company on the acquisition of multiple retail fuel stations in Saudi Arabia. 
  • Advised Mubadala / Injazat Data Systems on its joint venture with IBM to bring IBM's Watson cognitive technology to the Middle East.
  • Advised Dubai International Capital on the sale of its ""Holiday Inn Express"" hotels in Dubai to the Al Mulla Group and on the sale of its stake in Jordan Dubai Capital.
  • Advise Mubadala Infrastructure Partners on its acquisition of stakes in (i) Paris Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and (ii) Zayed University Abu Dhabi.
  • Advised the Steering Committee formed to oversee the USD 3 billion merger between Qatar Navigation and Qatar Shipping, the first announced public company merger in Qatar.
  • Advised Volvo Construction Equipment on its USD 1.3 billion acquisition of Ingersoll-Rand's road development business.
 
Education
  • Nottingham Law School, L.P.C., 2000
  • University of Manchester, B.A. Law & Accounting Honors, 1999

Awards

  • Ranked as a Leading Individual for Corporate / M&A in the United Arab Emirates - Chambers Global, 2019

Seminars

Will is a regular public speaker and is often quoted in regional media, newspapers and publications regarding current trends and deal activity. Recent media highlights and publications are as follows:

  • Mergermarket M&A and private equity forum Dubai – panel speaker discussing trends in private equity, May 2018
  • CNBC Arabia – Live TV panel debate on regional M&A trends, Apr 2018
  • Dubai One – TV interview on Emirates News with Greg Fairlie, Jan 2018
  • Dubai Eye - Business Breakfast - Live Radio Interview to discuss current trends in regional M&A, Aug 2017
  • Gulf News Op Ed Article – "An open season for M&A", May 2017

Memberships And Affiliations

  • Law Society, England and Wales

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