Overview
Waleed is a highly regarded corporate lawyer, with deep experience of corporate and M&A transactions in the Middle East. He is Linklaters' national managing partner in Saudi Arabia.
Waleed has led on some of the largest M&A transactions in the Saudi Arabia. He advises on a range of transactions, with a particular focus on the energy and infrastructure sectors, including extensive experience of private capital deals. Waleed has worked with large institutions in Saudi Arabia, as well as multinational companies with operations, investments or joint ventures in Saudi Arabia.
Waleed is a keen advocate of deploying innovative technologies in the delivery of legal services, including the use of AI software in due diligence matters, eBibling and Linklaters’ proprietorial CreateIQ, a digital contract automation and negotiation platform that captures structured data from legal documents at source.
Waleed was based in the firm’s London office between 2009 and March 2018. He spent nine months in 2016 on secondment to Hutchison 3G (Three) in London, supporting the in-house legal team on a range of commercial contracts and the proposed acquisition of O2.
Before qualifying as a lawyer, Waleed was a programmer in Silicon Valley and a banker and a journalist in the Middle East.
Experience
- Advised Vision Invest, a leading Saudi Arabian infrastructure investor and developer, on its investment in ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms (ARISE IIP), a pan-African developer and operator of integrated industrial zones, as part of a landmark US$700m capital raise by ARISE IIP. This transaction marked one of the largest private infrastructure capital raises in Africa to date, with both primary and secondary components.
- Advised SLB on the carve-out and partial sale of its land rigs business in Oman and Kuwait to ADNOC Drilling.
- Advised Hassana Investment Company on the US$2.4bn strategic investment in DP World's flagship UAE assets – Jebel Ali Free Port, Jebel Ali Free Zone and the National Industries Park.
- Advised Al Rajhi Holding and other shareholders on the sale of shares in ACWA Power to the Public Investment Fund and others.
- Advised SABIC Agri-Nutrients Company on the acquisition of the agricultural nutrients businesses of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) in exchange for shares listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul).
Advised Linde on the establishment of an industrial gases joint venture in Saudi Arabia with Sipchem. - Advised Advanced Petrochemical on a joint venture with SK Gas to build and operate a US$1.8bn propane dehydrogenation and polypropylene plants in Jubail.
- Advised Ahli United Bank on the proposed acquisition of Ahli United Bank by Kuwait Finance House, the largest cross-border public takeover in the GCC and the first ever cross-border public takeover involving a share issuance in the GCC.
Country Of Admission