Approaches to Raising and Investing Capital

Faizal is a UK qualified lawyer and for many years has worked and advised, and is a trusted advisor to institutions, corporates and families across the Middle East, Africa and India. Faizal specialises in banking and finance and has advised corporates, family offices and families including on their international investment and holding structures.

Brian is the resident managing partner in Trowers & Hamlins' Bahrain office and heads its corporate team in Bahrain as well its international funds practice. He has 20 years' experience working with clients from or investing in the GCC. He advises clients in respect of public and private company mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring and regulation (including corporate finance, company and group structuring, shareholders' and joint venture arrangements, constitutional documents and corporate governance) in addition to a broad range of commercial and contractual matters.

Brian also advises a number of banks, private equity clients and sovereign wealth institutions in respect of Bahraini and offshore fund establishment in addition to international private equity investments and disposals. In addition, Brian works on development of board and management incentive platforms, employee benefit trusts, board charters and associated policies for several banking institutions.

Daniel Pacic joined Ogier Global in July 2023 as a Director and Middle East specialist. He is responsible for the development of the group’s presence and service offering in the UAE and wider GCC region, aimed at facilitating Governance, Risk and Compliance services for financially-regulated entities, fund administration services for SWFs, PE funds and VC funds as well as estate planning solutions for private clients and their families.

Prior to joining Ogier, Daniel held senior management and Directorship positions at other service providers such as Vistra and Intertrust. Daniel has had several articles featured in publications such as Sovereign Wealth Quarterly and has also made guest appearances on Dubai Business Breakfast on Dubai Eye FM / Dubai One TV. He has been a resident of the UAE since he was born in 1985 and has extensive professional and life experience in the Middle East.

Mariam is a dual-qualified Bahraini lawyer and English solicitor who joined a prominent Wealth Management house in the Kingdom of Bahrain as Legal Counsel. Mariam has an array of experience from handling Real Estate, Joint Venture, M&A, Regulatory and other forms of cross-border matters locally and internationally to meeting the Group’s corporate and restructuring needs.

Mariam started her legal career at Newton Legal, a Bahrain-based international law firm, where she gained practical experience in managing high value projects in the Oil & Gas, Construction and Commercial sectors and represented parties (governmental, semi and non) in multi-party transactions and disputes (including negotiation, mediation, arbitration and litigation).

Abdullah is an international banking and finance associate in Trowers & Hamlins' Bahrain office. He advises banks, financial institutions, agents, sponsors, funds and multinational companies across the GCC, South Asia and South-East Asia spanning across a broad range of industries and asset classes on a wide range of domestic and cross-border transactions with particular focus on corporate finance, project finance, trade finance, Islamic finance, debt capital markets & structured finance, debt restructuring and regulatory issues. In addition, Abdullah regularly assists clients with credit agreement compliance concerns, amendments, waivers and consents on financing documents, and routine regulatory compliance issues. Besides acting as lenders’ counsel, Abdullah has substantial experience in representing borrowers in relation to credit arrangements and security release and discharge process.

Fadi is a seasoned business development executive with strong commercial acumen and solid relationships in the GCC. He has a proven track record of raising funds from institutional investors, and has deep-rooted connections with Sovereign Wealth Funds, Pension Funds, and Family Offices across the region.

An articulate communicator and negotiator, he has exceled at building and strengthening long-term professional relationships with clients, cross-functional teams, and stakeholders, and is experienced in advising institutional clients on asset allocation strategies and relevant investment solutions. Fadi specializes in alternative investment strategies, asset management, investment advisory, and portfolio management.

Prior to joining IQEQ, Fadi was with Principal Islamic Asset Management, where devised the business strategy for the office and led the sales efforts for the firm’s global investment solutions in the Middle East.

Filip leads the legal and operational due diligence team in a single family office based in the UAE. The office has an institutional size, diversified multi-asset portfolio. He and his team advise the key stake holders on the legal and operational points and risks relating to the office’s transactions, existing portfolio, contractual matters, material legal and regulatory developments, etc.

Filip commenced his legal career in Dublin, Ireland where he qualified as a solicitor in a large commercial law firm. Thereafter, he worked as an investment funds associate in one of the largest offshore law firms based in St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands. He moved to the UAE in 2021.

Wissam has a 21-year career spanning investment banking, private equity, and consulting within the GCC. Over the past decade, Wissam spearheaded some of Bahrain's most significant capital markets transactions including the successful IPO of APM Terminals Bahrain, executing KFH's monumental USD 10 billion acquisition of Ahli United Bank, and structuring and lead-managing BBK's BD100 million perpetual convertible security issuance. Furthermore, Wissam played an instrumental role in structuring and managing the initial public offering of Bahrain's first and only Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). Wissam currently heads SICO’s investment banking department which is Bahrain’s leading investment bank active in M&A, IPOs, take-private transactions along with general financial advisory services. He previously worked with a number of firms in Bahrain and Dubai, including the National Commercial Bank and EmiratesNBD. He holds a BCom degree from Concordia University, Canada.

Kal is Head of Markets for KPMG in Bahrain, and is also a Director with KPMG’s Advisory Team specializing in ESG, People and Change Management related advisory services. With almost 20 years with KPMG, Kal has worked with KPMG’s International Headquarters for over 16 years, and has significant experience in the field of ESG, Sustainability, Inclusion & Diversity, People Strategy, and People engagement; while also having supported clients in developing competency frameworks, talent management strategies, and in facilitating psychometric assessments to support leadership development. Kal has also led KPMG’s global, regional and national relationships with not-for profits including Junior Achievement, Enactus, One Young World, the Pearl Initiative, and INJAZ Bahrain. At a MENA level Kal is the sponsor representative for KPMG in Bahrain in their role as the Knowledge Partner for ‘Diversity on Boards’, and provides support in training and mentoring emerging board leaders across the region.

Hoda Salman is a finance and investment expert with 20+ years of experience in impact investing, MSME finance, financial advisory, and entrepreneurship development in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe. She has led and executed impact-driven support programmes and investments to financial institutions and intermediaries and businesses at private and public impact investment management firms. She established Nawa Impact in 2023, an impact investment advisory firm that is committed to increasing the mobilization of impact finance in the MENA region by developing innovative solutions that enable more effective financing to enterprises and projects that have meaningful and measurable impact. She holds an MSc and BSc from Imperial College London and certifications in ESG and Impact Investing (Frankfurt School), Corporate Directorship (IFC-accredited), and Islamic Finance (Ethica Institute).

Trowers is an international law firm with over 170 partners and more than 1000 people located across the UK, Middle East and Asia.

During our long history, we have held fast to the values and characteristics – such as service, quality, integrity and innovation – that have made us not only a leading law firm, but an inclusive and exciting place to work and establish a career. Some 240 years on, these attributes remain solidly embedded in our culture and our ways of working.

We are well known for being experts in the sectors our clients work in and getting to the crux of the issues they face. This gives us the best foundations to extend our thinking beyond the day to day delivery of transactional and advisory legal services and provide our clients with fresh thinking and commercially-driven solutions.