Trends in Cross-Border Investment and Finance Structuring – Riyadh

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.

Abdulrahman Alfuhaid, a distinguished legal practitioner, and Co-Founder of Mithaq Law Firm, established in 2021. As a Partner and Head of the Corporate Division, he plays a central role in driving the firm’s strategic growth and leading some of its most complex corporate mandates. His practice is rooted in extensive experience with joint ventures, corporate governance, compliance frameworks, restructurings, and mergers and acquisitions—particularly in high-stakes or regulated environments. Abdulrahman’s work extends beyond legal advisory. He actively oversees the operational management of Mithaq’s offices in Dammam and Riyadh, guides internal capacity building, and is instrumental in forming and maintaining relationships with institutional clients and partners. His leadership has helped establish Mithaq as a trusted firm for both domestic and cross-border corporate matters. Beyond Mithaq, Abdulrahman holds advisory and board roles with several regional and international organization

Meshari AlSuhaimi, a licensed Saudi lawyer and Associate at Mithaq Law Firm, where he focuses on corporate transactions and regulatory advisory. His practice spans mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and cross-border investments, with a particular emphasis on deals involving foreign investment, private equity, and banking. Known for his clarity and practical mindset, Meshari brings a structured approach to navigating complex commercial arrangements under both Saudi and international legal frameworks. He plays a key role in supporting large-scale corporate projects, often advising clients on structuring, documentation, risk management, and compliance. His ability to blend legal precision with commercial insight makes him a reliable legal advisor for businesses operating across diverse sectors, including e-commerce, financial services, and investment.

Mohamed A. Aljasim is the Managing Director and Founder of Blueprint Business Advisory and a Senior Advisor at Mithaq Advocates & Legal Consultants. With over two decades of experience in investment and strategic advisory, he has led and executed complex transactions across the GCC, MENA, and Europe, covering sectors such as energy, infrastructure, healthcare, aviation, education, and real estate. Prior to founding Blueprint, Mohamed held senior executive roles including Chief Investment Officer at Ibdar Bank and Capital Management House, where he directed high-stakes mergers, capital raises, and turnaround strategies for distressed portfolios. His track record includes structuring landmark Sharia-compliant transactions, cross-border investments, fund formations, and managing relationships with ultra-high-net-worth individuals and institutions. Mohamed has been instrumental in closing deals involving major infrastructure assets, aviation financings, and prominent real estate exits.

Hesham has over 22 years of experience in the real estate investment sector, with a focus across Bahrain, KSA, the UAE, and the UK. He has worked on a wide range of asset classes including large scale masterplans, hospitality, key worker housing, commercial developments, and student accommodation. In the UK, Hesham has been instrumental in delivering over 4,000 student beds and building a portfolio of build to rent assets through direct development and operating platforms. His career includes a 14 year tenure at Tadhamon Capital, a Bahrain based Islamic investment Company regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain, where he served as CEO and board member. In 2023, he joined GFH Financial Group as Senior Executive Director and UK CEO, where he focused on expanding the firm’s real estate footprint in the UK. Hesham is now a founding partner of Cedarstone Capital, a UK based real estate asset manager launched in 2024.

Ali brings over 16 years of international legal experience, with a strong focus on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, project finance, deal structuring, and regulatory compliance. He has advised on a wide range of complex M&A transactions across multiple jurisdictions, representing both buyers and sellers, and has led due diligence, negotiation, and post-acquisition integration efforts for high-profile strategic and financial investors. His clients have included Fortune 500 companies, sovereign-owned enterprises, defense-sector conglomerates, major financial institutions, development finance institutions (DFIs), and global private equity funds. In cross-border settings, Mr. Gillani has developed and executed transaction strategies that reconcile legal, tax, and regulatory frameworks across diverse markets, ensuring risk mitigation and value preservation. His transactional portfolio includes multi-billion-dollar infrastructure, energy, transport, and industrial projects.

Daniel Channing, Group Head of Private Client Services, Whitmill. Daniel has over 18 years’ experience working with global Ultra High Net Worth families and single family offices. He has specific expertise supporting families and family offices navigate diverse market and client landscapes and in implementing and managing effective family succession planning solutions. As Group Head of Private Client Services at Whitmill, Daniel is key to cementing exceptional and long-standing relationships with families and family office clients and is responsible for implementing tailored strategies to preserve and enhance clients' global asset portfolios and succession plans. Daniel's experience includes several senior roles within global private banks, single family offices and fiduciary services businesses both in Jersey and Switzerland. Daniel holds particular expertise in supporting clients from the Middle East and travels to the region frequently.

Katy brings over 20 years of experience in the financial services sector, currently serving as the Lead Director on various cases for high-net-worth (HNW) and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) private clients and entrepreneurs, primarily in the Middle East. Her client portfolios hold a diverse range of assets, including commercial and residential properties, super yachts, life assurance policies, private equity, and structured investment products. Katy qualified as a Chartered Governance professional in 2006, holds a BA (Hons) in Business and Languages and a Diploma in Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions and has completed a City and Guilds of London Institute Management Development Programme. She recently joined ZEDRA, returning to working with Private Clients, following 9 years working in Corporate Services.

Martin Waller, Founder and CEO of Investra Capital Ltd a FCA registered real estate asset management firm and has 35 years of experience in the UK commercial and retail real estate market. He is responsible for originating opportunities, specifically institutional grade assets , effecting due diligence, deal structuring, asset management and liaising with institutional lenders. Martin leads a team of surveyors who will typically appraise suitable investments, prepare investment memorandum including business planning. The team engage appropriate legal, accounting and surveying advisors and arrange suitable debt funding. The team advises and supports the investment vehicle throughout its life. They advise predominantly GCC investors on cross border inwards investments into UK real estate. Martin has managed the team through different market cycles and has had to activate different asset management strategies to adapt as conditions have changed over time.

Ismael Hajjar is a UAE based partner specialising in international tax & wealth structuring, family office and private capital advisory. He started his career in Europe and has been serving international families for over 16 years. He relocated to the UAE in 2013 and is currently acting as a trusted advisor to a number of successful families across the Middle East region. He is leading PwC Tax and Legal service offering to private clients, entrepreneurial & royal families and family offices in helping them understand and manage their global affairs, overcome cross-border tax challenges and identify opportunities to achieve their family and business objectives. Prior to joining PwC, Ismael was acting as head of Private for another big four firm and was responsible for the design and execution of the overall firm strategy for private companies and their owners across all service lines.

Mithaq Law Firm is a Saudi-based legal practice established in 2021 by founding partners Ziyad Alqassim and Abdulrahman Alfuhaid. With offices in Dammam and Riyadh, Mithaq has rapidly grown into a respected name in the legal sector, known for its focus on high-quality legal counsel and its ability to navigate both local and international legal complexities.

 

The firm comprises a team of more than 25 lawyers with deep expertise across a wide range of practice areas, including corporate law, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, venture capital, private equity, and regulatory compliance. Mithaq also advises on litigation, arbitration, real estate, employment matters, and sector-specific regulations.

 

Mithaq’s clients include leading companies in construction, retail, logistics, investment, healthcare, and family-owned businesses. The firm is built on core principles of excellence, integrity, and a client-centric approach. Its team is driven by collaboration, continuous learning, and a commitment to providing practical, strategic legal solutions.

 

In addition to its local work, Mithaq maintains a strong international reach, advising on cross-border transactions and representing clients with interests across the GCC, MENA, and other global jurisdictions. Mithaq continues to evolve as a modern Saudi law firm with regional influence.