Bird & Bird will open an office in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support both local and international clients, with initial focus on supporting clients’ needs in technology and intellectual property law, as well as providing transactional and general corporate advice.
The office will be led by Middle East Region Head Anders Nilsson, and will have three resident expert partners Raya Alkhatib, Nick O’Connell and Simon Shooter, supported by a team of Saudi associate lawyers.
Corporate partner Raya Alkhatib advises international and local clients on general corporate advice, formation of companies, M&As, IPOs, rights issue and real estate investment funds, among other. Before joining the firm, Raya worked as General Counsel, Governance Officer and Board Secretary at American Express Saudi Arabia. Her roles included advising on day-to-day legal affairs and on partnerships with local banks.
Nick O’Connell is a tech and data expert, who has been based in Riyadh for the last seven years and has unrivalled experience in building and managing a successful technology, media and telecommunications practice in the Kingdom. With extensive experience in the broader region, Nick regularly advises on diverse matters, ranging from transactional contracting work through to regulatory advisory on technology, cloud, data, media and telecoms issues.
Simon Shooter is a commercial and technology partner, and founder of the firm’s cybersecurity practice. He has been a partner with Bird & Bird for over 17 years. Before joining the Riyadh office, he worked in the firm’s London and Dubai offices. His experience of the Kingdom stretches back to the 1990s, when he was an external lawyer to the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in London, and he has been engaged in legal matters across the Gulf ever since. Simon has a diverse client base. A constant feature of his work is helping businesses rise to the challenge of technological change.
The team will work closely with their colleagues in the UAE to achieve the firm’s strategic ambition to be the leading international technology law firm in the Middle East.
“This new office opening continues on the momentum the firm has built following the launch of our new five-year strategy – including the launch of our Tokyo office last year. We have a strong presence across Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Our Middle East team has gained a well-deserved reputation across the region, and this new base – led by a brilliant team – will allow us to expand our support to clients,” said Christian Bartsch, CEO of Bird & Bird.
Anders Nilsson, Head of the Middle East region at Bird & Bird, added: “We are looking forward to opening our new office in Riyadh. We are committed to assisting both our local and international clients in this rapidly-evolving market, cementing our market-leading reputation in the Middle East for advising businesses and public bodies within key areas, such as technology and digital transformation, IP and brand commercialisation, media and sports, as well as aviation and automotive.”
