Naji Hawayek

Full Profile

Naji is Head of Corporate across our four offices in the Middle East and is based in the Dubai office. Bilingual in Arabic and English, he has over 18 years’ experience advising on cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A), joint ventures (JVs), private equity, investment funds, private placements, corporate restructurings, corporate licensing and foreign direct investment, primarily across the Middle East and North Africa.

Naji has advised on some of the largest and most complex corporate transactions across the region, working with clients operating in most business sectors, including education, energy, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, media, technology, telecommunications, tobacco, consulting and financial services.

Naji holds academic qualifications in common law, civil law and Shariah law. He graduated from the University of Westminster in London with a Master of Laws degree (LLM) in International Commercial Law ("Merit" awarded). Naji completed his undergraduate law degree (LLB) at Sagesse University in Beirut and a postgraduate degree in Islamic banking at the Institute of Islamic Banking & Insurance in London. He is admitted to the Beirut Bar Association, is a "Registered Foreign Lawyer" with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in the UK, and a member of the International Bar Association (IBA). Naji was recently named in Legal 500’s Private Practice Powerlist 2024: M&A - Middle East.

Naji joined Clyde & Co’s Dubai office in June 2006.

“Naji Hawayek is an excellent lawyer, works as a true partner and advisor with extensive knowledge and strategic advisory. He is also very well-connected and maintains a good network of likeminded people.”
Legal 500 EMEA 2023: UAE Commercial, Corporate and M&A - Leading individual 

Experience

• Advising Gordon Drilling Technologies LLC (Gordon) on its acquisition of 100 per cent of the share capital of Vertex Downhole Trading LLC (Vertex UAE). As part of this acquisition, Gordon will also obtain the intellectual property rights for Winc, Winc+, and Mudlink technologies.
• Advising Big Bus Tours, the world’s largest operator of open-top bus sightseeing, on their acquisition of leading experience operator, Tour Dubai.
• Advising ADMO Lifestyle Holding Limited (ADMO) on their JV with Addmind, launching a new global lifestyle vertical Alpha-Mind. Alpha Mind is a UAE-based JV company that owns and manages a global portfolio of experiential lifestyle, food and beverage (F&B), and entertainment brands, created and developed by Addmind. Its portfolio currently comprises seven iconic names – CLAP, Bar Du Port, ONGAKU, Babylon, Sucre, Alma Bar, and Iris (including the Iris Beach House hotel brand). ADMO was established in 2022 as a JV between Alpha Dhabi Holding PJSC (ADX: ALPHADHABI) and Monterock International Limited.
• Advising the shareholders of Specialized Technical Services Company (STS) on its complete sale to ZainTECH. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.
• Advising Oliver Wyman, a global management consulting firm and a business of Marsh McLennan, in connection with its acquisition of Booz Allen Hamilton's strategy consulting business serving the Middle East and North Africa region.
• Advising a global technology and management consultancy company on the acquisition of a cloud services and IT solutions business in Saudi Arabia.
• Advising Midis Group on the acquisition of Arrow ECS, a software distribution company registered in Dubai Silicon Oasis, from Arrow Electronics, a US-listed American Fortune 500 company.
• Advising leading French group of nurseries, Babilou Group, in respect of its acquisition of several nurseries in the UAE including Blossom Group and Bright Kids Group in the UAE.
• Advising Al Najah Education, a leading private equity firm operating in the education sector across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, on the sale of each of Horizon International School and Horizon English School to UK-based school operator, Cognita.
• Advising NMC Health on multiple transactions, including the acquisition of ProVita in Abu Dhabi and a significant interest in Fakih IVF in the UAE.
• Advising Varkey Group on the sale of its interest in the healthcare sector in the UAE to Mediclinic International for approximately USD 220 million.
• Advising Saudi Tabreed, a pioneering district cooling service provider, and its shareholders on a dual private placement and share sale to IDB Infrastructure Fund II, managed by ASMA Capital.
• Advising Lamprell plc, an LSE listed entity on the acquisition of OSE listed Maritime Industrial Services, a major oilfield services/engineering corporation for more than USD 300 million.
• Advising a regional private equity firm on multiple investments and divestments in the Middle East over several years.
• Advising on the corporate restructuring of a Middle East regional group involving 200+ companies in diverse sectors including construction, real estate, trade and shipping.
• Advising on the structuring and establishment of investment funds including a trade finance fund in ADGM, a USD 900 million multi-purpose fund in the Cayman Islands and a USD 700 million real estate fund in the BVI.
• Business-minded approach having completed 3 client secondments: Akzo Nobel, GEMS Education and Arab Media Group (a subsidiary of Dubai Holding).