The rapid growth, developmental vision and adaptability of city states such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi over the years has resulted in the UAE becoming the standout leader when it comes to Middle East M&A, mainly because of its ease of doing business and ever-evolving legal framework that facilitates raising and deploying capital, and deal-making in general. Despite the progress, economic challenges remain, and have arguably amplified in the face of COVID19.

Hessam Kalantar will talk about M&A in the Middle East through the lens of the UAE, and what has made its onshore and offshore jurisdictions so attractive for investors, corporates and start-ups alike. The talk will also cover how certain recurring issues are addressed in local acquisition agreements, and differences in approach from US style M&A.

Hessam Kalantar is admitted to the Bars of New York, USA and Ontario, Canada. He is a graduate of McGill University, where he earned both common and civil law degrees. He has almost twenty years of firm and in-house practice experience in Canada, US and the Middle East, including at some of the most pre-eminent global law firms (among them Debevoise & Plimpton, Paul Hastings and Kirkland & Ellis).

In New York and Dubai, he has acted for leading private equity, venture capital and other providers of capital in connection with investments in technology and e-commerce, media, financial services, insurance, healthcare, telecommunications, energy, hospitality and food and beverage industries, among others. He has worked on many landmark financing and restructuring transactions, including one of the largest restructurings in the Middle East and the largest syndicated lending in Turkey.

His experience in the Middle East encompasses corporate transactions of all stripes, mainly M&A, joint ventures, corporate finance and restructuring transactions. And his technology practice, including advising technology start-ups, spans the period from the dotcom and business process outsourcing booms through to cloud computing and Fintech. After over a decade in global law firms, he has spent many years as Deputy General Counsel at a significant, emerging markets telecommunications investment group operating across several geographies. He founded KBLG in 2018.

NOTE: Registrants will be e-mailed a Zoom link closer to the event.