Bayo Odubeko > Norton Rose Fulbright > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Norton Rose Fulbright is recommended by clients for its ‘capability to offer creative solutions despite pressure, and work as one team with its clients‘. The firm has an extensive emerging markets practice in London, and is active in Francophone and Anglophone Africa, the Middle East, the CIS region, Latin America and in Southeast Asia. Its work focuses on key sectors such as mining, agriculture, oil and gas, power and infrastructure development, and commodity trading, covering transactional work, finance and disputes. Martin McCann, who has extensive experience in infrastructure, mining, commodities and project finance, is head of the London emerging markets group. He acted for Horizonte Minerals PLC in arranging a $660m financing package for the construction and development of an Araguaia ferronickel mine in Brazil. Head of banking and finance Madhavi Gosavi is a key adviser on structured financings, project financings and restructurings. She recently assisted the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Angola with the $1bn financing of the Bita water production, transmission and distribution system in South Luanda. Corporate partner Raj Karia is a key member of the firm’s mining and minerals practice, and Bayo Odubeko, also in the corporate team, focuses on cross-border energy investments into Africa.

With significant international resources at its disposal, the team at Norton Rose Fulbright – noted for its work in the insurance sector – handles a mix of in-bound investments, acquisitions, and sell-side processes for a range of sponsor clients, particularly in emerging markets. The practice is jointly chaired by Bayo Odubeko, a seasoned PE and VC partner whose recent engagements include fundraising transactions in West Africa, and Sophie O’Connor, who – along with Nicholas Berry – anchors the team’s capabilities in the financial services and insurance sectors. Berry focuses exclusively on insurance transactions, heading up the London office’s InsurTech practice in addition to handling various cross-border deals. Matthew Eccles is noted for his focus on emerging markets.