About

With a project development track record which includes major programmes in Southeast Asia and Europe in the infrastructure, energy, healthcare, and logistics sectors, Alcazar Capital is among the most noteworthy private equity firms in Dubai. Rawad E. Abou Jaoude joined Alcazar Capital in 2016 and took over as sole legal counsel in 2017. He says ‘being appointed company secretary, preparing and attending board and shareholder meetings and being exposed to deliberations of the highly respected board of directors of Alcazar Capital’ were among the general highlights of his role. When it comes to specific transactions he is proud of, Abou Jaoude has a raft of achievements to pick from. He has advised on all manners of corporate transactions, negotiated share sales on the secondary market, advised on partial and full exits, and set-up complex tax efficient structures for principal investment transactions. In addition, Abou Jaoude has incorporated and managed several regulated and unregulated corporate entities and investment funds in multiple jurisdictions. He also helped navigate Dubai Financial Services Authority rules, efficiently managed the regulatory affairs of Alcazar and helped resolve complex disputes on behalf of the company and its stakeholders across multiple jurisdictions. Abou Jaoude is among the rising stars of the legal profession in the Middle East and is thus well placed to comment on its future. ‘Companies in the Middle East now fully realise that the role of an in-house counsel is to develop a partnership with senior executives in order to embrace and manage risk. With the expansion of this culture, this role, which was traditionally viewed as a cost centre, will become indispensable for companies willing to make the investment. As such, the demand for experienced in-house counsel in the Middle East will increase rapidly over the next few years’, he says.