Alex Saleh

Practice Areas

Corporate M&A

Capital Markets

Banking & Finance

Projects, Energy & Infrastructure

Alex Saleh is the Managing Partner of GLA & Company and takes a leading regional role within the firm with respect to its Corporate & Commercial practice. With over 30 years of experience in both the GCC markets as well as the US, he has accumulated sizable expertise in the areas of banking & finance, mergers & acquisitions, capital market deals and infrastructure projects.

With respect to his corporate practice, Alex has closed on a significant number of GCC merger & acquisition transaction in various industries including logistics, education, health care, construction, and finance. He has also represented many private equity firms in various investments in the same industries developing and building a good relationship with that community over the years.

He also represents many GCC-based financial institutions in all facets, including basic bilateral facility agreements, syndicated loan transactions (conventional and Sharia-compliant) and project finance. He has also been involved in many of the large bond and sukuk debt capital market issuances in the region.

Finally, Alex has also acted in many large infrastructure projects such as power generation plants, water desalination plants and wastewater projects, in the context of both public private partnerships and more traditional structures. On various transactions, he has alternatively represented GCC governments, private sponsors and project lenders depending on the particular project.

Professional Memberships

• (US) Commonwealth of Virginia Bar;

• (US) State of Michigan Bar;

• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia & Michigan; and

• United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Work Highlights

Corporate

- Acted as local counsel in advising Italian Mapei S.p.A. on its acquisition of 100% of the shareholding in Saudi-based Bituminous Products Limited Company (“Bitumat”) on various matters including the restructuring of Bitumat’s operations in the GCC as well as securing merger control clearance;

- In one of the largest M&A transactions in 2023 in the GCC, acted for Cognita Middle East in their majority stake acquisition in Universe Education Company, the owner of Kuwait’s renowned Dasman Bilingual Schools, in a co-counsel role;

- Instructed by international counsel on behalf of Apollo Management X, L.P. in the acquisition of Applus Services, S.A. by Manzana Spain Bidco, S.L.U., a global transaction worth Euro 1.23 billion on all GCC matters including merger control clearances from both KSA and Kuwait;

- Acted as Saudi and GCC counsel to DSV – Global Transport & Logistics regarding the establishment of a ground-breaking USD 10 billion exclusive transport and logistics joint venture between it and NEOM Company. This strategic partnership is set to reshape the logistics landscape and significantly boost the Saudi Arabian economy;

- Acted as GCC counsel to Silver Lake in its successful completion of a voluntary public tender offer of Germany’s Software AG;

- Acted as sole legal counsel for Sellers in the sale of 35% of their stake in Gissah Perfumes Company, which does business in several GCC states, ahead of the fragrance company’s planned initial public offering to Jadwa Investment, a private equity firm owned by the KSA government;

- Advised Emerson as co-counsel with respect to securing merger control clearance with the Kuwait Competition Agency on the mega-deal involving the sale of a majority stake in Emerson’s Climate Technologies business. The transaction was valued at $14 billion;

- Led a group owned by members of the Al Kharafi merchant family in acquiring Investcorp’s 35% stake in Automak Automotive Company, a vehicle leasing and rental company in the GCC;

- Represented EnerTech, a subsidiary of the Kuwait Investment Authority-owned National Technology Enterprises Company and a Kuwait government-backed clean energy investor and developer, as one of the members of an international consortium developing an integrated green hydrogen mega project in the Sultanate of Oman (GEO Green Hydrogen Project), with investments worth more than USD $20 billion;

- Acted on behalf of Americana in restructuring its GCC business by conducting a de-merger of its food processing business from its restaurant business for purposes of launching its US$ 1.8 billion Initial Public Offering in the UAE and KSA stock markets;

Banking & Finance (Conventional & Sharia-Compliant)

- Acted as legal advisor for Deutsche Bank AG in a ground-breaking sovereign debt issuance that allowed the Arab Republic of Egypt to secure a $500 million 7-year international commercial loan, insured by the Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation;

- Acted on behalf of Standard Chartered Bank, which was the lead bank in the acquisition financing in the amount of US$ 2.4 Billion to Alabbar Enterprises, a UAE company, in its acquisition of Kuwait Food Company (Americana) KCSP, a major Kuwait listed company;

- Acted on behalf of the Tata Group, the Indian conglomerate, in the structured finance transaction wherein its receivables from several African nations were rolled up and sold to an ADGM SPV, which in turn borrowed from ICICI Bank in India on a non-recourse basis;

- Appointed as transaction co-counsel with respect to a US$ 200 Million financing from Natixis to ALAFCO with respect to five aircraft;

- Represented Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait in a cross-border finance transaction with Egypt Kuwait Holding Company, an Egyptian company, in lending US$ 108 Million for the finance of certain gas projects in Egypt and the acquisition of a major stake of a listed Kuwait entity;

Projects, Energy & Infrastructure

- Acted for National Bank of Kuwait and Kuwait Finance House, as Lead Arrangers, with respect to the syndicated project financing of US$ 800 Million to Limak Insaat, a Turkish company, with respect to the construction of the New Kuwait International Airport;

- Acted for Kuwait Oil Tanker Company, a state-owned entity, in connection with a Sharia compliant syndicated finance deal for an amount of US$ 460 Million from Warba Bank, Ahli United Bank and Kuwait International Bank, which was used to purchase eight (8) oil tankers;

- Represented Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company, a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, in securing US$ 2.3 Billion in finance from both local and foreign banks to fund its liquified natural gas project;

- Represented Kuwait National Petroleum Company, as the borrower, in a corporate syndicated financing of up to $10.3 Billion for the upgrade and expansion of the Mina Abdullah Refinery and Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery in Kuwait known as the Clean Fuel Project;

Languages Spoken

English

Arabic

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Kuwait

United Arab Emirates

Saudi Arabia

Egypt

Awards

Education