Christopher Lester

Chris Lester is a corporate partner based in the Dubai office of Latham & Watkins. Mr. Lester specializes in public and private mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and restructurings.

Mr. Lester's representative transactions include advising:

• OCTAL, a major global producer of PET sheet based in Oman with operations in the UAE, KSA, and the US, on its US$620 million sale to Alpek, S.A.B. de C.V. (Alpek) 
• Funds managed by Silver Lake Partners, a global private equity firm focused on investments in technology, technology-enabled, and related industries, on their minority investment in G42, an Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing company
• SIG Combibloc, a Swiss listed leading systems and solutions provider for aseptic carton packaging company, on its acquisition of the 50% stake in its Middle East joint venture SIG Combibloc Obeikan held by the Obeikan Group
• Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) on the merger of the agri-nutrients businesses of SABIC and Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Company (SAFCO)  
• J.P. Morgan on the three-way merger of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, United National Bank, and Al Hilal Bank
• Mubadala Healthcare and China UAE Fund on the acquisition of Amana Healthcare
  Dubai Holding on the acquisition of a significant minority stake in Azadea
• Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank on the acquisition of Barclays’ UAE retail banking business
• Mubadala on the US$15 billion merger of EMAL and DUBAL to form Emirates Global Aluminium
• Mubadala on mining investments in the Republic of Guinea
• Oldendorff on the acquisition and disposal of shipping assets
• Government of Dubai on the restructuring of Dubai World

• The DIFC Prescribed Company: A Guide to Uses and Requirements  -  July 28, 2020
• Update on the UAE Foreign Direct Investment Law: Part 1 -  July 15, 2019
• Doing Business in the UAE -  February 02, 2017
• UAE Merger Control Update: Behold the Threshold -  September 29, 2016
• UAE Ministry of Economy Clarifies How UAE CCL Applies to LLCs  -  August 22, 2016
• Abu Dhabi Global Market Publishes New Commercial Regulations and Consultation Paper on Draft Financial Services Regulations  -  July 08, 2015
• UAE Merger Control Update: Implementing Regulations Now In Force -  February 2, 2015
• Abu Dhabi Global Market Issues First Wave of Draft Regulations and Related Consultation Papers -  January 14, 2015
• The M&A Outlook in the Middle East: A Look Back at 2014 and Beyond -  December 16, 2014
• Doing Business in Saudi Arabia – Understanding the Saudi Laws and Legal System -  March 2014
• UAE Issues New Draft Commercial Companies Law -  July 31, 2013
• UAE Update: Abu Dhabi Introduces New Financial Free Zone -  April 24, 2013
• Al-Mirsal Blog: US$2.2 billion Drydocks World Restructuring Approved in First Test Case under Dubai Decree No. 57 -  August 28, 2012
• Al-Mirsal Blog: Key Expected Changes to the UAE’s Draft Commercial Companies Law  -  August 26, 2012
• Briefing Series Issue No. 5 — Key Changes Relating to Penalties -  July 25, 2012
• Briefing Series Issue No. 4 — Key Changes Relating to Mergers in UAE -  July 10, 2012
• New Share Disclosure Rules Relating to UAE Listed Companies -  July 04, 2012
• Briefing Series Issue No. 3 — Key Changes for Joint Stock Companies -  June 24, 2012
• Briefing Series Issue No. 2 — Key Changes for Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) -  June 05, 2012
• Briefing Series Issue No. 1 — Key Changes Applicable Under the Draft UAE Commercial Companies Law -  May 21, 2012
• Al-Mirsal Blog: Current Challenges for GCC Family-Owned Businesses -  April 11, 2012
• Public M&A Regime in the UAE -  June 1, 2010
• New Dubai Decree Relating to any Future Restructuring of Dubai World and its Subsidiaries -  January 8, 2010
• Masdar City Free Zone, Abu Dhabi’s Center for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology, is Open for Business -  14 September 2009
• Briefing for Financial Advisors: The New Bahrain Takeovers Regime -  May 12, 2009
• Dubai's Legal System: Creating a Legal and Regulatory Framework for a Modern Society -  April 27, 2009