Hogan Lovells has made a twin partner hire in the Middle East from Ashurst to strengthen its corporate and finance practice in the region ahead of its merger with Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft.
The incoming partners are M&A duo Simon Rahimzada and Vasi Papadopoulos, who join the firm’s Dubai office. Rahimzada brings almost 20 years of experience in the Middle East, advising on high-value cross-border M&A, private equity deals, equity transactions and joint ventures. He was previously head of Ashurst’s Middle East corporate M&A and private equity practice.
Papadopolous has been practising in the Middle East region for more than a decade, advising corporates, financial institutions, private equity firms and family offices on a range of transactional matters, with a focus on M&A and joint ventures.
James Doyle, global corporate and finance practice group leader, said: “[Rahimzada and Papadopoulos’s] arrival reflects our ambition to build a market leading presence in the Middle East to support clients on their most complex mandates both regionally and internationally, as we reinforce our position as a global elite firm in the markets in which we operate.”
Rahimzada joins after just over four years at Ashurst, having previously spent a decade at King & Spalding, including six years as a partner. Prior to that he was a senior associate at Allen & Overy.
Papadopolous joins after just over two years at Ashurst, joining from White & Case where she was a local partner. She started her career at Freshfields in London, before relocating to Dubai at the start of 2016.
Georgy Kalashnikov, Hogan Lovells’ Middle East head, said: “At a time when clients are navigating an evolving global environment, our continued commitment and investment in exceptional talent in the region underlines our ambition for the future and our long-term confidence in the Middle East as a key growth hub. Simon and Vasi’s experience and relationships complement and build upon our strong track record in the region.”
The duo’s arrival follows the recent hires of M&A partner Walid Salib in Riyadh from Eversheds Sutherland in December and investment funds partner Dounia Mansour in February from King & Spalding in Dubai.
In a joint statement, Rahimzada and Papadopolous said: “We are delighted to be joining Hogan Lovells and to be working with the team across the Middle East at such an exciting time in the firm’s development. With the upcoming merger with Cadwalader and continuous strategic hires in the Middle East, we look forward to being part of such a dynamic and ambitious platform and introducing their team of international experts to regional clients.”
Hogan Lovells and Cadawalder’s partners approved the firms’ $3.6bn deal in April in what is being dubbed the “largest law firm merger in history”.
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