Latham & Watkins has strengthened its practice in Riyadh with the addition of a new partner.
Leen Zaza has joined the firm’s M&A and private equity practice from Khoshaim & Associates (K&A), where she worked for over a decade, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Zaza advises on M&A and private equity transactions in Saudi Arabia and internationally, with a focus on private M&A, joint ventures, divestments, corporate governance, corporate regulatory, and advisory matters.
Her experience includes advising on transactions across a variety of industries including energy and infrastructure, shipping, industrials, healthcare and life sciences, e-commerce, real estate, and retail.
Commenting on the appointment, Salman Al-Sudairi, managing partner of the MENA region at Latham & Watkins, said:
“Leen is a highly regarded practitioner with first-class technical skills and a wealth of experience advising on some of the region’s most significant strategic M&A and private equity transactions. Her broad practice spans important sectors that are central to Saudi Arabia’s ambitious growth plans, and she will be a terrific addition to our strong and growing team.”
Charles Ruck, global chair of Latham & Watkins’ corporate department, added: “Saudi Arabia is a major global financial and commercial hub and represents an important pillar of our global strategy. Leen’s track record, connections, and experience are highly complementary to the firm’s, and we are delighted to welcome her to the team.”
Zaza’s arrival represents the latest investment the firm has made in Riyadh, following the promotion of project development and finance counsel Marc Makary and Derek McKinley and white collar defense and investigations associate Abdullah Alsaeed to partner.
Latham & Watkins has been operating in the Middle East since 2008 and was recently granted a Regional Headquarters (RHQ) licence by the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA).
