Osama Audi

Osama advises clients on M&A and private equity transactions in the Middle East, Africa and South and Southeast Asia in sectors such as energy (with a focus on renewable energy) and infrastructure, oil & gas, technology and e-commerce, consumer goods and retail, healthcare and life-sciences, education, financial services, logistics and transport and real estate, hospitality and leisure.

In addition, Osama regularly advises on transactions relating to technology and growth companies at all stages of their development and is recognized by Chambers Global 2024 for his Venture Capital & Emerging Companies work.

Prior to joining Baker McKenzie, Osama was a partner in a US law firm's M&A and private equity practice and, before that, Osama worked in a Magic Circle law firm's Dubai and Riyadh offices.

Osama received his JD from the Pennsylvania State University which he attended on a full-academic Deans Scholarship.

Private Equity and M&A

• Aldar Properties, the leading Abu Dhabi-based property developer on: (i) the acquisition of FAB Properties; (ii) its joint venture with Mubadala to purchase and develop plots on Al Maryah Island; (iii) its joint venture with Mubadala to purchase Grade A office tower, Al Maryah Tower, for AED 450 million; (iv) the merger of Aldar Estates with Eltizam Estates which was jointly owned by IHC and ADNEC Group; and (v) numerous other matters.  
• Advised Montfort Trading on the acquisition and acquisition financing of Uniper Energy’s oil refinery, bunkering and trading business located in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. The transaction was the first disposal by Uniper as part of the mandate by the European Commission to recapitalize the company.
• Advised Ripples Capital Limited (d/b/a Kitopi) the world’s leading cloud kitchen company on (i) the USD 415 million Series C venture capital round led by SoftBank, the largest ever venture financing round in the Middle East and the first investment by SoftBank in a Middle-East based startup. Investors in the round included ADQ, and Chimera Capital; (ii) the acquisition of AWJ Investments, a fast-growing food and beverage company based in Dubai which operates leading regional brands Operation Falafel, Catch 22, Awani, SushiDo and others; (iii) the acquisition of Rock House Sliders; (iv) the acquisition of Right Bite; (v) the acquisition of Chin Chin; and (vi) numerous other matters.  
• Advised Saudi-listed Tanmiah Food Company on its strategic partnership with US-listed Tyson Foods, Inc. pursuant to which Tyson Foods acquired a 60% equity stake in Supreme Foods Processing Company, and a 15% equity stake in Agriculture Development Company, both wholly-owned subsidiaries of Tanmiah.
• Advised the shareholder of Innovative Care Company, the owner of the New You Medical Centre and on-sight pharmacy, on the sale of a 51% equity stake to Arabian International Healthcare Holding Co. (Tibbiyah). The transaction was structured through the ADGM. 
• Advised the shareholders of Al Faris Food Group on the sale of a substantial majority of their food & beverage manufacturing and distribution business in Saudi Arabia to Gulf Japan Food Fund. 
• Advised Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) on: (i) a joint venture with EDF International for energy efficiency projects across the MENA region, (ii) the sale of Masdar City Cooling Company to the National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed), (iii) the acquisition of an interest in Al Dhafra PV2, the largest solar PV project in the world. The transaction won MENA Solar Deal of the Year, Project Finance International 2020, and (iv) the sale of an interest in Dumat Al Jandal wind power project, the first utility scale wind project in Saudi Arabia under Vision2030. The transaction won PFI Renewable Deal of the Year 2019.
• Advised Baker Hughes on the USD 550 million acquisition of a 5% interest in ADNOC Drilling, the subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and the suite of commercial framework agreements in relation to the sale of products and services by BHGE to ADNOC Drilling. The transaction won the "MENA M&A Deal of the Year" award at the 2019 IJGlobal awards.
• Advised Anadarko Petroleum (thereafter Occidental Petroleum and Total after their acquisition of, respectively, Anadarko Petroleum and several LNG assets including the Rovuma Basin project) on the joint venture and related shareholder and financing arrangements with six consortium partners for the USD 20 billion Rovuma Basin LNG project in Mozambique.
• Advised GFH Financial Group BSC on its acquisition of a significant majority interest in three Saudi Arabian companies which own a total of four American curriculum K through 12 schools.

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