Catriona is a Partner and Head of our Banking & Finance practice.

Catriona acts for both lenders and borrowers and advises on financial regulatory matters, project finance, investment grade syndicated financings, real estate and structured finance.

Based in the UAE since 2007, Catriona has extensive regional expertise and brings a commercially driven, pragmatic approach when advising her clients. Catriona is highly sought after for her breadth of English law and UAE law banking expertise and regularly acts for international and regional clients in advising on financial regulatory and digital asset issues in the UAE. Catriona has published extensively on the continually evolving UAE financial regulatory landscape.

Catriona also has in-depth in-house experience gained from her previous role as Head of Legal for Wholesale Banking at one of the largest banks in the UAE and is able to bring this combined private practice and in-house expertise, together with her English law and UAE law background, in providing a holistic view and “seeing both sides of the table” when advising clients on complex financings.

Prior to coming to the UAE, Catriona worked in London at a magic circle law firm.

Admissions

• Solicitor, England & Wales

• Acted as UAE law counsel to the Sponsors in relation to the US$3.8 billion transaction between Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., and Abu Dhabi National Energy Co. for a first of its kind subsea transmission network in the MENA region.
• Acted as UAE law counsel to AMEA Power in connection with the financing of the construction of Egypt's largest solar power project, a 560MW solar plant in the Aswan governorate, as well as Egypt's largest wind power project, a 505MW wind farm in the Red Sea Governorate.
• Advised the senior lenders in respect of a US$ 1.1 billion facility in relation to the design, engineering, procurement, construction, implementation and operation of a direct reduction iron plant, a steel melt shop, a heavy section mill and related infrastructure.
• Advised the lenders on a EUR 600 million multicurrency credit facility for a Swedish borrower.
• Advised an Abu Dhabi government owned entity with respect to its US$ 600 million and US$ 3.6 billion financings and all associated security documentation.
• Advised a borrower in respect of its US$200 million secured syndicated real estate loan facility.
• Advised a property company in respect of its US$440 million senior and mezzanine real estate loan facilities.
• Advised an international card payment service provider in connection with the UAE regulatory framework applicable to the financial activities it sought to carry out in the UAE.
• Advised a global trading and investment banking group in connection with the UAE regulatory framework applicable to promotion and marketing of an exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the UAE.
• Advised foreign financial service providers in connection with the various regulatory and licence requirements for the promotion of financial products and services across various jurisdictions in the UAE, including onshore UAE, the DIFC, and the ADGM.