Jad A. Taha

Jad has played a key role in the opening of Mayer Brown's Dubai office and in developing the Firm's cooperation relationships in Saudi Arabia and the broader region. 

Clients describe Jad as a "reliable partner" with a "wealth of experience negotiating and closing deals, including with government and quasi-government" parties, and "a multilingual, Western-trained and locally fluent lawyer" who is a "great problem solver" and "knows how to get deals done."  According to a major global consulting firm, "when we have Jad and his team in our corner, we know we are in excellent hands."

Clients served by Jad include major multinational companies, private equity funds, and technology and healthcare companies in the United States and the Middle East.

• Pampa Capital and its private equity funds on two separate divestments as follows:
  
  • The sale to John Deere of PLA, an agro-machinery business and producer of sprayers, planters, and specialty agriculture products in Argentina and Brazil.
  • The sale to Vilmorin Nederland, a division of the Limagrain Group, of portfolio businesses in Argentina and Brazil engaged in the research, production, and marketing of seeds of maize, wheat, sunflower, and soy, with a main focus on the cultivation of corn, including the seasoned corn germplasm.
    Each transaction involved the direct and indirect sale of Pampa's equity stakes in holding and portfolio companies in the Netherlands, Spain, Argentina, and Brazil, as well as antitrust analyses in Argentina and Brazil.
• A Moroccan investment company on its acquisition of a majority equity stake in a Florida-based olive oil producer and distributor on a cash and debt basis.
• Shiseido Americas Corporation, a Japanese multinational cosmetics manufacturer and distributor, on the corporate implementation of an internal tax-based restructuring.

• A multinational strategy consulting company on its potential acquisition by merger with a Virginia-based data collection and management service provider.
• A US-based project development company on the corporate implementation of an internal tax-based restructuring and the acquisition of a UK-based specialist renewable energy business with a US subsidiary.
• A multinational private equity firm with offices in New York, Bogota, and Lima on its $50,000,000 investment in the Delaware investment arm of a private operator of wireless communications infrastructure with subsidiaries in Barbados, Colombia, Peru, and Spain through a capital subscription and corporate restructuring in the target group.
• A multinational strategy consulting company on its potential acquisition by merger with a Virginia-based data collection and management service provider.
• A US-based project development company on an internal tax-based restructuring and the acquisition of a UK-based specialist renewable energy business with a US subsidiary.
• In two separate transactions, a major Texas-based mortgage originator and service provider on its acquisition of substantially all of the assets of a regional mortgage company. The transaction involved post-closing purchase price adjustments and production-based earn-out payments.
• A leading multinational company and engineer, designer, and manufacturer of engine products on contractual and commercial disputes involving its distributors in Europe and the Middle East.
• Reignwood Investments UK Ltd., a Chinese-based conglomerate, on its US$105 million acquisition of a majority equity stake in Voss of Norway ASA, a Norwegian artesian bottled water company. Transaction overview can be found in the Wall Street Journal.
• W. R. Grace & Co., a global chemical company, on an internal restructuring to facilitate the legal separation of its business lines in preparation for the spin-off of its construction and container business into a separate public company.
• Gannett Co., Inc., an NYSE-listed publishing and digital media company, on the internal restructuring of its US subsidiaries in preparation for the legal separation of its publishing business from its broadcast and media business (now, TEGNA Inc.) and the spin-off of its publishing business to its public stockholders.
• Ito En, Ltd., a Japanese multinational beverage company specializing in tea production, distribution, and sales, on the acquisition of Distant Lands Coffee, a vertically integrated coffee company with operations in the US, Colombia, and Costa Rica, by way of a reverse-triangular merger.
• Yum! Brands, Inc. on the legal separation of Pizza Hut, KFC, and Taco Bell into separate groups of companies as part of a restructuring spanning over multiple jurisdictions. 
• Leemar Investments FZE, a UAE-based investment company managed by the Director General of the Office of H. H. The Crown Prince of Dubai, on the acquisition of a 50% equity stake in each of Go Fast Sports & Beverage Company, a US manufacturer of energy drinks, and Go Fast Gum Company, a US manufacturer of energy chewing gum, in addition to intercompany IP transfers and execution of joint venture agreements documenting the strategic alliance between buyer and seller post-closing.
• Ingersoll-Rand plc, a global diversified industrial company, on the internal restructuring of its group of companies spanning over multiple jurisdictions in advance of the spin-off of its security business into Allegion plc.
• Weatherford International, one of the world's largest oil and natural gas service companies, on due diligence and the sale of three of its business lines in the context of an auction to multiple buyers across seven jurisdictions. 
• A Delaware-based construction and transport safety company and its subsidiaries on the transfer of assets to a US private equity firm as part of a debt satisfaction and equity investment arrangement.

Representative Matters – Middle East

Represented:

• A multinational consulting firm on major projects with government entities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, including with the UAE Central Bank, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, and Saudia Airlines.
• A multinational payment solutions provider on the acquisition of an equity stake in a Dubai payment solutions business as part of a strategic investment and in compliance with US banking regulations, including advice on DIFC structuring in navigating UAE local partnership rules.
• Cruise, a US-based autonomous vehicle company, on its strategic alliance with the government of Dubai to provide and operate a fleet of autonomous ride-hailing services in the Emirate, advising on all corporate, commercial, and regulatory aspects of the deal. 
• Triple Five Group, the developer, owner, and operator of Mall of America, West Edmonton Mall, and, most recently, American Dream Meadowlands, on the development of the world’s largest mixed-use entertainment and shopping center in Saudi Arabia, in a joint venture with the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. The US$5 billion project, dubbed “Arabian Dream,” is expected to be comprised of theme parks, recreational and sports facilities, retail dining, shopping centers, and hospitality components. The project was announced by the Saudi Tourism Authority in October 2019 following the execution of preliminary agreements relating to the Riyadh real estate to be used for the project.
• SYSTRA, a global mass transit engineering and design firm specializing in rail and public transport, on the indirect acquisition of the Dubai subsidiary of International Bridge Technologies, a global bridge design company.
• An Egyptian engineering consultancy firm on drafting and negotiation of a multimillion-dollar service contract with a US publicly listed integrated automated supply chain technology, software, and services company.
• A multinational consulting firm on corporate governance, commercial, and employment arrangements in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.
• A leading global engineer, designer, and manufacturer of engine products on contractual and commercial disputes involving its distributors in Europe and the Middle East.
• A multinational engineering and consulting group specializing in rail and public transport on the indirect acquisition of a civil engineering firm in Dubai.
• CLARCOR Inc., a leading global manufacturer and supplier of gas turbine air inlet filtration systems on a strategic alliance with a joint venture partner in Saudi Arabia.
• Rockwell Collins, a leading multinational service provider of avionics and information technology systems to governments and aircraft manufacturers, on a strategic alliance with the Advanced Military Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Center (AMMROC), an Abu Dhabi-based aircraft maintenance and defense contractor and joint venture company owned by Mubadala, Sikorsky, and Lockheed Martin.
• A leading multinational management consulting firm on corporate and employment compliance across the Middle East.
• A leading Abu Dhabi-based integrated technology solutions company on the acquisition of the exclusive licensee of Vodafone in Egypt.
• An Abu Dhabi-based management, logistics, and operations consultant on a US$80 million capital injection by a key Qatari shareholder.
• Securitas UAE LLC, a Dubai-based security company, on the creation of the largest fire and safety training company in the UAE under a special license from the Dubai Civil Defense (DCD) in the context of a strategic alliance with the DCD.
• A leading multi-sector UAE company on the negotiation of a joint venture termination and related contractual and commercial issues involving its joint venture partner in Abu Dhabi.
• National Industrialization Company (Tasnee) on the setup, licensing, and operation of a multibillion-dollar industrial petrochemical plant in the context of an offtake and marketing joint venture with Saudi Aramco in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. 
• Kellogg Company on its acquisition of Pringles from Procter & Gamble in the context of its prospective supply and distribution of products in the Middle East.
• A global shipping group on due diligence and the acquisition of an equity stake in a Dubai-based shipping company, as well as corporate and internal restructuring of the target company.
• Brasil Foods S.A. (now, BRF S.A.), the world’s second largest food processor by revenue, on its incorporation and licensing of a joint venture vehicle and food processing plant in the UAE.
• A leading electronics manufacturer on principles of maintaining control over a joint venture and profit-sharing arrangement with a strategic partner in Qatar.
• Louis Vuitton (Paris) on corporate governance, compliance matters, and commercial initiatives across the Middle East.