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Haykel Hajjaji

Partner

Dubai +971 4 247 2109

  • About
  • Representative Matters
  • Credentials
  • About

    Haykel Hajjaji advises global corporations, sovereign investors, and financial institutions on complex cross-border transactions, regulatory strategy, and market entry across the Middle East. His practice spans corporate, M&A, and commercial advisory matters, with a focus on strategic expansions into the Gulf region.

    Haykel has a particular expertise in supporting clients operating at the intersection of innovation, regulation, and geopolitics, advising on sectors including AI, data centers, life sciences, defense, supply chain and infrastructure.

    Drawing on more than two decades of experience, Haykel combines deep legal insight with commercial pragmatism. He regularly counsels clients on developing market entry strategies, structuring transactions, navigating foreign investment regimes, and managing legal risk in sensitive environments.

    He is a member of the AI Task Force of the US-UAE Business Council and teaches at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, New York University Abu Dhabi and ESCP Business School. He frequently speaks on governance, deal making, and market trends in the Gulf, and contributes to policy discussions on investment and corporate reform in the region.

    Haykel is regularly quoted in the international business press, including the Financial Times on AI and data centers, and the legal press, including the American Bar Association Law Practice Today on doing business in the Middle East.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Representative Matters
    • Advising Qualcomm on its strategic partnership with HUMAIN to deploy advanced AI infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
    • Advising a leading European AI company on its expansion in the Middle East.
    • Advising a leading Middle East data center on a joint venture in Saudi Arabia.
    • Advising a leading Middle East data center on data center capacity agreements in Egypt.
    • Advising a leading global defense and aerospace company on government contracts in Saudi Arabia.
    • Counsel to Johnson Controls in connection with the reorganization and separation of its $13.2 billion Power Solutions business to Brookfield.
    • Counsel to Merck & Co. in its $9 billion spin off of its women's health, legacy products and biosimilars to newly-created Organon & Co.
    • Counsel to Orascom Construction and Metito as international sponsors in a consortium with ADNOC and TAQA in the $2.2 billion Project Wave, a large-scale seawater treatment and water transportation project in Abu Dhabi.
    • Counsel to DHL in its acquisition of DHL Global Forwarding UAE.
    • Counsel to DHL in connection with a joint venture with Etihad Rail to develop a multimodal logistics hub in the UAE.
    • Counsel to DHL in its acquisition of a minority interest in Saudi logistics company AJ Express.
    • Counsel to Sanofi in its investment in innovative refrigeration developer SureChill.
    • Counsel to Sanofi in its investment in medical supplies procurement company Viebeg.
    • Counsel to Sanofi in its investment into pharma B2B e-commerce company PillTech.
    • Counsel to Sanofi in its investment in women’s health e-commerce platform Kasha.
    • Counsel to ICV Partners in its investment in corporate investigations firm Mintz Group.
    • Counsel to a Middle East data centers developer in hyper-scaler data center projects in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
    • Counsel to a leading European energy company in its acquisition of a Saudi facilities company.

    • Counsel to Mitsui in the $1.1 billion/1,500 MW/50 MIGD Al Dur II independent water and power plant project in Bahrain.
    • Counsel to ACWA Power in the reorganization of its operation and maintenance activities relating to the $485 million/485 MW combined cycle gas turbine based power plant at Zarqa industrial area in Jordan.
    • Counsel to ACWA Power in the reorganization of its operation and maintenance activities relating to the $326 million/200 MW photovoltaic power plant at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai.
    • Counsel to ACWA Power in the reorganization of its operation and maintenance activities relating to the $3.2 billion/2400 MW Hassyan clean coal power plant at the Saih Shuaib 1 community in Dubai.
    • Counsel to ACWA Power in a refinancing of the $967 million/1,509 MW Ibri gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in Oman.
    • Counsel to ACWA Power in a $100 million bank facility relating to the $1.9 billion/350 MW Noor 2 and Noor 3 concentrated solar power projects in Morocco.
    • Counsel to ACWA Power in its sale to Saham Assurances of equity in the $175 million/120MW Khalladi wind farm power project in Morocco.
    • Counsel to ACWA Power in the reorganization of the $134 million/25 MIGD Salalah independent water plant project in Oman.
    • Counsel to ENGIE in a refinancing of the $500 million/1,000 MW Al Ezzel natural gas-fired plant in Bahrain.
    • Counsel to MASDAR in the $2.1 billion/800 MW DEWA III Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park in Dubai.
    • Counsel to a leading international government contractor company in a global joint venture with a UAE freight and logistics company for the provision of end-to-end procurement, supply chain and logistics services.
    • Counsel to a worldwide leading pharmaceutical group in the set-up of a UAE entity.
    • Counsel to a U.S. government contractor in a joint venture project in Saudi Arabia.
    • Counsel to an international courier company in the shareholding reorganization of its UAE integrated logistics operations.
    • Counsel to a leading UAE event management company in a sale of assets to an international business-to-business media group.
    • Counsel to a worldwide leading energy company in the shareholding reorganization of its regional facilities management operations.
    • Counsel to a Chinese sovereign fund in the structuring of an investment in the renewable energy sector.
    • Counsel to ENGIE (ex-GDF Suez) in relation to the development and financing of the $1.2 billion combined heat and power facility at the Fadhili Gas Complex in Saudi Arabia.
    • Counsel to ACWA Power in its $814 million offering of 5.95% senior secured bonds due 2039.
    • Counsel to ACWA Power in the 200 MW Phase II of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park project in Dubai (“MENA Solar Deal of the Year 2015” by IJ Global).
    • Counsel to ACWA Power in the Khalladi wind power project in Morocco (“MENA Wind Deal of the Year 2015” by IJ Global).
    • Counsel to Lafarge in its $15 billion acquisition of Orascom Building Materials Holding S.A.E. (Orascom Cement) from Orascom Construction Industries S.A.E.
    • Counsel to Lafarge in the sale by Lafarge of its 17% interest, valued over €700 million, in Cimpor - Cimentos De Portugal SGPS SA to Votorantim.
    • Counsel to Rexel S.A. in its sale to Sonepar S.A. of a number of assets, entities and operations of Hagemeyer N.V. following Rexel’s successful €3.1 billion tender offer for Hagemeyer.
    • Counsel to Capgemini in its €575 million offering of bonds, convertible and/or exchangeable into new or existing shares of the issuer.
    • Counsel to the initial purchasers, led by BNP Paribas, HSBC, and Société Générale, in a €500 million high yield debt offering by Rexel of unsecured notes.
    • Counsel to Publicis Groupe in its €719 million offering of bonds convertible and/or exchangeable into new or existing shares of the issuer.
    • Counsel to Citigroup Global Markets Limited and HSBC Bank plc as joint bookrunners in Investcom LLC’s US$741 million IPO on the London Stock Exchange and the Dubai International Financial Exchange.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Credentials
    Education
    • New York University School of Law, LL.M., 2002
    • Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - Sorbonne Law School, Maîtrise en Droit, 2001
    Bar Admissions
    • Dubai
    • New York
    • Paris
    Languages
    • English
    • French
    Accolades
    • Thomson Reuters, "Stand-Out Lawyer" (2024)
    • Legal 500, UAE Commercial Corporate & M&A (2024)
    Memberships and Affiliations
    • American Bar Association, Member
    • La Sorbonne Abu Dhabi, Visiting Professor
    • New York University, Lecturer
    • Paris Business School (ESCP), Lecturer

    Areas of Expertise

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