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Rupert Harper

Partner

Dubai +971 4 247 2120

  • About
  • Representative Matters
  • Credentials
  • About

    Rupert Harper leads Covington's Middle East Corporate and M&A practice. He has over 20 years' experience advising clients on complex M&A, joint venture, strategic investment and special situations transactions. He has particular experience assisting clients navigate challenging legal, regulatory and policy issues - often in complex and sensitive risk and regulatory contexts.

    Rupert has extensive transactional experience in highly regulated and advanced industries such as energy & infrastructure, telecoms, technology, healthcare and national security & defense. He has particular experience advising sovereign wealth funds and government related entities in the Middle East, as well as financial sponsors - including major private equity and infrastructure investors. Rupert acts for a number of leading global corporations on their most significant M&A and joint venture transactions in the region, including complex industrialization partnerships, and on re-organisation and corporate governance issues.

    Rupert has been based in the UAE since 2008. He has been recognized for nearly a decade in the leading legal directories as one of the leading M&A lawyers in the Middle East and is noted for his commercial approach and strategic thinking. Rupert is described in Chambers as "extremely hard-working and detail-oriented. He leads by example and is calm under pressure so is an asset for any client."

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Representative Matters
    • Advised MTN on the disposal of MTN Afghanistan to the M1 Group.
    • Advised a leading global communications technology company on its entry into the Saudi Arabian communications market, and its associated commercial partnership with a government related entity.
    • Advised Reliance on its proposed $2 billion petrochemical production facility joint venture with ADNOC.
    • Advised two investors on their joint $2.1 billion investment in ADNOC Gas Pipelines.
    • Advised a consortium of Middle Eastern and European sponsors on the acquisition of industrial hazardous waste and NORM waste processing assets from ADNOC.
    • Advised Raha Al Safi Food Company, a consortium, on the $540 million privatisation of First Milling Company by the government of Saudi Arabia.
    • Advised Creek Capital on Blackrock’s investment of up to $400 million in the Positive Zero group, a groundbreaking renewables, sustainability and circular economy business.
    • Advised an institutional investor on investments totaling over $2 billion in Middle East renewable energy and oil and gas pipelines projects.
    • Advised Tamasuk on the formation of its data centers joint venture in Saudi Arabia with Quantum Switch, which will design, build and operate a portfolio of data centers across the Middle East, including the first project financed data center in Saudi Arabia.
    • Advised an African renewable energy company on bids for renewable energy companies with over 2GW capacity operational & under construction, and over 10GW capacity development pipeline.
    • Advised a leading African multinational company on strategic options relating to its operations in a conflict zone.
    • Advised a Saudi Arabian renewable energy investor on its acquisition of a minority stake in two significant renewable energy projects in Saudi Arabia.
    • Advised the majority shareholders of Airports International Group, the operator of Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan, on AIG’s $525 million sale to a consortium comprising Group ADP, Meridiam Infrastructure and IDB Infrastructure.
    • Advised a major defense contractor on a partial sale of a specialised systems logistics & support business to a Middle East government related entity, and associated joint venture arrangements.

    • Advised a major defense contractor on the negotiation of commercial settlement arrangements relating to multiple billion dollar defense offset obligations with a Middle Eastern government.
    • Advised major defense contractors on joint ventures relating to cybersecurity, unmanned systems, littoral & maritime defense systems, ISR aircraft, defense systems recertification, aerospace component manufacturing, land systems life-cycle management, geo-spatial intelligence and other defense and national security-related activities.
    • Advised several major U.S. and international defense contractors on sensitive offsets, procurement, joint venture, commercial co-operation and product co-development arrangements with various Middle East governments across a range of defense and national security-related activities.
    • Advised IPIC on all aspects of the resolution of its relationship with 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the controversial Malaysian SWF, including the negotiation of a $6.5 billion commercial settlement and arbitration relating to non-compliance with that settlement, as well as advice on the unwinding of multiple commercial arrangements including joint ventures and various financial arrangements, together with internal investigation, regulatory enquires and disclosure matters.
    • Advised IPIC on the exchange of its $1.6 billion bond issued by the Independent Public Business Corporation of Papua New Guinea (IPBC) into a 15% stake in Oil Search Ltd, the ASX listed LNG company. Also advised on IPIC's successful litigation in the New South Wales courts against IPBC.
    • Advised a leading Abu Dhabi bank on multiple bids for the UAE assets of international banks.
    • Advised a number of sovereign wealth funds and government related entities on multiple acquisition and joint venture transactions in real estate, logistics, healthcare, financial services, energy, oil & gas, industrials, resources, food & beverage and other sectors in the Middle East and globally.
    • Advised a number of sovereign wealth funds and government related entities on re-organization, corporate governance and risk management projects.
    • Advised lenders in relation to the transfer of interests in upstream oil & gas concessions in Abu Dhabi held by CEFC China Energy Company Limited to China ZhenHua Oil Co. Ltd.
    • Advised the lender co-ordinating committee on a proposed $800 million debt for equity restructuring in the Middle Eastern petchem sector.
    • Advised Istithmar on the sale of Palm Utilities to Empower for $500 million.
    • Advised Etisalat on its proposed $12 billion takeover bid for Zain.
    • Advised multiple global private equity houses on acquisition and disposal transactions in a range of sectors in the UK, Europe and globally.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Credentials
    Education
    • University of Canterbury, LL.B., 1998
        • Honors
    Bar Admissions
    • Australia
    • New Zealand
    Accolades
    • Chambers Global, UAE, Corporate/M&A (2019-2025)
    • IFLR 1000, The guide to the world’s leading financial and corporate law firms - Highly Regarded - M&A and Private Equity, UAE (2018-2021)

    Areas of Expertise

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