Matthew is an associate in our Project Finance Group in Abu Dhabi. He has experience in project finance, banking and securities transactions. Prior to moving to Abu Dhabi, Matthew spent eight years in the Project Finance Group in London, and has also undertaken a six-month secondment with the legal department of BNP Paribas in Paris.

Representative transactions include:

MENA Region 

• Advising Saudi Aramco, in its capacity as sponsor, in connection with the US$8.5 billion financing of the Jubail export refinery project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 
• Advising Saudi Aramco, in its capacity as sponsor, in connection with the US$5.8 billion financing of the PetroRabigh refinery and petrochemical project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 
• Advising the lender syndicate (comprising both Saudi and international commercial banks, in addition to KEIC) in connection with the US$2.2 billion financing of the Rabigh IPP Project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 
• Advising BNP Paribas and a syndicate of ten banks in connection with the US$670 million financing of a chlor-alkali petrochemical facility in Port Said, Egypt; 
• Advising the sponsors, Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil Qatargas Inc., in relation to the arranging of financing for the US$11.2 billion Qatargas II project; 
• Advising the arrangers and the ECAs in the US$969 million financing of the OMIFCO urea ammonia fertiliser plant in the Sultanate of Oman; 
• Advising the sponsors in the financing of a cement project in the Bazian region; 
• Advising the sponsors in the financing of the EBIC ammonia project in Suez, Egypt, together with on-going advice in relation to various post-closing matters; 
• Advising the sponsors in the US$319 million financing of a cement plant in Algeria; 
• Advising the sponsors in the proposed financing of an ammonium nitrate project in Suez, Egypt; 
• Advising the sponsors in the proposed financing of a methanol project in Suez, Egypt; 
• Advising the founder of a holding company/fund to serve as an investment vehicle in certain petrochemical plants in Egypt, including the private placement of the shares in such vehicle; and 
• Advising ABC International plc in the financing of an upstream oil project in Tunisia.

Other Regions

• Advising the export credit agencies, the multi-lateral lenders and the commercial bank lenders in connection with the US$20 billion financing of the Sakhalin II (Phase 2) LNG Project; 
• Advising the international lead arrangers in the US$1.06 billion financing of the Nigeria LNG plant expansion; 
• Advising the sponsors in the US$320 million financing by a consortium of Nigerian commercial banks of a cement project in Calabar, Nigeria; 
• Advising a leading Turkish conglomerate in the financing of a portfolio of geothermal and hydro-electric power projects in Turkey; 
• Advising a leading Turkish power company in the acquisition financing of various assets in relation to the privatization of the utility sector in Turkey;
• Advising the lenders in the proposed financing of a receiving terminal for refined petroleum products in Lekki, Nigeria; 
• Advising the lenders in the financing of West Indian Ocean Cable Company Ltd. as a consortium member for the purpose of its participation and investment in the construction and implementation of the optical fibre submarine cable; 
• Advising the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, Nordic Investment Bank and European Investment Bank in the financing provided to MTS for the development of its telecommunications network; 
• Advising the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, Nordic Investment Bank and European Investment Bank in the financing of the Vodokanal project in St. Petersburg; 
• Advising the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in connection with the provision of loans to local micro-finance institutions for on-lending purposes in various jurisdictions; 
• Advising the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in a project financing of a cement plant in Kazakhstan; 
• Advising VTB Capital plc in a US$55 million pre-export financing for a steel plant in Russia; 
• Advising Commerzbank AG in a US$20 million pre-export financing for a manufacturer of carbon and graphite electrode products based in Russia; 
• Advising ING Bank and VTB Capital plc in a £90 million financing for Powerfuel relating to Hatfield colliery in South Yorkshire; 
• Advising ING Bank in financings provided to sugar cane producers in Belize and Guyana; 
• Advising HSH Nordbank as lender in relation to the financing of certain property development projects in Russia; 
• Advising the arrangers and issuers of Eurobonds, ECP and MTN Programmes in Russia and other eastern European jurisdictions; 
• Advising a Guernsey based fund in the preparation of a suite of standard form documents for the provision of micro-finance loans in various developing countries; and 
• Whilst on secondment at BNP Paribas work included:
  o assisting on the structuring and term sheet for a financing being provided by a syndicate of international banks to TAQA in Abu Dhabi;
  o assisting on the borrowing base facility provided to MND Exploration & Production Ltd for a gas field in Pakistan;
  o assisting on the acquisition financing of upstream assets in Egypt by NOPC;
  o assisting on the borrowing base facility provided to Sterling Energy plc for its upstream operations;
  o assisting on the acquisition financing of upstream assets in Ghana and Ivory Coast by Afren plc;
  o assisting on the acquisition of financing of upstream assets in Nigeria by a leading Nigerian independent oil company;
  o assisting on various credit lines provided to Conoil Plc and Glo Mobile in Nigeria;
  o assisting on various repo facilities provided to a leading oil trader; and
  o assisting on various discounting facilities provided to oil trading and manufacturing companies.

Bars and Courts
England and Wales, 2004

Education
Legal Practice Course, College of Law, London, 2002
Dip. Law, City University, 2001
BA (Hons), History, University of Birmingham, 2000

Languages
English

Citizenship
British