A&O Shearman Boosts MENA Capabilities with Three New Partner Appointments
The premier global law firm, A&O Shearman has promoted three lawyers to partner across its Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as part of its global promotions round, strengthening its capabilities in corporate, energy, and capital markets.
The new partners are based in Dubai, Riyadh, and Casablanca, reflecting the firm’s continued expansion across key regional markets.
Commenting on the promotions, Khalid Garousha, Senior Partner at A&O Shearman, said,
“It is a proud moment to see this group step into the partnership. They bring expertise and judgement our clients rely on for their most complex, cross-border challenges.”
Commenting on the promotions, David Foster, managing partner of the firm’s Middle East, Turkey and Africa offices, said
A strong set of partner promotions and a real reflection of the depth of talent across our region. Congratulations to Nathalie Zanardo, Harsha Kumar and Mosaed Alajeel on this next step. Each brings outstanding technical strength, judgement and leadership, further reinforcing our ambition and momentum.
Harsha Kumar
Harsha Kumar has been promoted to Partner in A&O Shearman’s Corporate M&A and Equity Capital Markets practice in Dubai. He advises clients on complex cross-border corporate and capital markets transactions across the UAE and the wider GCC region. His practice spans IPOs, secondary offerings, public and private M&A, joint ventures, disposals, and strategic investments, along with ongoing corporate and listing regulatory advisory work.
Experience & Education
Harsha Kumar is a Counsel at A&O Shearman in Dubai (since 2024). Prior to this, he served as Counsel in Abu Dhabi and London, and as Senior Associate in London and Sydney, focusing on ECM and M&A matters. He began his legal career at Herbert Smith Freehills as a Solicitor and later worked on secondment at Goldman Sachs in Sydney. He holds an LLM in Banking, Corporate, Finance and Securities Law from LSE, an LLB (Hons) from the University of New South Wales, and has also studied at the University of Nottingham along with a Diploma in Applied Finance from Kaplan Australia.
On his appointment, Harsha Kumar said,
“I am thrilled and deeply grateful to be joining the partnership at A&O Shearman on 1 May. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the A&O Shearman partnership for their confidence in me, and to every colleague I have worked with at the firm. I am equally grateful to the clients who I have worked on their most important matters over the years — it has been a pleasure working with you and hope to continue to do so for many years to come. Special thanks also to my family who have been there for me over the years, without whom this milestone would simply not have been possible.”
Mosaed AlAjeel
Mosaed AlAjeel has been promoted to Partner in A&O Shearman’s Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure (ENRI) practice in Riyadh. He specialises in regulatory, public policy, and infrastructure-related matters across the Middle East, with strong experience in PPP projects, concessions, procurement frameworks, and large-scale infrastructure advisory mandates.
Experience & Education
Mosaed AlAjeel has been with A&O Shearman for nearly 8 years, progressing from Associate to Senior Associate and Counsel in the Riyadh office. His work spans regulatory advisory, infrastructure development, energy and industrial sector mandates, and cross-border transactional support. He has also held leadership roles outside the firm, including board and committee positions in financial and sports organisations in Kuwait. He holds an LLM from Cornell Law School and an LLB from Kuwait University.
Nathalie Zanardo
Nathalie Zanardo has been promoted to Partner in A&O Shearman’s Corporate & Commercial practice in Casablanca. She focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, foreign investment, corporate governance, and regulatory advisory work across multiple sectors in Africa. She also advises on antitrust, foreign exchange, and cross-border corporate structuring matters.
Experience & Education
Nathalie Zanardo has over 15 years of experience across leading international law firms. She is currently Counsel at Naciri & Associés A&O Shearman in Casablanca. Previously, she worked at Clifford Chance as Counsel and Senior Associate, and spent over a decade at Gide Loyrette Nouel in Paris and Casablanca. She holds advanced legal and business qualifications from HEC Paris and Université Paris XI.
The firm’s MENA promotions are part of a wider global round of 33 new partners across 14 countries and 18 offices, with M&A, financial markets, and antitrust among the key practice areas.
Conclusion
These promotions underscore A&O Shearman’s continued commitment to strengthening its leadership bench across the MENA region, as it expands its presence in key markets such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and North Africa, while supporting clients on complex cross-border transactions and regulatory mandates.
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