AG welcomes Sandeep Puri as Banking Partner in Middle East 

Continuing its expansion in the Middle East, Addleshaw Goddard (AG) has recently welcomed seasoned Banking and Finance partner Sandeep Puri to its team. Puri joins AG from the Dubai office of Baker & McKenzie, where he held the leadership position in the UAE banking team. Accompanying him are two associates, Sabina Passi and Niharika Sahni, as he takes the reins of AG’s UAE banking practice. 

This strategic addition marks the seventh new partner to join AG’s Middle East operations in recent months. The firm’s growth drive includes the establishment of a new office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in addition to its existing locations in Dubai, Oman, and Qatar. This expansion is underpinned by a remarkable 43% income growth achieved in the fiscal year ending April 30, 2023. 

With over two decades of experience in the UAE, Sandeep Puri brings a wealth of expertise to AG. His track record covers a wide spectrum of banking, finance, and capital market matters, catering to both lenders and sponsors. Puri’s portfolio includes diverse transactions in project finance, corporate finance, asset finance, real estate, and capital markets, including sukuk. His professional journey has encompassed Clifford Chance before joining Baker & McKenzie. 

Welcoming Sandeep Puri, Andrew Johnston (pictured), Head of Middle East and Asia, Addleshaw Goddard said: 

“We are well represented across the main bank panels and the ongoing investment in our finance team shows a determination to give these clients even more reasons to choose AG. Sandeep has operated across the region including in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and North Africa which complements our existing practice, and we are delighted he has chosen to join AG.” 

Sandeep Puri added: 

“AG shares my ambition to build out a market leading finance practice and I look forward to working with fellow partners Robin Hickman and Victoria Mesquita in presenting our combined expertise to clients. Together, we will have one of the largest banking practices in the UAE and wider region and a compelling offering to support our large regional sponsor and financial institution clients, including in my focus areas of real estate finance, leveraged finance, trade finance and secured corporate lending.” 

The addition of Sandeep Puri elevates the count of AG partners in the Middle East to 24. This follows a string of recent prominent hires, such as Philip Dowsett, who spearheads the new Investment Management and Funds practice, Kellie Blythe, an expert in information technology, data protection, privacy, and telecoms, and four key partners in anticipation of AG’s Kingdom of Saudi Arabia office launch: M&A partner Christian Both, Banking & Finance partner Amar Meher, Ibrahim Siddiki, and M&A specialist Homam Khoshaim.