Al Tamimi & Company appoints Philip Kotsis as head of KSA offices
Al Tamimi & Company has appointed Philip Kotsis (pictured) as its new Head of Saudi Arabia. The role is a first of its kind in Saudi for the law firm and demonstrates the firm’s ambitious growth plans in the Kingdom. As Head of Saudi Arabia, Kotsis will oversee operations in the firm’s three Saudi offices, located in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar. He will start his new role effective 1st February 2023.
Kotsis has been at Al Tamimi & Company for over 13 years as partner within the firm’s Corporate, Commercial, Mergers and Acquisitions practices. He has led on a number of prominent transactions, and over the recent years acted as Head of the firm’s Kuwait office. During his time in Kuwait, he developed a reputation for advising major clients on complex merger and acquisition transactions, merger control advisory, corporate restructurings, commercial advisory, employment advisory, and acted as the Kuwait office’s lead in relation to PPP and infrastructure projects.
The Head of Office (Kuwait) role will now be undertaken by Omar Handoush, who has been with the firm for over eight years. Handoush began as a senior associate at the firm and progressed to partner within the Banking & Finance Practice and will take over as the Head of Office (Kuwait) in parallel with Kotsis’ appointment to Head of Saudi Arabia.
Commenting on the new Head of Saudi Arabia, Samer Qudah, Managing Partner at Al Tamimi & Company said:
“Saudi Arabia is one of our key strategic jurisdictions and creating a head of country role reinforces the emphasis we are placing on the Kingdom. Appointing Philip as Head of Saudi Arabia is a feather in our cap. His regional experience is second to none and the fact he already knows the team, and the firm’s way of working, means he can hit the ground running. Fundamentally, we want the structure and resources in Saudi Arabia to ensure a first-class experience for our clients and colleagues.
“Our commitment to Saudi Arabia is long term, and the Kingdom is vital to our growth plans. We have offices in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar and are expanding our teams in country to meet client expectations. This reaffirms our commitment to investing in the Kingdom and playing our role in supporting the Saudi Vision 2030.”
Commenting on the new role, Philip Kotsis, Partner, and Head of Saudi Arabia at Al Tamimi & Company said:
“Saudi Arabia is a buoyant and dynamic market and one that is consistently evolving. I will be working with our team on the ground, across all three offices (Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar), to ensure we have full firm integration and collaboration between the offices in the Kingdom, and across the region. We want to continue our dedication to training young Saudi lawyers and foster a diverse pool of talent across our offices in the Kingdom.”
Al Tamimi & Company opened its first office in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, in 2008, adding further offices in Jeddah, in 2015 and Al Khobar, in the Eastern Province, in 2016. The firm has developed an understanding of Saudi Arabian business, legal and regulatory systems that is second to none. The firm’s new Head of Saudi Arabia will be working closely with Grahame Nelson, Partner, Head of Office – Al Khobar, Emad Salameh, Partner, Head of Office – Riyadh, and Ahmed Basrawi, Partner, Head of Office – Jeddah.
