Richard Catling

The 2025 Healthcare Odyssey

Welcome to the first edition of Law Update for 2025. As we begin this exciting year, we are pleased to turn our attention to one of the most dynamic sectors in the UAE and the broader GCC region – healthcare. Over the past several years, the region has seen unprecedented growth in this sector, driven by legislative advancements, technological innovations, and the increasing focus on sustainability and AI. As such, healthcare is set to be one of the most important sectors in the coming decade.

In this issue, we explore key themes that are significantly shaping the future of healthcare in the UAE, such as recent changes in foreign ownership laws. These reforms present a major opportunity for foreign investors, opening up new avenues for international collaborations and improving the overall healthcare infrastructure. The changes in ownership laws are an important milestone, and we provide an analysis of what this means for the industry and the various players involved.

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Richard Catling

Partner

Biography

Richard is experienced in many aspects of corporate work including domestic and international mergers and acquisitions in various industries, including health care, education, logistics, food and beverage, retail, etc, and reorganizations and joint ventures.

He also specialises in regional private equity and venture capital funding, with particular expertise in advising on investments in technology and media.

Richard has advised upon many UAE and regional M&A and joint venture transactions, including advising international companies on structuring options available to them that allow them to carry on business in Dubai and in the UAE.

Richard also specialises in advising regional high net worth individuals and family businesses on restructuring and, in particular, trust structuring, acting for some of the largest family companies in the Middle East and the wider MENA region on their deal and governance structures.

Richard has been recognised as a Leading Individual in the fields of Commercial, Corporate, and M&A by Legal 500. Additionally, he is featured in the 2024 Legal 500 M&A Powerlist for Private Practice in the Middle East.

Recent Experience

Representing Gulf Medical Projects Company on the sale of the Al Zahra Hospital Group in Sharjah and the Northern Emirates of the UAE for USD 572 million.
Representing the a major multinational beverage company in a cross border acquisition of Aujan Industries Company in ten jurisdictions. The transaction value was USD 980 million.
Advising Empower District Cooling (Dubai government entity) on its USD 500 million acquisition of the Palm District Cooling business to form the largest district cooling operation in the world.
Representing a GCC banking institution in the purchase of the Movenpick Hotel at Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai Marina.
Acting for the investment arm of MBC Group in various separate instructions relating to MBC’s equity investments in early-stage companies in the media and technology industries in the MENA region.
Representing the lead investor in connection with the establishment of an investment company in the DIFC with a group of investors to raise USD 160 million in investment in Middle Eastern food businesses.