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Sustainable Horizons: The Saudi Arabian Vision
We are excited to share the latest edition of the Law Update, beautifully and appropriately titled “Sustainable Horizons: The Saudi Arabian Vision.” Giving special honor to the Kingdom’s 2030 vision, this update focuses on a collection of both informative and inspiring articles.
For those in construction, you can learn about how the tendering environment impacts risk-pricing for contractors, the updates on the legal framework of the construction industry and how contractors can protect themselves against financial difficulties.
There is good news too from the kingdom’s banking sector, from which the practice of “Open Banking” is being pushed for! But what is open banking? We’re answering that too.
Also . . . Are there any women trail blazers in Saudi Arabia you can name? We’ll help you with that. We cover how the Middle East has been making strides in empowering women in the entrepreneurial space,most notably in STEM fields.
Read the full edition
A complete spectrum of legal services across jurisdictions in the Middle East & North Africa.
Willem Steenkamp
Senior Consultant
Biography
Willem is a Senior Consultant in the Corporate Commercial group and has over 17 years of transactional and commercial advisory experience. He leads the Commercial team and has practiced UAE law for over 15 years. Willem is also ranked in Who’s Who Legal for his franchising experience. He regularly acts for local and international blue-chip clients, both listed and unlisted, on a broad range of contentious and non-contentious corporate and commercial matters.
Willem’s multi-sector areas of expertise are commercial and business advisory, franchising, distribution/agency arrangements, consultancy arrangements, introduction and commission arrangements, terms and conditions of procurement and sale, manufacturing and supply arrangements, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements as well as services arrangements.
Willem’s particular strengths are the depth of his knowledge of the local UAE market and legal landscape and his ability to negotiate and draft complex commercial and transactional agreements, including full suite franchise agreements. He is also known for providing pragmatic strategic and actionable advice to his clients on all matters related to direct and indirect corporate expansion and product commercialisation into the UAE, in general, and the Emirate of Dubai, in particular.
Recent Experience
- Leading a team advising Richemont on a broad range of commercial matters, including franchise and agency arrangements, in the UAE.
- Lead counsel advising Burberry on a range of commercial matters in the UAE and GCC.
- Lead counsel advising Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Group on a broad range of commercial matters, including service and dealership arrangements, in the UAE and GCC.
- Leading a team advising German Automotive Multinational on dealership agreements in the UAE and GCC.
- Advising a US Multinational Toy Company on a range of commercial arrangements, including distribution arrangements, in the UAE.
- Advising a UK Automotive Multinational on a range of commercial agreements, including service and dealership agreements, in the UAE and across the GCC.
- Lead counsel advising Beiersdorf on a range of commercial agreements including logistics services agreements with a regional logistics provider.
- Leading a team advising UAE headquartered F&B Conglomerate on a broad range of commercial matters, including franchise arrangements, in the UAE and GCC.
- Advising Ford Motor Company on various commercial issues, including franchise arrangements, in the UAE.
- Leading a team advising a Hong Kong Multinational Retail Conglomerate on an area development franchise arrangement across the GCC.
Language(s)
- Afrikaans
- English
Education
2005 – LLB Bachelor of Law Degree, University of South Africa
1996 – B.Com (Law) Bachelor of Commerce Degree, University of Stellenbosch
Admission
2005 – Member of the Law Society of the Cape of Good Hope and the Cape Town Bar
Practice(s)
Sector(s)
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