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David Foster

Partner

Email

David.Foster@allenovery.com

Phone

+971 4 426 7171

Offices

Dubai

V-CARD
David is Managing Partner of META (Middle East, Turkey and Africa) and Dubai.

He specialises in M&A transactions, including public takeovers, private acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures, strategic investments and venture capital/growth capital investments.

David is recognised in the Hall of Fame in the Legal 500 rankings for the UAE, as a Market Leader in the IFLR1000 rankings for the UAE and is also ranked in Band 1 for Corporate/M&A in the UAE by Chambers & Partners.

David acts for a wide range of clients, including corporates, financial sponsors and government entities, across multiple sectors. He has advised on some of the most complex and high-value M&A transactions in the region (including a number of “market firsts”) and has been based in the UAE since 2008. Clients value David’s breadth and depth of expertise and his ability to “get the deal done”, describing him as commercially astute, a diligent and pragmatic advisor and a go-to figure for market-leading M&A transactions.

Experience

Representative matters

A consortium led by Fajr Capital on the acquisition of a 65% stake in the GCC business of Aster DM Healthcare. 

A financial investor on an investment of USD5bn in three of DP World’s flagship UAE assets. 

Infinigate Group AG, a pan-European value-added distributor of cybersecurity solutions and a portfolio company of Bridgepoint, on its merger with StarLink. 

Mubadala on the sale of stakes in Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) to Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) and A state-owned oil company.(ADNOC). 

Recognition
“David helps us with large, complex, cross-border M&A deals. He is hard-working, commercial, always available and easy to work with.”
CHAMBERS GLOBAL 2024 (UAE, CORPORATE/M&A)
“David is fantastic. He is level-headed, down-to-earth and practical. He is commercially astute and very good in terms of communication.”
CHAMBERS GLOBAL 2022 (UAE, CORPORATE/M&A)

Qualifications

Admissions

Admitted as solicitor, England and Wales, 2006

Academic

LLB, Law with American Law, The University of Nottingham, 2002

LPC, Nottingham Law School, 2003

Dubai
Allen Overy Shearman Sterling LLP (practicing in the Emirate of Dubai as “Allen & Overy RLLP” pending the registration completion of the new name with the relevant UAE local authorities) is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC306763.
Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.