Baker McKenzie Expands Tax and Arbitration Teams in UAE with Leading Hires

Baker McKenzie Expands Tax and Arbitration Teams in UAE with Leading Hires

Baker McKenzie has bolstered its tax and disputes practices in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by hiring prominent partners in rapidly expanding fields such as Value-Added Tax (VAT) and international commercial arbitration.

Baker McKenzie LLP's offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, operating under the same name, said that the firm remains committed to investing in the UAE. They are focused on expanding the firm's crucial transactional and advisory practices in the region.

Tina Hsieh has recently joined Baker McKenzie from EY, where she played a pivotal role in expanding EY's VAT business in the Gulf region, building upon her prior success in a similar capacity at PWC.

Tina, who initially qualified at EY Australia, spent multiple years in the company's Asian offices on a secondment before moving to the Middle East in 2017.

Due to the implementation of VAT in various Middle Eastern jurisdictions, she has established herself as a significant figure with numerous major clients in the financial services industry and beyond.

Tina has devoted her efforts to engaging with the market, working alongside other practice groups, leading discussion forums and associations, and formulating VAT strategies in the region.

Baker McKenzie has recently also appointed Luka Kristovic-Blazevic. Luka joined the firm after serving as a partner at White & Case in their Riyadh office. He commenced his career as a trainee at White & Case Paris in 2005, where he held associate and counsel positions before transitioning to the Middle East. Luka worked in White & Case's Doha, Dubai, and Riyadh offices for several years.

As the head of Baker McKenzie's Middle East arbitration practice, Luka specialises in international commercial arbitration, with a specific emphasis on intricate international construction disputes.

He has vast experience in arbitral proceedings that have taken place in various institutional arbitration centres such as the ICC, LCIA, DIAC, and ICSID.

Luka's past projects include dispute avoidance work, arbitration proceedings, and ADR related to numerous ventures, including nuclear power plants, airports, highways, hotels/resorts, petrochemical plants, ports, and oil pipelines.

Commenting on these appointments, Baker McKenzie UAE Managing Partner Borys Dackiw said: "As Baker McKenzie begins a new chapter in the UAE, it is very encouraging to welcome such talented practitioners as Tina and Luka into our business. We continue to invest in talent strategically as we renew our focus on key transactional and advisory practice areas as well as international arbitration and complex cross-border disputes. A key part of our offering in the Middle East is to leverage the Firm's people and knowledge here and globally for the benefit of both our international clients and local and regional clients with ambitious growth plans. This has not changed."