Philip Kotsis to take over as Al Tamimi & Company head of KSA offices

Philip Kotsis to take over as Al Tamimi & Company head of KSA offices

Philip Kotsis has been named the Al Tamimi & Company's new Head of Saudi Arabia with effect from February 1, 2023.

He was previously Head of the Middle East-based global firm's Kuwait office. Kotsis has been associated with Al Tamimi & Company for the past 13 years. He specialises in a wide range of sectors such as Corporate, Commercial, Mergers and Acquisitions practices.

The firm has said that Kotsis' new role is a first of its kind in Saudi Arabia for the law firm and exhibits its ambitious growth plans in the Kingdom. As Head of Saudi Arabia, Kotsis will manage operations in the firm's three Saudi offices, located in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar.

Kotsis has demonstrated his leadership quality on several prominent transactions and advised several major clients on complex merger and acquisition transactions, merger control advisory, corporate restructurings, commercial advisory, and employment advisory during his stint with the firm's Kuwait office and acted as the Kuwait office's lead with PPP and infrastructure projects.

Kotsis would be succeeded by Omar Handoush as the new Head of the Kuwait office. Handoush who began as a senior associate at the firm and progressed to partner within the Banking & Finance Practice has been associated with the firm for eight years.

"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," Samer Qudah, Managing Partner at Al Tamimi & Company said.

Qudah further said that the firm's commitment to Saudi Arabia is long-term, and the Kingdom is vital to its growth plans. "We have offices in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar and are expanding our teams in the country to meet client expectations. This reaffirms our commitment to investing in the Kingdom and playing our role in supporting the Saudi Vision 2030," Qudah added.

Commenting on the new role, Kotsis termed Saudi Arabia as a buoyant and dynamic market that is consistently evolving. "I will be working with our team on the ground, across all three offices, 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," Kotsis said.

Al Tamimi & Company opened its first office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh in 2008 and expanded its Saudi operations by opening its office in Jeddah in 2015, and Al Khobar in 2016. Over the past 15 years, the firm has developed an understanding of Saudi Arabian business, legal and regulatory systems.

Kotsis in his new role would work closely with partners Grahame Nelson, Emad Salameh and Ahmed Basrawi who are Head of the Al Khobar, Riyadh and Jeddah offices respectively.