Saad Mian

Private Capital

• Advising various sovereign wealth funds on a number of their investments in Asia, Europe and the UK.
  Property Finder on investments totalling US$695m from Permira, Blackstone Growth, Mubadala and BECO Capital.
  CVC Strategic Opportunities on its agreement to invest in International Schools Partnership (ISP), one of the world’s leading K-12 school platforms.
• CVC Capital Partners on:
  • its acquisition of a significant minority stake in International Schools Partnership, one of the world’s largest provider of K-12 private education; 
  • its acquisition of a significant minority stake in GEMS Education, one of the world’s largest provider of K-12 private education; and
  • its exit from GEMS Education to a consortium led by Brookfield.
• Affinity Partners on the acquisition of a minority interest in the Dubizzle Group, a leading digital classified platform in the MENA region. 
• Brookfield on its investment in Leap Green, one of the largest renewable platforms based in India.
• General Atlantic on its investment in TBO, a global travel distribution platform.
• Mumtalakat, the sovereign wealth fund of Bahrain, on its acquisition of a significant minority stake in Premo Group, a leading manufacturer of customised passive electromagnetic components for applications in the automative, telecommunication and electronic industries.
• Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the sovereign wealth fund of Malaysia, on its acquisition of a minority stake in GEMS Education.
• Levant Capital on:
  • the acquisition of the Papa John's franchise in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan operating more than 100 Papa Johns restaurants; and 
  • the acquisition of Bayara and its subsequent exit to Savola for USD260 million. 
• A consortium of financial investors in National Petroleum Services, one of the largest regionally owned oilfield service companies, on the sale of National Petroleum Services to National Energy Services Reunited Corp., a SPAC listed on NASDAQ.
• The shareholders of Alcazar Energy (including IFC and Mubadala Infrastructure Partners) on the sale of Alcazar Energy (the leading renewable platform in MENA with a production capacity in excess of 400MW) to a consortium led by China Three Gorges. 

Strategic M&A and joint ventures

• Advising Spinney Group on the sale of 100% of the share capital of Spinney's Egypt to TPG Growth. 
• The shareholders of Global Feeder Shipping (GFS) on the sale of GFS to AD Ports for an enterprise value of US$1bn.
• Taaleem Holdings PJSC on its acquisition of Kids First Group, a GCC based leading, premium, early-learning education group, from People & Baby.
• Dubai Holding on the sale of its shareholding in Dubai Creek Harbour to Emaar Properties for consideration of c. US$2 billion. 
• Alpek Polyester on its aquisition of OCTAL, a major global producer of PET Sheet for US$620 million.
• PepsiCo on:
  • the sale of Pioneer Foods UK (a leading producer of cereal and other products, including Lizi's) to Sanitarium.
  • the sale of International Juice and Dairy to Almarai. 
• Meraas on its joint venture with Brookfield valued at approximately US$1.4 billion in respect of certain retail assets in the UAE, including The Beach, City Walk and La Mer. 
• Cargill on its acquisition of a minority stake in Fauji Akbar Portia Marine Terminal Limited (FAP), Pakistan’s leading bulk terminal.
• PTCL (a subsidiary of e&) on its acquisition of Telenor Pakistan.
• Alpha Dhabi on its joint venture with ADNOC to pursue global investments in energy technology and bolster tech-enabled energy services.

Africa-related Transactions

• Advised on the listing of Optasia on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in November 2025, which raised circa ZAR 6.3 billion (US$345 million) and was the biggest IPO in Africa in 2025 and the biggest EMEA fintech listing since 2021.
• Mastercard as a selling shareholder in the IPO of Airtel Money on the London Stock Exchange.
• Fund(s) advised by Apis Partners on its exit from Baobab, a leading financial services and microfinance provider, across West, Central and East Africa, to Beltone Capital.
• Funds advised by Apis Partners on various rounds of investments into Sun King and its subsequent exit to General Atlantic.
• Apis, Development Partners International and Lorax on:
  • the purchase of their minority stake in MNT, the holding company for Mashroey and Tasaheel (the market leaders in the consumer finance and microfinance sectors in Egypt), as well as Halan, the leading ride hailing app in Egypt;
  • the purchase by Chimera Investment of a minority stake in MNT-Halan; and
  • the financing of the purchase by MNT-Halan of TAM Finans.
• Catalyst Investment Management business on the disposal of its renewables assets in Egypt and Jordan.
• Development Partners International and Amethis on their investment in Marcryl, a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer in Africa.
• A financial investor on its acquisition of:
  • the Java House Group, the largest casual dining/food services chain in East Africa; and
  • a minority stake in Indorama Fertilizers B.V., the largest urea fertilizer manufacturer in sub-Saharan Africa.