Denton Wilde Sapte appoints first Global Head of Islamic Finance

The move reflects the size and status the practice has achieved within the firm.

"Over the past four years, Rahail, together with Richard de Belder and the Islamic Finance team, have been instrumental in building one of the largest, most successful Islamic finance practices in the world," comments Chief Executive Howard Morris.

Howard continues; "Our expertise in this specialised area, combined with our commitment to the Middle Eastern market, has put us in a strong position to develop this practice further and we are excited by the growth possibilities it presents."

Rahail, who joined Denton Wilde Sapte in 2001 and previously worked in the Firm's London office, is now a senior equity partner in the firm's Dubai office.

He has worked on some of the most prestigious Islamic financings to date, including advising the underwriters on the landmark US$3.5 billion PCFC musharaka sukuk; advising on the inaugural sukuks for the Government of Dubai and the Government of Qatar; advising the underwriters on the US$550 million sukuk for Emirates; the US$100m Islamic financing facility for Turkcell, the Islamically financed expansion of Istanbul Airport; as well as numerous other high profile transactions.

He is well known in the rapidly expanding Islamic finance sector for his deal structuring expertise, reflected in Euromoney's selection of Denton Wilde Sapte as 'Best Islamic Legal Advisers' at their awards ceremony in January this year.

"Last year, Denton Wilde Sapte advised on 7 of the top 10 Islamic Finance Transactions. We owe our success to our superb client base and the fantastic team we have here. It will be a pleasure to lead the team," says Rahail Ali.