Reed Smith has added two energy and natural resources specialists to strengthen its offering in Singapore.
Partner Omar Al-Ali, who joined the firm in 2018, will be relocating from London to Singapore, where he will advise clients on prepayment financings, borrowing base financings, inventory monetizations, pre-export financings, numerous receivables financing structures and commodities repos, as well as other aspects of trade and commodities finance, Reed Smith announced on Tuesday.
Al-Ali brings 15 years of experience in the energy and natural resources industry, with deep knowledge in structured trade and commodities finance and commercial lending matters. He previously spent five years as a partner at Simmons & Simmons, and almost 12 years at Linklaters.
Growing Demand
He will be joined by senior associate Jemma Collins, who relocates from New York to Singapore. Collins specializes in cross-border disputes in the energy and natural resources and financial services industries.
Her experience and practice include extensive periods in Asia, Australia, Europe and the United States, with several years working directly in the commodities industry, with Cargill in Geneva, Switzerland.
«As the Asian commodities markets continue to evolve, we are seeing greater demand from clients for on the ground expertise,» Praj Samant, global chair of Reed Smith’s Energy and Natural Resources group, said about the transfers to Singapore.
