AWR Lloyd, the Asia-based strategic advisory firm, today announced a further step in its expansion into the Middle East and Africa (‘MEA’) through a combination with the regional business of Mediterranean Corporate Finance (‘MCF’), a fellow member of the Globalscope network of independent M&A firms, and the appointment of Mehdi Sethom as CEO of AWR Lloyd MEA.

The combination, building on AWR Lloyd’s recently announced Abu Dhabi office launch in partnership with Siraj Holdings LLC, creates a unique independent advisory offering that combines AWR Lloyd’s 25-year heritage in Asia-Pacific with their new partners’ deep knowledge and networks in the Middle East and Africa.

The MCF group of companies was established over a decade ago by Mehdi Sethom and Walid Ayad. MCF has a strong reputation for advising on complex cross-border corporate finance transactions in the MEA region.

MCF Tunisie and MCF’s private equity ventures, both focused on the Tunisian market, will remain independent.

Mehdi Sethom has 30 years of investment banking experience at BNP Paribas, Swicorp and MCF. Walid Ayad has 20 years of financial advisory experience at Mastercard, Swicorp and MCF. Both now become Managing Directors (‘MDs’) and partners of AWR Lloyd.

The move comes just three months after AWR Lloyd announced a joint venture with Siraj Holding, a private investment firm, to establish a permanent presence in Abu Dhabi. The joint venture, ‘AWR Lloyd Gulf Partners’, will be developed as the main platform for AWR Lloyd’s regional strategy consulting and M&A advisory businesses. Mehdi Sethom is appointed CEO of AWR Lloyd Gulf Partners and Walid Ayad as MD. Both will work closely with Siraj Holding, as well as with Charaka Sumanasekara, who will continue to be responsible for coordinating AWR Lloyd’s cross-border advisory between South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Alexander Wood, CEO and co-founder of AWR Lloyd commented: “It’s a wonderful and unexpected privilege to work once again with an old friend with whom I shared formative years at Banque Paribas in the 1990s. I have total confidence in Mehdi’s abilities to lead the growth of AWR Lloyd’s business westwards into the Gulf and beyond. He and Walid have developed a highly respected practice. Their expertise in high-stakes complex deals in these markets complements our reputation for managing special projects and strategic assignments for Gulf clients in Asia, and for Asian clients in the Gulf.”

“The combination with AWR Lloyd creates a powerful bridge between Asia, the Middle East and Africa,” said Mehdi Sethom. “I very much look forward to working again with an esteemed former colleague and friend, and the rest of the AWR Lloyd family, to deliver innovative solutions for our clients as regional economies diversify and global investment linkages deepen.”

About AWR Lloyd

AWR Lloyd is a specialist strategic advisory firm, ranked last year by the Financial Times as the 9^th fastest-growing consulting firm in Asia-Pacific. AWR Lloyd has a 25-year track record advising blue-chip corporates, family businesses, private equity funds and public sector clients, with a primary focus on the energy, infrastructure, real estate and technology sectors.

AWR Lloyd is a member of Globalscope, a leading network of independent M&A advisory firms (www.globalscopepartners.com), where Alexander Wood is Director for APAC-MEA. AWR Lloyd was first established in Paris in 2000 by former Banque Paribas investment bankers and re-established in Hong Kong in 2002. AWR Lloyd has offices and teams in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, India and the UAE. www.awrlloyd.com. For more information please contact Nadda@awrlloyd.com.