Nicole is a legal professional with over 7 years’ experience in the Middle East. She began her career advising on upstream oil and gas matters before transitioning into broader corporate and commercial work within the commodity trading sector. Nicole is currently an Adjunct Lecturer in Law at De Montfort University, Dubai.
At Argentum, Nicole heads the Corporate Services (CSP) practice, focusing on company formations, restructuring, and corporate advisory. She provides strategic advice to clients at all stages, ranging from start-ups to established institutions across a broad range of industries. Most recently, she has advised on cross-border transactions and joint ventures in the oil and gas, F&B, and media sectors.
Selected representative roles and matters:
- Setting up SPVs, foundations, operating companies, and fund structures across UAE Free Zones (ADGM, DIFC, DMCC, JAFZA, FFZ and more) and onshore mainland.
- Providing comprehensive market entry reports for startups and SMEs entering the UAE market, with a focus on addressing corporate governance frameworks, entity compliance obligations, permitted business activities, and regulatory requirements.
- Advising HNWIs on wealth management and preservation, family succession planning, and asset protection structures within the UAE’s common-law jurisdictions.
- Advising on multi-jurisdictional company restructuring matters across Luxembourg, India, Turkey, Switzerland, Singapore, the UK and the UAE.
- Conducting data room reviews, SPV incorporations, and license amendments in a consortium involving a privately held entity and the Private Office concerning a UAE refinery acquisition.
- Representing a global F&B brand headquartered in the UAE on multiple equity purchase transactions and matters relating to regulatory affairs.
- Advising on procurement contracts for upstream oil and gas assets related to a mega-project in Iraq.
- Advising on asset purchase transactions and B-BBEE requirements for the acquisition of a South African oil import and distribution company.
