Dealmakers Dialogues: how Saudi Arabia’s growth is cementing its position as an M&A leader in 2023

John Komninakidis is the Vice President - Middle East, Turkey &  Greece at Datasite. John joined Datasite in 2017 and has contributed to the development of Datasite’s global expansion within the region, assisting investment banks, law firms, private equity and corporate clients’ data room projects across multiple sectors.

Before joining Datasite, he previously led due diligence processes in the privatizations and private sectors, including management of virtual data rooms from start to finish.

John holds a B.Sc. in Economics from Piraeus University (GR) and dual M.Sc. in Information Management and Telecom Management from Syracuse University (NY,USA). He is a certified PMP® from the Project Management Institute.

Pietro Castronovo is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal’s Strategy and Performance Improvement practice in Dubai. Mr. Castronovo heads Private Equity and Investment group practice in the Middle East. He has more than 18 years of experience with a focus on M&A, strategy, turnaround, restructuring and transformation programs across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).

Mr. Castronovo has performed multiple pre-deal and post-deal assignments, including commercial, operational, vendor due diligence and post-merger integration.

Mr. Castronovo has an extensive experience both sell-side and buy-side. During this period of COVID, he successfully completed several end-to-end sell-side mandates in a distressed environment.

Previously, Mr. Castronovo served as the interim Chief Integration Officer during the merger of two leading Financial Institutions in the MENA region, where he led the team defining the strategy and operating model for the merged entity, the integration plan, target cost and revenue synergies, reporting to the CEO and Board of Directors. 

Mr. Castronovo was appointed CEO and General Manager for an Italian consumer credit company owned by a Private Equity Fund, where he designed and implemented a restructuring plan involving a merger of two operating companies, cost cutting and revenue enhancement initiatives.

Prior to joining A&M, Mr. Castronovo served as a professional at Bain & Company and Ernst & Young.

Mr. Castronovo holds a MSc cum laude in Business Administration and he is a Chartered Financial Accountant & Auditor.

Sonia is a partner in our Corporate and M&A practice. Sonia regularly represents clients on a range of transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, restructurings and other corporate matters. Among her recent transactions, Sonia advised Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) on its US$15.5 billion long term infrastructure deal with a consortium led by BlackRock Real Assets and state-backed Hassana Investment Co.

Sonia joined the Dubai office of White & Case in 2016 and became a local partner in 2021. Prior to joining White & Case, Sonia worked for a magic circle firm in its London and Dubai offices.

Stuart has spent the last 16 years living and working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, building a unique understanding of the complex and challenging Saudi marketplace. 

In 2013 he founded AEI, a consulting and support services business, and serves as the CEO. The company is focused on enabling foreign businesses to enter, establish and expand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Since 2013, AEI has flourished and supported over 1,800 foreign companies to achieve success in Saudi. Working with clients across all sectors from fintech to healthcare and from insurance to entertainment, clients large and small from around the world put their trust in AEI to access the unrivalled opportunities that Vision 2030 is creating . 

Stuart’s background as a senior commercial and procurement practitioner in the defence and government services sector has been an ideal foundation on which to build AEI. 

With over 200 employees in the Kingdom, AEI is trusted by both Governments and companies to provide advice, guidance and support to those seeking success on the ‘giga-projects’ such as Neom and Qiddiya as well as well those delivering smaller, niche projects.

Stuart has worked as an adviser to a number of Government ministries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. Additionally, he is often asked to provide commentary and analysis on the geopolitical situation in the Kingdom and the broader region.