Oryx expands into corporate finance and compliance consulting

UAE-based Oryx has expanded its services into corporate finance and compliance consulting with the launch of two new offerings. Senior executives have been hired to kickstart the expansion.

Founded in 2022 by co-founders Natalie Boyd and Vanessa Abernethy, Oryx is a firm specialised in legal services in the context of financial transactions. Despite being a start-up, the firm managed to facilitate transactions worth over $1.25 billion in the first half of this year.

Building on its legal backbone, Oryx is now expanding into two other areas of the professional services landscape. corporate finance advisory and compliance, with both offerings to be offered through its freshly established Oryx Consulting subsidiary.

“Our journey from a legal start-up to this expanded remit, in less than a year since launch, reflects our ambition to continuously innovate,” said Abernethy.

“This move is about launching two new transformative verticals that will position us as a one-stop hub for businesses, offering services ranging from legal advice and financial services compliance services to transaction advisory and management, debt/equity structuring advice, corporate restructuring / re-organisation, financial transformation and even supporting start-ups through their capital raising journey.”

“Our expansion into corporate finance and compliance underscores our commitment to client service, versatility and excellence, and solidifies our vision to be at the forefront of innovative solutions for global businesses,” Boyd added.

Leading the two new offerings are industry veterans of their respective segments.

Richard Clarke has nearly three decades under his belt and is a former partner of KPMG and Deloitte. Most recently, he was a managing director in the Restructuring Advisory practice of Kroll in the Middle East. Before moving to Dubai, Clarke was based in London where he worked with financial sponsors and high-profile corporates including Blackstone, HSBC, Goldman Sachs, Permira, Cinven, KKR and Silverlake.

Gareth Ling is an experienced regulator and compliance professional with over 20 years in a senior capacity in regulatory bodies such as the (former) UK Financial Services Authority, the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority and the Dubai Financial Services Authority. In recent years, he worked for a number of banks in Dubai was the Deputy CEO and Chief Regulatory Officer of Astana Financial Services Authority.

In a crowded market and competing against top-tier law firms and now also management consultancies, Orxy differentiates itself in the market through a “unique fixed-fee and fractional business model”, said Abernethy. “There is a growing demand among customers for flexible and innovative service approaches.”

Boyd concluded, “The traditional approach to professional services is rigid and fragmented. Oryx is challenging that status quo, offering flexibility and efficiency to clients, from family offices to global corporations.”