Imran Jaffer leads Grant Thornton's UAE restructuring advisory practice
Grant Thornton has brought in former Big Four senior and banker Imran Jaffer to lead its Financial Restructuring Advisory practice in the United Arab Emirates.
Appointed a partner in the Restructuring Advisory practice, Imran Jaffer brings over 20 years of experience in financial advisory services to Grant Thornton, with a focus on financial restructuring, distressed mergers & acquisitions, and corporate finance.
In his new role, Jaffer has been tasked with expanding Grant Thornton’s position in the region’s red-hot restructuring scene, and serves lead in charge for linking the firm’s financial restructuring offerings with broader financial advisory portfolio, which also spans areas such as mergers & acquisitions, valuations, due diligence, and initial public offerings.
“We are thrilled to have a seasoned professional like Imran be part of our executive bench. With his vast expertise spanning various markets, we are confident that Imran will prove to be a valuable asset to the team and fortify Grant Thornton’s position in the financial restructuring advisory space with our clientele and the expanding market,” said Hisham Farouk, CEO of Grant Thornton in the UAE.
“He will build on the existing strong and agile team that we already have in place, providing independent and trusted financial restructuring advice, while bringing our signature holistic approach to our clients across the UAE.”
With offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, Grant Thornton is one of the UAE’s leading professional services firms. Last year, its advisory business was recognised as a leading consulting firm in the Middle East, including in the restructuring landscape.
“I am excited to join Grant Thornton and contribute to its continued success in the UAE. I look forward to leveraging my expertise to support and advise clients with innovative and objective solutions that will help them maximise their options and achieve successful financial structures and transactions, further elevating Grant Thornton’s current standing as a trusted partner of choice,” said Jaffer.
Prior to Grant Thornton, Jaffer worked at PwC in its Business Restructuring Services team, where he provided clients in the real estate, oil & gas, chemicals, financial services, and utilities sectors with corporate finance advise related to complex restructuring transactions, non-traditional financings, and distressed M&A deals across core UAE markets along with KSA, Oman, and Kuwait.
Earlier he worked for Perella Weinberg, banking groups Citi and Lehman Brothers prior to its demise, and in the private equity scene.
In the restructuring space, Jaffer’s track record spans working with borrowers and lenders, advising on debt capital raisings, and preparing diligence & independent business reviews. Additionally, his credentials also extend to taking interim management roles, preparing liquidation plans, developing recovery strategies for non-performing loans, designing corporate & asset-backed financing strategies; and assisting clients with debt restructuring.