About Me

I am the head of our Finance & Financial Regulation team in the Middle East and am also the global head of Islamic finance.

I specialise in Islamic and conventional debt capital markets, banking, structured finance and restructuring and have experience advising clients across a range of jurisdictions including the Middle East, Europe, the UK, Turkey, Africa and Asia.

My debt capital markets experience has involved advising on the full range of debt capital market products, including corporate and sovereign bonds and sukuk, medium term note and sukuk programmes, securitisation, structured products, liability management, regulatory capital issuances, projects bonds and sukuk and asset finance. I act for both arrangers and issuers and have advised on issuances for sovereigns, government-related and supra-national entities, airlines, financial institutions, Premier League football clubs and technology-related entities.

In the Islamic finance industry, I have developed a reputation for advising on more complex or innovative transactions, many of which have been award-winning deals. I also provide restructuring advice, having acted on some of the most high-profile restructurings in the Middle East.

My financial regulatory practice covers complex regulatory matters in the technology, payments and fintech sectors.

Before joining Bird & Bird I was head of the Debt Capital Markets practice of an international firm in the Middle East. I also spent 12 years at another international firm where I led the Islamic finance practice for Asia.
Experience
  • the Hong Kong Government's debut sovereign sukuk issuance
  • sukuk transactions for Emirates Airlines, including the award winning ECA-backed sukuk
  • multiple bond and sukuk issuances for the Government of Bahrain
  • multiple sukuk issuances for the Government of Malaysia
  • sukuk issuances, including green sovereign sukuk, for the Republic of Indonesia
  • private placement for a English Premier League football club
  • the Nakheel and Dubai World restructurings
  • the Dana Gas restructuring
  • the sukuk programme for the Islamic Development Bank
  • the sukuk programme and issuances for the ICD
  • the sukuk programme for Emirates Islamic Bank
  • the sukuk programme and issuances for Tenaga Nasional Berhad
  • senior and subordinated bond and sukuk transactions for the Majid Al Futtaim Group
  • senior and AT1 issuances for Emirates NBD Bank PJSC
  • senior, AT1 and tier 2 issuances for Albaraka Türk
  • convertible sukuk issuances for the investment holding arm of the Government of Malaysia
  • the sukuk programme for Axiata Berhad
  • the sukuk programme for Export-Import Bank of Malaysia
  • the issuance of convertible sukuk for Sabana REIT
  • the Shari'a-compliant securitisation for Sorouh Real Estate PJSC
Education

Studied

  • The University of York, BA (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, 1999
  • The College of Law, York, Common Professional Examination, 2000
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Testimonials

Gregory Man recently joined Bird & Bird as global head of Islamic finance after leaving another leading law firm. He is well respected for his strengths in debt capital markets, with notable experience overseeing high-profile sukuk issuances.

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