Oli Charlesworth is a finance partner in Akin Gump’s Abu Dhabi office and has been based in the Middle East for almost six years.
Mr. Charlesworth specializes in project finance, general banking and Islamic finance. He has advised project sponsors, project companies, lenders, export credit agencies and development finance institutions in relation to Islamic, conventional and multisourced project financings in the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia in various sectors, including power, water, infrastructure, real estate, metals and mining, petrochemicals and gas.
Mr. Charlesworth’s recent experience acting for major developers includes advising a consortium in relation to its successful bid to develop the Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport PPP project in Medinah and acting for the sponsors in relation to the Shari’ah-compliant financing of a major steel tubes project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He has worked on power projects in the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, South East Asia and Australia. He is currently advising a sponsor in connection with two conventional power projects in the United Arab Emirates and a major independent power developer in its bid for an IPP in Africa.
His experience acting for lenders includes leading the team that advised major international financial institutions in relation to the financing of DP World Dakar’s port in Senegal, which won Project Finance International’s “Africa Transport Deal of the Year 2010”.
Mr. Charlesworth is regularly acknowledged in leading legal directories for his work in project finance and Islamic finance, and he has presented at conferences on those topics.
He received his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia in 1996.