Georges Racine
About Georges
Georges is a civil and common law trained international business lawyer qualified in Switzerland, England and Wales, France and Canada (Quebec). He has acted as lead counsel in international projects and transactions in dozens of countries worldwide, including in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.
Georges has wide-ranging experience in corporate, commercial and international business law, including joint ventures, M&A, projects, reorganisations, public-private partnerships, venture capital, privatisations, licensing and concessions, trade finance, ethics/compliance, corporate governance and international trade. He also has longstanding experience advising international organisations, not-for-profit entities, trusts, foundations, associations, family offices and charities. He has advised clients across a broad range of industry sectors, including shipping, commodities, construction, energy, infrastructure, telecoms, technology, life sciences, luxury products and real estate.
Georges has been repeatedly recognised in the Legal 500, Chambers’ Global, Who’s Who Legal Switzerland and the Swiss Who’s Who. He is a former President of the Canadian-Swiss Chamber of Commerce and sits on the Foreign Lawyers’ Commission of the Geneva Bar Association. Georges previously was a partner in, and/or sat on the Board of Directors of, international law firms in Geneva, London, Doha and Montreal. He also went on secondments with the International Trade Law Branch of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs (UNOLA / UNCITRAL) and the Legal Liaison Office of the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG).
Recent work includes:
- Advising a leading international energy (power, oil & gas) and infrastructure conglomerate on the re-domiciliation of one of its key group companies from the Isle of Man to the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) and related migration of charges from the Isle of Man Department of Enterprise, Companies Registry to the Emirates Movable Collateral Registry (EMCR).
- Advising Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE)-listed Savaria Corporation on the takeover of Swiss-based Garaventa Accessibility AG and follow-on group corporate reorganisations.
- Advising the United Nations (UN) on the procurement and construction of the new ‘Building H’ (behind the Geneva Palais des Nations) and the renovation of the Palais des Nations as part of the UN’s USD 850+ million Strategic Heritage Plan (SHP).
- Advising the Swiss-based World Economic Forum (WEF) on ethics, compliance and commercial matters.
- Advising Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) on the development, financing, procurement, construction, ownership, operation, maintenance and transfer, on a build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) basis, of a USD 3+ billion 2,600 MW gas-fired power production plant and 10,417m3/hr water producing facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City (Qatar).
- Advising the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (KAPP) on the procurement of the Egaila Entertainment, Cultural, Sports and Commercial Centre on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis (Kuwait).
- Advising the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Instance Générale des Partenariats Public-Privé (IGPPP) of the Republic of Tunisia on the reform of the Tunisian Concessions and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) Acts.
- Advising global beauty products manufacturer Coty Group on VAT, compliance, procurement, purchase/sale, services, transport and supply chain management matters.
- Advising the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on the negotiation of a joint venture agreement with the DP World Group (Dubai) in relation to the development of the Banana deep water port (DRC).
- Advising Paris-based Publicis Groupe (world’s third largest communications group) on its equity investment in Swiss and US branding firm MetaDesign.
- Advising Swiss-based trading firm Optima Energy on corporate governance, risk/compliance management, directors’ duties and liabilities, and best practices.
- Advising the Agence de Promotion des Investissements et Grands Travaux (APIX) of the Republic of Senegal on the regional express train project between Dakar, Diamniadio and the new Blaise Diagne International Airport.
- Advising Qatar Foundation Endowment SPC and Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development on intra-group share buy-back transactions.
- Advising UK-based Invoke Capital Partners and BVI-based ICP London Limited on the Series C financing of leading Swiss-based bio-informatics company Sophia Genetics SA.