Key Contact - Ukraine

Natalia is a legal director of the Real Estate group in our Kyiv office. She has over 13 years of experience in real estate, transaction support and M&A.

Prior to joining us, Natalia worked as an associate in Kyiv, as an attorney with a prominent Ukrainian law firm and as legal adviser to the Department of International Development (DFID) in the British Embassy. She also worked as legal adviser to the World Bank and as an attorney for an international law firm based in both the London and Moscow offices.

When employed as adviser to the World Bank and to the DFID, Natalia advised on drafting legislation on mortgage lending, title registration and land issues with prominent Ukranian parties.

Natalia graduated from the National Law Academy of Ukraine (Kharkiv) with a diploma in jurisprudence in 1995. She completed a masters degree in law from the Central European University (Budapest, Hungary, accredited by New York State University), specialising in International Business Law (1996).

Natalia is fluent in Ukrainian, Russian and English.

Key experience:

• Advising Apollo Real Estate Advisors, a leading American real estate fund, and its partner 1849 plc, in several Ukrainian cities, on the acquisition of land and construction projects in Zaporizzhya and Chernovtsy (due diligence, development of transaction structure, preparation of all documentation for the transaction and negotiations with local authorities).
• Advising 1849 plc on the acquisition of land and construction projects in Poltava and other Ukrainian cities.
• Conducting legal due diligence of a port for a Russian investor.
• Advising a worldwide producer of heating equipment on the acquisition of an industrial premises and land plot.
• Advising a leading Austrian investment fund on the acquisition of a stake in a local development company with a real estate portfolio as well as the acquisition of real estate projects in different areas such as warehouses and residential estates (US$200m).
• Advising on the acquisition of a company owning an underground shopping mall project in Kyiv as well as a company owning a leisure centre construction project in Odessa (US$100m).
• Advising, conducting due diligence and structuring a transaction in the acquisition of a company owning a land plot in Ukraine (US$80m).
• Advising a major Russian metallurgical complex on the acquisition of land and the construction of recreational facilities in Kyiv and Kharkiv regions of Ukraine.
• Acting for the owner of a shopping mall in Kiev (Ukraine) in negotiating with lessees.
• Conducting due diligence on a gas deposit exploration project in Ukraine for Greek investors.
• Advising Antonio Merloni, a major Italian household appliances producer, on structuring a transaction for the acquisition of a plant in Western Ukraine.
• Conducting a full-scope due-diligence of a Ukrainian investment and development company and construction project on behalf of a major Russian real estate holding, providing structuring and support of the acquisition transaction and assisting in negotiations (US$20m).
• Advising OBI, a German do-it-yourself (DIY) stores chain on entering the Ukrainian market.
• Advising on the acquisition of construction, including due diligence of a project for the construction of shopping centre for private investors, structuring of financing (a US$100m project).