Faran Joseph Umar-Khitab

Faran Umar-Khitab is co-leader of Gowling WLG’s Corporate Commercial, Funds and Private M&A Practice Group in Canada. Known for his clear, steady counsel and strong execution on high-stakes, time-sensitive deals, he maintains an active practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, corporate governance and commercial law.

Working across a range of key industries, Faran draws on extensive experience negotiating purchase and sale transactions; leading capital markets matters (including issuances of debt and equity); structuring shareholder, partnership and joint venture arrangements; and implementing sophisticated cross-border tax structures.

He routinely advises institutional investors, private equity and venture capital funds, and strategic purchasers on a breadth of complex transactions and also supports issuers on public and private financings and commercial agreements. In addition, Faran provides general counsel services to a number of clients and advises boards of directors and special committees on corporate governance and transactional matters.

Faran is repeatedly recognized by the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory in the Finance and M&A category, as well as for his work in Energy and Mining, Technology and Health Sciences, and Infrastructure. His accolades also include being named an Acritas Star.

Deeply committed to fostering the next generation of professional talent, Faran serves as a mentor to undergraduate students in the University of Toronto's Rotman Commerce program. In 2016, he received an Arbor Award from the University of Toronto for his volunteer contributions.