He is a leading corporate and private equity lawyer, who prior to joining Bowmans, was general counsel of the Mauritius Financial Services Commission. In this role he drafted and implemented the regulatory regime for investment funds, financial services and capital markets in Mauritius. Fazil specialises in fund formations and assisting clients with all aspects of this process from drafting and negotiating through to implementation.

As Managing Partner of our Mauritius office, he manages a team of expert lawyers to deliver seamless tailor-made solutions to our clients, working closely with them to understand their commercial needs, while navigating and mitigating their risks.

Education

• Postgraduate Diploma in Banking and Finance Law, the University of London; and
• Bachelor of Laws (LLB) (Hons), the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Professional membership

Fazil is:

• a member of the Mauritius Bar Association; and
• a member of the Honourable Society of Middle Temple, United Kingdom.
• A member of the Legal and Regulatory Committee of the African Venture Capital Association (AVCA).

Relevant Experience

Jurisdictions worked in: Mauritius

Fazil has advised:

• Tlcom Capital LLP, a UK FSC authorised fund manager in the setting up and closings of its Africa focus VC tech funds, TIDE Africa LP, TIDE Africa II LP and TIDE Africa Co-Invest LP.
• Hesabu in the setting up Hesabu Capital LP, a USD 50 million partnership investing in fast growing African tech companies.
• Enza Capital Management, in the set up and closings of Enza Capital LP and Enza Capital II LP.
• Adenia Partners, a private equity firm investing in Africa, which has partnered with Proparco, the private sector financing arm of Agence Française de Développement Group (AFD Group), in relation to the purchase of the entire shareholding of Overseas Catering Services (OCS), a leading corporate catering and related services provider in Africa and the Middle East.
• FISEA, a French impact fund managed by Proparco in an investment in Maris Limited, a Mauritius public company.
• Atiko Group in a mixed debt and equity transaction for the acquisition of JA Delmas, the Caterpillar dealer in 11 West African countries.
• Zimborders and its promoters in connection with the equity and loan financing of the Beitbridge Border Post Modernisation project, which was awarded the IFLR Africa Legal Awards 2021 deal of the year.

Awards

• Chambers and Partners: Band 2 for General Business in Mauritius in 2023 and prior to that, Band 3 for two consecutive years (2021-2022) in the same category.
• IFLR1000’s Financial and Corporate: “Highly regarded lawyer” for his work in Banking, Capital markets: Debt as well as Private Equity, in Mauritius (2021 and 2022).

Recognised as an “excellent funds guy with a very good grasp of matters” by his clients

Highlighted   as a “dedicated funds lawyer” by Market commentators

• Chambers and Partners: Alternative Funds 2022 Guide: Mauritian Chapter
• Mauritius: FSC issues licensing criteria for money lending licence
• Chambers and Partners: Alternative Funds 2021 Guide: Mauritian Chapter
• Mauritius: Update to Securities Act aims to encourage investment and economic growth
• Mauritius: Working towards coming off the FATF Grey List
• Mauritius: Regulatory strategy of the Financial Services Commission – a new approach
• Mauritius: Update on FATF grey list
• Impact Investing in Kenya, Mauritius and South Africa
• Mauritius: The recently introduced Finance Act, 2020, brought numerous changes
• COVID-19: A new legal dimension in Mauritius
• COVID-19: Recent measures by Government and the authorities in Mauritius
• Advent of Afrinex – Mauritius FSC amends licensing rules
• African markets worth watching in the private equity space in 2020