Sai Krishna Bharathan
Partner - Corporate, Asset Management and Funds, Real Estate
Mergers & Acquisitions | Joint Ventures | Real Estate | Investment Funds | Private Equity
Overview
Sai is a Partner in the Corporate practice, with a focus on mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, investment funds and private equity.
His transactional experience includes several share and asset acquisitions, debt and equity investments, joint ventures and the formation of investment funds and platforms.
Sai has advised on market-leading transactions in the real estate and allied sectors. This includes equity and debt transactions across residential, commercial office, warehousing and logistics, hospitality, data centres and other allied sectors. He has been a part of some of the largest acquisitions and divestment transactions in this space in India. Sai has also advised foreign sovereign and pension funds on their investments in the Indian infrastructure space, including investments in the renewables space, airports, and other infrastructure sectors.
Due to his significant experience, Sai is widely acknowledged as one of the market leaders in foreign investment and joint ventures in the above sectors. In the course of his practice, Sai regularly advises on foreign investment, securities, and corporate regulatory matters and in the structuring of complex transactions in the above sectors.
Sai has represented clients including Actis, ADIA, Ascendas-Firstspace, CapitaLand, CPPIB, ESR, GIC Singapore, Ivanhoe Cambridge, Keppel Land, Mapletree, Morgan Stanley Real Estate, RMZ Corp, and Shapoorji Pallonji Group on their transactions in India.
Education
National Law School of India University, Bengaluru
Admissions
Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa
Select representative clients/matters
- GIC Singapore, on its various investments in Indian company and investment funds across real estate and allied sectors such as warehousing and logistics, shopping mall, commercial office/IT parks and residential projects
- RMZ Corp, on its joint ventures with CPPIB and the sale of its commercial asset portfolio to Brookfield
- Morgan Stanley Real Estate, on its investments and divestments in the warehousing and logistics space and other real estate sectors
- Actis, ADB and IFC, on their investments in an affordable housing platform in India
- Keppel Land, on its investment in a joint venture with Rustomjee Group to undertake a residential-led mixed-use project
- Mapletree Singapore, on investments in real estate projects in India
- HDFC Capital, on investment platforms with ADIA for investments in real estate projects
Recognition
- Recognised as ‘Leading Individual’ for Real Estate (2015-2023), for Private Equity (2018-2021) and Investment Funds (2022-2023) by Chambers Asia-Pacific
- IBLJ’s A-List of top 100 lawyers in India, 2022
- Notable Practitioner for Real Estate acquisitions (2019-2021) and for Investment funds (2021) by IFLR1000
- Recommended for Investment Funds and Real Estate by Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020
- Recognised as ‘Distinguished Practitioner’ for Investment Funds, Private Equity, Infrastructure and Real Estate (2020) and as ‘Leading Lawyer’ for Construction & Real Estate and Project & Infrastructure (2016, 2018 & 2019) and for Private Equity (2016-2017) by Asia Law Profiles
