We are pleased to share that partner Ben Haley has relocated to the firm’s Johannesburg office to lead the firm’s Africa-focused compliance and investigations efforts. Mr. Haley joins another recent addition to the Johannesburg office, Robert Kayihura, who will lead the office’s Public Policy and global problem solving practice.

Mr. Haley is an experienced compliance and investigations lawyer who assists corporations and individuals in navigating the dynamic enforcement environment. In addition to representing companies and individuals in complex internal and government investigations, Mr. Haley regularly advises clients on a range of compliance issues, including by conducting risk and program assessments, providing advice in connection with proposed transactions, and assisting companies in building and strengthening compliance programs and controls. He has deep experience on the ground in Africa, including in Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa. His recent engagements in Africa include:

  • serving as lead counsel in a compliance integration and enhancement project for one of the world’s largest fast-moving consumer goods companies;
  • supervising a large-scale project focused on the use of data analytics to address and mitigate compliance risks; and
  • advising a major East African financial institution on complex sanctions and AML issues.

For nearly two decades, Mr. Kayihura has assisted leading multinationals in making critical business and legal decisions relating to operations in Africa. Drawing on his collective experience as an entrepreneur, outside counsel, and as legal director in Africa for both Uber and Microsoft, Mr. Kayihura is able to draw on a diverse set of perspectives to provide holistic solutions to regulatory and policy issues. His clients benefit from his carefully honed understanding of best practices for engaging with national governments, regional policy-making bodies, and other key stakeholders across the continent.

The firm’s expanding presence in Johannesburg will allow clients with cross-border interests to further leverage Covington’s extensive resources to achieve their business objectives on the continent and similarly, to support African businesses as they seek do business around the world. By pairing these on-the-ground resources with an experienced public policy and government affairs team led by Witney Schneidman, Covington’s Africa team is able to deliver integrated advice on a range of complex and cross-cutting commercial, policy, government affairs, and compliance issues.

If you would be interested in discussing how Covington can assist your organization in achieving its business goals related to Africa, please contact Witney Schneidman at wschneidman@cov.com, Ben Haley at bhaley.com, or Robert Kayihura at rkayihura@cov.com.