Bio
Melissa Naik is a corporate lawyer in Appleby’s Corporate department in Mauritius, advising financial institutions, multinational companies, institutional investors, private equity sponsors, investment managers, lenders and entrepreneurs on sophisticated Mauritius law matters requiring commercial judgement, regulatory insight and coordination across multiple jurisdictions. Melissa is proficient at navigating complex transactions and providing strategic advice to ensure favourable outcomes for clients. She is committed to building long-term relationships based on trust and integrity with her clients.
Melissa’s practice focuses on cross-border M&A transactions, corporate reorganisations, strategic investments, joint ventures, private equity investments, fund structuring debt financing, secured lending, capital markets transactions and regulatory advisory matters. Melissa’s transactional practice includes advising both local and international clients on the establishment, structuring and restructuring of Mauritius corporate vehicles, including global business companies, investment holding structures and other bespoke entities used for international business and investment purposes.
She regularly assists clients on corporate due diligence exercises, including the review of corporate structures, legal documentation and governance arrangements, and prepares transaction reports and risk assessments to support investment, financing and acquisition decisions.
Melissa has extensive experience in drafting and negotiating transactional and financing documentation, including documents relating to corporate structuring, acquisitions, capital raising transactions, securities offerings, debentures, shareholder arrangements and commercial agreements.
Her experience also includes advising on specialist financing structures, including aircraft leasing and financing transactions, as well as cross-border arrangements involving Mauritius entities and international counterparties. Melissa’s regulatory practice complements her transactional work. She advises clients on Mauritius financial services regulation, anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism obligations, customer due diligence frameworks, corporate governance matters and regulatory risk management.
She has particular experience advising businesses operating in regulated sectors and emerging areas, including fintech, blockchain and virtual assets, where corporate structuring and regulatory considerations intersect.
Prior to joining Appleby, Melissa qualified as a solicitor in England and subsequently practised as a barrister in Mauritius, gaining extensive experience across corporate, commercial, financial services, regulatory and contentious matters.
Her combination of English common law training, Mauritian law expertise and international transactional experience enables her to advise clients on complex cross-border transactions with a practical and commercially focused approach.
She speaks fluent English and French.
Bio
Melissa Naik is a corporate lawyer in Appleby’s Corporate department in Mauritius, advising financial institutions, multinational companies, institutional investors, private equity sponsors, investment managers, lenders and entrepreneurs on sophisticated Mauritius law matters requiring commercial judgement, regulatory insight and coordination across multiple jurisdictions. Melissa is proficient at navigating complex transactions and providing strategic advice to ensure favourable outcomes for clients. She is committed to building long-term relationships based on trust and integrity with her clients.
Melissa’s practice focuses on cross-border M&A transactions, corporate reorganisations, strategic investments, joint ventures, private equity investments, fund structuring debt financing, secured lending, capital markets transactions and regulatory advisory matters. Melissa’s transactional practice includes advising both local and international clients on the establishment, structuring and restructuring of Mauritius corporate vehicles, including global business companies, investment holding structures and other bespoke entities used for international business and investment purposes.
She regularly assists clients on corporate due diligence exercises, including the review of corporate structures, legal documentation and governance arrangements, and prepares transaction reports and risk assessments to support investment, financing and acquisition decisions.
Melissa has extensive experience in drafting and negotiating transactional and financing documentation, including documents relating to corporate structuring, acquisitions, capital raising transactions, securities offerings, debentures, shareholder arrangements and commercial agreements.
Her experience also includes advising on specialist financing structures, including aircraft leasing and financing transactions, as well as cross-border arrangements involving Mauritius entities and international counterparties. Melissa’s regulatory practice complements her transactional work. She advises clients on Mauritius financial services regulation, anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism obligations, customer due diligence frameworks, corporate governance matters and regulatory risk management.
She has particular experience advising businesses operating in regulated sectors and emerging areas, including fintech, blockchain and virtual assets, where corporate structuring and regulatory considerations intersect.
Prior to joining Appleby, Melissa qualified as a solicitor in England and subsequently practised as a barrister in Mauritius, gaining extensive experience across corporate, commercial, financial services, regulatory and contentious matters.
Her combination of English common law training, Mauritian law expertise and international transactional experience enables her to advise clients on complex cross-border transactions with a practical and commercially focused approach.
She speaks fluent English and French.
Work Highlights
Melissa has worked on a number of transactions for banking and financial institutions, private equity and hedge fund clients, including Standard Bank of South Africa, Coinbase, Goldman Sachs, Holcim, HSBC, Zola, Greenko, Bank of Singapore, Westbridge, D.E. Shaw Group, BOCI, Smile Telecoms and Al Nahla Group.
Some of the matters she has worked on include:
- Advice and assistance on the Mauritius law related aspects of the sale of part Holcim’s cement business to the Adani group for a price of USD6.4bn
- Advice and assistance to the consortium of lenders/banks in relation to the issue of notes by the Carlyle Group in order to raise USD1bn in debt
- Advice and assistance to the leading power and energy group ZOLA on its USD90m funding raise by way of equity and loans. The equity funding was led by a pool of investors which included TotalEnergies Ventures — a capital venture of TotalEnergies. The debt financing featured, amongst others, top energy lenders FMO and SunFunder, two entities known to provide debt capital to solar companies in emerging markets.
- Advising on a USD 363 million senior secured notes issuance by Clean Renewable Power (Mauritius) Pte. Ltd., a Mauritius-based renewable energy group listed on the Singapore Exchange;
- Advising a consortium of lenders on the refinancing and issuance of USD 300 million senior secured notes by Liquid Intelligent Technologies;
- Advising SelfKey, a blockchain-based digital identity platform, on its USD 22 million offering and implementation of a Mauritius corporate structure supporting its ecosystem.
Melissa has worked on a number of transactions for banking and financial institutions, private equity and hedge fund clients, including Standard Bank of South Africa, Coinbase, Goldman Sachs, Holcim, HSBC, Zola, Greenko, Bank of Singapore, Westbridge, D.E. Shaw Group, BOCI, Smile Telecoms and Al Nahla Group.
Some of the matters she has worked on include:
- Advice and assistance on the Mauritius law related aspects of the sale of part Holcim’s cement business to the Adani group for a price of USD6.4bn
- Advice and assistance to the consortium of lenders/banks in relation to the issue of notes by the Carlyle Group in order to raise USD1bn in debt
- Advice and assistance to the leading power and energy group ZOLA on its USD90m funding raise by way of equity and loans. The equity funding was led by a pool of investors which included TotalEnergies Ventures — a capital venture of TotalEnergies. The debt financing featured, amongst others, top energy lenders FMO and SunFunder, two entities known to provide debt capital to solar companies in emerging markets.
- Advising on a USD 363 million senior secured notes issuance by Clean Renewable Power (Mauritius) Pte. Ltd., a Mauritius-based renewable energy group listed on the Singapore Exchange;
- Advising a consortium of lenders on the refinancing and issuance of USD 300 million senior secured notes by Liquid Intelligent Technologies;
- Advising SelfKey, a blockchain-based digital identity platform, on its USD 22 million offering and implementation of a Mauritius corporate structure supporting its ecosystem.
Coverage & Insights
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS, REGULATORY INSIGHTS & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Industry Engagements, Speaking Roles & Professional Contributions
- Types of Security in Mauritius (webinar – 17 April 2023)
- Data Protection laws in Mauritius (webinar – 21 June 2023)
- The risk-based approach (webinar – 11 May 2021)
- Ship Registry Workshop – Board of Investment – Speaker on “Positioning Mauritius in the Global Arena: effective measure to keep pace with international maritime obligations” (Economic Development Board conference – 20 February 2019)
- Chambers and Partners’ “Fintech 2018” guide – contributor to Mauritius chapter
- Marine Biotechnology Workshop – Speaker on “Way forward for establishing an enabling legal and regulatory framework in Mauritius” (Board of Investment conference – 13 November 2017)
- Africa Round Table – Speaker on “Offshore structures and strategy” (Insol conference – 10 November 2017)
Publications & Legal Commentary
- Receivership – does a fixed charge rank ahead of a banking or fiscal privilege? (Insol Retsructuring Alert, Issue No. 4 – April 2026)
- Directors’ Duties in the face of insolvency
- Cryptocurrencies and virtual assets – how ready are we? (Step Journal, Issue 5 of 2022)
- Employment rights during and following a pandemic under the Workers’ Rights Act
Professional Training & Knowledge Sharing
Melissa Naik is actively involved in professional education and knowledge sharing, delivering training and practical guidance to legal, corporate and financial services professionals on key areas of Mauritian corporate law and regulatory compliance.
Drawing on her transactional and regulatory experience, Melissa delivers practical training programmes designed to assist professionals and businesses in navigating complex legal, governance and compliance obligations. Through her professional training and knowledge-sharing initiatives, Melissa contributes to strengthening corporate governance standards, regulatory awareness and market practice in Mauritius, supporting businesses and professionals in meeting increasingly sophisticated international expectations.
Her training engagements include:
- Mauritius Corporate Law and Governance
Delivering training on key aspects of Mauritian company law, including corporate structures, directors’ duties, shareholder rights, governance responsibilities and practical considerations for companies operating through Mauritius structures. - Directors’ Duties and Corporate Responsibilities
Providing guidance to directors and senior executives on fiduciary duties, decision-making responsibilities, corporate governance frameworks and risk management obligations. - Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF)
Delivering professional training on AML/CFT/CPF obligations, including regulatory expectations, risk-based approaches, customer due diligence requirements, ongoing monitoring and the implementation of effective compliance frameworks. - Customer Due Diligence and Financial Crime Prevention
Providing practical insights on customer identification procedures, enhanced due diligence measures, beneficial ownership considerations and governance frameworks supporting financial crime prevention. - Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management
Training professionals on evolving regulatory requirements affecting businesses, investment structures and financial services providers in Mauritius.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS, REGULATORY INSIGHTS & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Industry Engagements, Speaking Roles & Professional Contributions
- Types of Security in Mauritius (webinar – 17 April 2023)
- Data Protection laws in Mauritius (webinar – 21 June 2023)
- The risk-based approach (webinar – 11 May 2021)
- Ship Registry Workshop – Board of Investment – Speaker on “Positioning Mauritius in the Global Arena: effective measure to keep pace with international maritime obligations” (Economic Development Board conference – 20 February 2019)
- Chambers and Partners’ “Fintech 2018” guide – contributor to Mauritius chapter
- Marine Biotechnology Workshop – Speaker on “Way forward for establishing an enabling legal and regulatory framework in Mauritius” (Board of Investment conference – 13 November 2017)
- Africa Round Table – Speaker on “Offshore structures and strategy” (Insol conference – 10 November 2017)
Publications & Legal Commentary
- Receivership – does a fixed charge rank ahead of a banking or fiscal privilege? (Insol Retsructuring Alert, Issue No. 4 – April 2026)
- Directors’ Duties in the face of insolvency
- Cryptocurrencies and virtual assets – how ready are we? (Step Journal, Issue 5 of 2022)
- Employment rights during and following a pandemic under the Workers’ Rights Act
Professional Training & Knowledge Sharing
Melissa Naik is actively involved in professional education and knowledge sharing, delivering training and practical guidance to legal, corporate and financial services professionals on key areas of Mauritian corporate law and regulatory compliance.
Drawing on her transactional and regulatory experience, Melissa delivers practical training programmes designed to assist professionals and businesses in navigating complex legal, governance and compliance obligations. Through her professional training and knowledge-sharing initiatives, Melissa contributes to strengthening corporate governance standards, regulatory awareness and market practice in Mauritius, supporting businesses and professionals in meeting increasingly sophisticated international expectations.
Her training engagements include:
- Mauritius Corporate Law and Governance
Delivering training on key aspects of Mauritian company law, including corporate structures, directors’ duties, shareholder rights, governance responsibilities and practical considerations for companies operating through Mauritius structures. - Directors’ Duties and Corporate Responsibilities
Providing guidance to directors and senior executives on fiduciary duties, decision-making responsibilities, corporate governance frameworks and risk management obligations. - Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF)
Delivering professional training on AML/CFT/CPF obligations, including regulatory expectations, risk-based approaches, customer due diligence requirements, ongoing monitoring and the implementation of effective compliance frameworks. - Customer Due Diligence and Financial Crime Prevention
Providing practical insights on customer identification procedures, enhanced due diligence measures, beneficial ownership considerations and governance frameworks supporting financial crime prevention. - Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management
Training professionals on evolving regulatory requirements affecting businesses, investment structures and financial services providers in Mauritius.
Qualifications & Education
- University of Buckingham (England)
- BPP Law School, London (England)
- Council of Legal Education (Mauritius)
- International Compliance Association
- International Centre for Asset Recovery of the Basel Institute on Governance
- University of Buckingham (England)
- BPP Law School, London (England)
- Council of Legal Education (Mauritius)
- International Compliance Association
- International Centre for Asset Recovery of the Basel Institute on Governance
Memberships & Associations
- Mauritius Bar Association
- STEP
- The Chartered Governance Institute (UK and Ireland)
- International Compliance Association
- Mauritius Bar Association
- STEP
- The Chartered Governance Institute (UK and Ireland)
- International Compliance Association