Complex commercial arrangements
Negotiating and structuring high-value supply, distribution, strategic-partner, services and technology arrangements involving multinational counterparties.
Our People
Wilson O. Onyiriuka
Managing Partner
Wilson O. Onyiriuka is the Managing Partner of Paraphoenix Solicitors. He is an international commercial lawyer with more than 25 years' legal experience advising businesses and senior management on complex commercial, corporate, financing, regulatory and cross-border matters across Europe, Africa and other international markets.
About
Before establishing Paraphoenix Solicitors, Wilson spent almost two decades with Royal Philips, including senior legal roles in the United Kingdom, Africa and the Netherlands. Most recently, he served as Senior Legal Counsel at Philips' international headquarters in Amsterdam, where he advised across a broad portfolio of strategic commercial and financial matters and acted as dedicated legal counsel to Philips Capital.
Wilson's practice combines deep commercial contracting experience with an understanding of how multinational businesses evaluate legal risk, structure transactions and make strategic decisions. He has advised on sophisticated supply and distribution arrangements, strategic partnerships, financing and receivables transactions, technology and services agreements, healthcare and medical-device arrangements, regulatory and compliance matters, and complex cross-border commercial projects.
A significant part of Wilson's career has involved working across jurisdictions and coordinating legal, commercial, finance, tax, regulatory and operational stakeholders on international transactions. His experience spans Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, North America and Latin America.
Experience
Areas of experience
- Corporate and commercial transactions
- Complex commercial agreements, strategic partnerships, distribution and supply arrangements, services agreements and international contracting structures.
- Banking and finance
- Receivables purchase and discounting arrangements, leasing and equipment-financing structures, assignment of receivables and other structured commercial-finance transactions.
- Healthcare and life sciences
- Extensive experience advising within a highly regulated multinational healthcare-technology environment.
- Technology, data and digital matters
- Technology and software arrangements, data protection, cybersecurity, digital-health solutions and technology-enabled services.
- Regulatory, compliance and risk
- Anti-bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering, sanctions, healthcare compliance and broader corporate compliance matters.
- International trade and cross-border investment
- Transactions involving multiple jurisdictions, international counterparties and local-law requirements.
- Strategic projects and transformation programmes
- Integrating legal, commercial, finance, tax, supply-chain and operational considerations across multiple markets.
International and leadership experience
Wilson previously served as Head of Legal & Compliance Officer for Philips Africa, where he advised the business and senior leadership on legal, regulatory and compliance matters across African markets.
He subsequently joined Philips' international headquarters in the Netherlands as Senior Legal Counsel, advising on global and regional strategic matters. His responsibilities included acting as global legal lead on significant business-transformation initiatives and advising Philips Capital on financing transactions involving financial institutions and commercial counterparties across multiple jurisdictions.
His international experience gives him a particularly strong appreciation of the expectations of multinational corporations, financial institutions, investors and international counsel when doing business in Nigeria and across Africa.
As Managing Partner, Wilson leads the strategic development of Paraphoenix Solicitors and its commitment to delivering commercially focused, internationally informed legal advice to clients operating in Nigeria, across Africa and internationally.
Selected areas of experience
Financing transactions
Advising on receivables purchase, discounting, leasing, equipment finance and related financing structures involving international banks and financial institutions.
Cross-border transactions
Coordinating legal workstreams and local-law input across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and North America.
Healthcare and regulated industries
Advising on commercial and regulatory matters concerning medical devices, healthcare technology, digital health, product distribution, quality and regulatory compliance.
Strategic transformation
Leading legal workstreams for multinational business-transformation programmes involving changes to contracting models, delivery structures, risk allocation and commercial operations across multiple jurisdictions.
Compliance and investigations
Advising senior management on anti-bribery and corruption, sanctions, AML, healthcare compliance and associated corporate-risk issues.
Career
Paraphoenix Solicitors
Managing Partner | Lagos
Royal Philips
Senior Legal Counsel | Amsterdam | 2021–2026
Philips Africa
Head of Legal & Compliance Officer | 2015–2021
Philips
Commercial Lawyer | United Kingdom | 2007–2015
Wilson's earlier legal career dates from 1992 and includes private-practice and commercial legal experience.
Qualifications
- Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales
- Barrister & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria
- LL.M., Commercial Law
- LL.B.
- B.L.