Agenda

10.30am-11.00am Welcome and Registration 

11.00am-11.05am Opening Remarks

    • Isabel Caine, event content editor, Legal 500

11.05am-11.55am Digital diligence: the importance of robust data governance in AI adoption in association with LEGALFLY

As AI integration continues to accelerate across the Middle East, general counsel are leading their organisations through the legal, regulatory and ethical adoption of these systems. This panel will explore how legal teams can oversee the responsible use of AI, from implementing comprehensive data governance processes within an organisation to navigating data protection regulations to ethical approaches to data collection and harvesting.

    • Isabel Caine, event content editor, Legal 500
    • Ruben Miessen, CEO & co-founder, LEGALFLY
    • Mumtaz Kynaston-Pearson, principal product and IP counsel, Mimecast
    • Raneen Stanley, data privacy lead – Middle East, Aon
    • David Laliberte, general counsel, CPX

11.55am-12.45pm Iran at a crossroads: how GCs can navigate political developments, scenarios ahead and the legal risks in association with Nami Associates

This session provides a structured overview of Iran’s current political developments and examines their legal and commercial implications for foreign companies. It outlines plausible short- and mid-term scenarios, offering practical guidance for in-house counsel navigating uncertainty.

    • Behnam Khatami, founder and managing partner, Nami Associates

12.45pm-1.20pm More than a legal tool: how contract lifecycle management (CLM) can drive business growth in association with Spotdraft

This panel will explore how CLM helps optimise overall business performance. Streamlining contracts and agreements can cut costs, reduce risk and free up legal and sales teams to focus on higher-value tasks. Our expert panellists will discuss how in-house counsel can incorporate these processes and workflows into a single system that can be tracked, updated to meet legal and regulatory requirements, and enables strategic development across the organisation.

    • Akshay Doshi, SVP, sales, Spotdraft
    • Yosr Hamza, director, legal & compliance | Middle East, Gartner
    • Afshan Akhtar, Bahrain country representative, ACC MENA
    • Tarek Nakkach, director & general counsel – MEA, Kyndryl
    • Kimberley Holland, VP – legal affairs, core42

1.20pm-2.10pm Lunch

2.10pm-3.00pm Managing merger control: navigating the regulatory M&A landscape in the MENA region in association with BREMER

Since Saudi Arabia enacted legislation establishing an active merger control regime, regulatory oversight of, and notification obligations for, M&A transactions have expanded significantly throughout the MENA region. Kuwait established an active merger control regime in 2021; Morocco introduced merger control legislation in 2020; Egypt implemented a pre-closing notification regime, effective June 2024; the UAE established revenue-based thresholds operating in parallel to existing market share thresholds, effective April 2025; and in 2025, Iraq took its first steps towards introducing active merger control and antitrust regulations.

This panel will discuss how these evolving regulatory frameworks continue to add complexity to M&A with links to the MENA region and how in-house counsel can navigate these emerging regimes effectively and efficiently while guiding their organisations through major deals.

    • Dr. Nicolas Bremer LL.B., partner, BREMER
    • Mhairi Main Garcia, general counsel, Fajr Capital Group
    • Marcus Khoury, head of legal, Averda
    • Monita Barghachie, general counsel, Marafeq Qatar
    • Hasan Al Kilany, senior legal advisor, UAE Ministry of Ecconomy

3.00pm-3.50pm Dealing with disputes: how to mitigate and manage conflict during transactions in association with Al Naqbi & Partners

GCs play a key role in driving organisations forward through complex transactions. Beyond managing legal risk, in-house teams must also navigate disputes that can arise at any stage of a deal – from due diligence to post-closing. This expert panel will discuss practical strategies that GCs can implement to mitigate risk, reduce the likelihood of disputes and manage conflicts that do arise. Attendees can expect to take away creative approaches to conflict resolution, from effective contract drafting and the use of experienced advisers and internal committees to alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

    • Mohamad Fayad, senior managing associate, Al Naqbi & Partners
    • Jad Skaff, partner, Al Naqbi & Partners
    • Abdelrahman Sherif, deputy general counsel, VFS Global
    • Narguiz Birk-Petersen, regional general counsel – growth & emerging markets, Takeda Pharmaceuticals FZE
    • Mohamad Malak, head of legal for commercial operations EMEA S&E, Fresenius Medical Care

3.50pm-4.05pm Coffee break

4.05pm-4.50pm Shaping Saudi’s skyline: the legal strategy behind the region’s booming real estate market in association with Omar Al Rasheed

As the real estate market continues to expand rapidly in Saudi Arabia, and across the GCC region, in-house counsel are playing a key role in ensuring ethical, efficient and commercially-sound development. In this new era of growth, an understanding of the regulatory landscape, as well as potential risks, pitfalls and disputes, is essential. This panel will bring together in-house, private practice and senior management perspectives to explore how organisations can successfully navigate the evolving real estate market and support sustainable growth.

    • Omar Alrasheed, founder and managing partner, Omar Alrasheed Law Firm
    • Majid Alharbi, CEO, Areeb Capital

4.50pm-5.40pm Partner in compliance: the GCs evolution from legal advisor to business partner

In conversation with leading in-house counsel, this panel will examine how the role of the general counsel has evolved in recent years. GCs are increasingly integrated within their organisations as strategic commercial partners. The session will consider how GCs can drive growth, navigate risk, and deliver advice that is both legally sound and aligned with business objectives.

    • Isabel Caine, event content editor, Legal 500
    • Mahmoud Yousef, general counsel – Global, Foodics
    • Paola Kattar, head of legal, KEO International Consultants
    • Rima Hadid, general counsel, Emirates Investment Authority
    • Nadim ElHaj, chief legal officer, Abu Dhabi National Hotels
    • Hadi El Kadi, group chief legal officer, Al Habtoor Group LLC

5.40pm-6.35pm Drinks and canapes reception

6.35pm Event concludes