What are the most significant cases and/or transactions that you have been involved in over the past year?

At Badael, our mission is to empower individuals to quit smoking by providing innovative, high-quality, and tobacco-free nicotine pouch alternatives. Our vision is to create a healthier, smoke-free society, positively impacting lives across Saudi Arabia and the wider region. This commitment directly supports the objectives of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the Quality of Life Program, which aim to enhance the health, well-being, and lifestyle of citizens by reducing smoking rates and promoting healthier living choices.

In support of this mission, I have been leading critical legal and regulatory initiatives to position our products within the Kingdom’s evolving regulatory framework. This work has focused on building internal legal strategies and compliance models to facilitate the future reclassification of nicotine pouches as a distinct product category. It included developing technical documentation, excise tax positioning plans, and benchmarking international best practices to anticipate regulatory trends. Given the absence of a harmonised global regulatory framework for nicotine pouches, this initiative required significant legal foresight, proactive risk management, and a strategic commitment to driving innovation and public health advancement while ensuring sustainable business growth.

Based on your experience, what is the key to collaborating successfully with business partners?

Successful collaboration with business partners hinges on building trust, maintaining clear and transparent communication, and consistently aligning on shared goals and values. It is important to approach business relationships not just from a legal or technical standpoint, but also by genuinely understanding the broader vision, commercial drivers, and operational realities behind a project. I believe in positioning the legal function as a true business enabler — providing practical solutions, anticipating challenges, and helping partners achieve their objectives efficiently and compliantly. Building credibility through consistency, responsiveness, and integrity has been critical in fostering strong, long-term partnerships that are based on mutual respect and success.

Which political, economic, or regulatory changes have impacted your work the most in the past year?

The past year has seen significant shifts in the regulatory landscape, particularly concerning new consumer products such as nicotine pouches. Increased regulatory scrutiny, evolving excise tax frameworks, and growing cross-ministerial oversight have all played a major role in reshaping the market. In response, I have been involved in developing proactive internal strategies, comprehensive legal frameworks, and detailed compliance roadmaps to anticipate and adapt to these changes. Staying ahead of regulatory developments has been crucial not only for maintaining business continuity, but also for supporting the company’s mission of promoting safer alternatives for adult consumers, in alignment with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and Quality of Life Program.

What do you think are the key things to remember to motivate and manage the other members of your legal team?

Motivating and managing a high-performing legal team requires a thoughtful balance of empowerment, recognition, support, and accountability. I believe in creating a culture where team members feel valued, trusted, and inspired to take ownership of their work. Setting clear goals, encouraging independent thinking, providing constructive feedback, and celebrating both individual and team milestones are essential to maintaining motivation. Moreover, creating an environment of psychological safety — where questions are welcomed, ideas are shared openly, and challenges are approached collaboratively — has proven critical in building a resilient, engaged, and high-achieving legal team.