Team size: 16

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

At GIG’s legal team, we embrace a structured, risk-aware, and business-aligned approach to managing legal challenges, particularly during periods of instability. This methodology is evident in high-stakes matters such as the AFYA contract termination and the GIG Takaful acquisition antitrust review, among others.

We rely heavily on Scenario-Based Legal Planning. For instance, in the AFYA case, our legal team meticulously evaluated both administrative and contractual interpretations of the Ministry of Health’s termination decision. This dual-track analysis enabled us to avoid premature litigation, preserve the option for amicable settlement, and align legal timing with our financial recovery goals.

Moreover, we emphasise Cross-Functional Coordination. During the Political Violence Treaty negotiations, our legal, compliance, and risk teams jointly reviewed clauses related to arbitration, jurisdiction, and insolvency. This collaborative effort ensured that the legal terms supported operational resilience and risk mitigation.

Our commitment to Liquidity Protection and Governance and Policy Reform remains unwavering, even in times of crisis. By maintaining this focus, we ensure that our legal strategies not only mitigate risks but also align seamlessly with GIG’s broader business objectives, thus safeguarding the organisation’s resilience and stability.

What factors influence your team’s decision to use external legal services versus handling matters in-house, and what criteria are used to evaluate their performance?

Several factors drive our decision to use external legal support. If we lack the specialised expertise internally, we engage external consultants. We also rely on them for project-based engagements and regulatory compliance, such as adhering to corporate governance mandates. To avoid conflicts, we ensure consultants do not hold roles like compliance officer and risk manager simultaneously. They are also brought in for large-scale initiatives, such as the Finance ERP.

Before engaging consultants, our internal teams conduct preliminary reviews to determine necessity. We also coordinate with other regional offices, like Bahrain, to ensure consistency in consultant engagement across the group.

Our assessment of external legal counsel is systematic and aligns with both legal and business priorities. We focus on the following criteria: Expertise and Track Record; Responsiveness and Collaboration; Cost Management; Benchmarking legal fees against market rates and internal budgets; and Client Satisfaction.

These criteria are embedded in our Legal Affairs Department’s policy and help maintain a preferred counsel list based on performance. In high-stakes matters like the AFYA contract termination and the UK anti-suit injunction, we compare legal opinions from multiple firms.

How does your team contribute to the overall business strategy of the company? Can you share an example of a recent legal-led initiative that had a significant impact?

The Legal Affairs Department at GIG aims to play a key role in aligning our legal strategy with business resilience. We do this through proactive risk management, regulatory engagement, and governance reform—all of which support operational continuity and strategic growth.

As Chair of the Technical and Legal Committee of the Insurance Companies Union in Kuwait, I have worked to modernise the legislative and regulatory framework governing the insurance sector in Kuwait. This initiative has led to streamlined regulatory processes, improved operational efficiency across member companies, and a notable reduction in Insurance Regulatory Unit (IRU) complaints against GIG. These reforms have elevated the industry’s legal standards and reinforced GIG’s reputation as a compliant and forward-thinking insurer.

Internally, the Legal Affairs Department has overhauled departmental policies and procedures and introduced an annual legal plan to track achievements against strategic goals. These reforms were driven by audit findings and executed in collaboration with internal stakeholders and external consultants. The result is a more agile, accountable, and transparent legal function that supports GIG’s broader governance objectives.

This strategy has preserved GIG’s financial interests while maintaining regulatory goodwill, showcasing how legal foresight aligns with business resilience.”