Team size: Nine

What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past 12 months?

As the Head of Legal, my team and I have focused on mitigating legal and regulatory risk while supporting our strategic growth initiatives. Over the past year, I have overseen legal and regulatory compliance for new executive management, guiding the implementation of new corporate policies. Following the legal acquisition of Crystal in 2024, our team has been instrumental in post-acquisition integration and expansion efforts. This has included work on expanding intellectual property protection for the Crystal brand mark and establishing the distributorship framework across the GCC and MENA regions to enhance company performance.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

Based on my experience, I believe the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel are strategic leadership, proactive risk management, and business integration. I see my role as moving beyond traditional, reactive legal work to become a true partner to the business.

Being a modern in-house counsel means being a leader, not just an advisor. My work on major transactions, such as Mezzan’s IPO and the acquisition of the Crystal Hot Sauce brand, demonstrates how I directly contribute to significant business milestones. This requires aligning the legal roadmap with the company’s overarching business strategy, identifying the legal implications of our business objectives, and leading my team to effectively support those goals.

Rather than simply reacting to problems, I believe it is our role to anticipate them. My focus is on proactively managing legal aspects during periods of instability and staying ahead of regulatory changes, such as new ESG and tax regulations in Kuwait and the GCC. This involves conducting thorough risk assessments, developing contingency plans, and building robust internal controls to mitigate potential issues before they arise.

The legal department can no longer operate in isolation. Our deep involvement in every aspect of the company, from negotiating contracts to overseeing legal operations across multiple subsidiaries, demonstrates my belief that counsel must understand the business inside and out. We collaborate closely with other departments, such as Finance and Supply Chain, to ensure that legal guidance is practical and fully integrated into daily operations.

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends in the legal or business world that you are keeping an eye on, of which you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful?

From my vantage point, leading the legal function for a company operating in both the FMCG and Healthcare sectors in Kuwait, I have observed several crucial trends over the past year that I believe all in-house lawyers should be mindful of.

A primary trend I am closely monitoring is the rapid evolution of ESG principles from a ‘nice to have’ to a regulatory mandate. In Kuwait, regulatory authorities have made ESG a mandatory reporting requirement for listed companies. For in-house counsel, this represents more than a compliance exercise; it is a fundamental shift in our role. We are now at the forefront of establishing internal controls, policies, and reporting frameworks to ensure the company fulfils its legal and social obligations. In practice, this requires working across all business units to embed these principles and acting as the legal conscience guiding the organisation’s sustainability journey.

Supply chain resilience has also become a legal priority. As a company with regional operations, I am constantly assessing how geopolitical instability, trade restrictions, and logistics disruptions can legally impact the business. The legal team plays a critical role in drafting and negotiating contracts that include clear force majeure clauses, managing supplier relationships, and ensuring sufficient legal flexibility to adapt to unforeseen global events. This demands moving beyond standard templates to create bespoke frameworks that protect against risks once considered remote.

Intellectual property protection has grown increasingly important with the expansion of our brand portfolio, particularly through our manufactured products such as KITCO and acquisitions like Crystal Hot Sauce. In our industries, the brand mark is a key asset. In-house lawyers must proactively expand IP protection as we enter new markets, not only registering trademarks but also creating comprehensive frameworks for brand use, managing distribution agreements, and preparing to defend our IP against infringement.

In summary, the modern in-house counsel must be a strategic and adaptable business partner, not merely a legal gatekeeper. We must understand the law and anticipate how converging trends such as ESG regulation, supply chain vulnerabilities, and IP risks will impact the business, ensuring that the company is well-positioned for both growth and compliance.