About

Geoff Allen relocated to the Middle East from the UK in 2012, joining Arabtec in 2013. He was appointed as group general counsel and company secretary in early 2017 and is a key member of the senior leadership team as strategic counsel and trusted adviser to the group chief executive officer, Group chief financial officer, the Arabtec Board and the business. Allen enjoys both the variety and the challenges his role brings, developing strategies to manage legal risk in addition to overseeing governance across the Group, which operates in nine jurisdictions in the region. One of the major highlights was Arabtec’s capital raising, which completed in June 2017. ‘The successful completion of our AED1.5bn rights issue as part of our Recapitalisation Programme was a significant milestone in Arabtec’s history’, Allen says, ‘strengthening the Group’s financial and liquidity positions and providing a solid foundation for growth. With new management only recently on board, I led the transaction in close coordination with our professional advisers, the Securities and Commodities Authority and the Dubai Financial Market. Teamwork, communication and speed were critical to getting the rights issue over the line’. In relation to his role as company secretary, he says, ‘As company secretary you are privy to the inner workings of the board, which requires you to build relationships and trust at Board level while at the same time being part-politician, part-policeman to ensure the interests of the board, management, the business and good governance are aligned’. Internally, Allen’s impact on the Arabtec legal department has also been extremely influential: ‘One of the first priorities was to cement Arabtec’s group legal panel, ensuring all of our operating companies have access to appropriate and effective external legal advice at the right price. Over the past two-and-a-half years, I have promoted a more pragmatic approach to settling commercial disputes resulting in a material reduction in the volume of litigation and legal costs across the group.’