Team size: 12 (1 General Counsel, 7 legal, 4 support staff)

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

2024 was a transformative year for the business, marking the full consolidation of Anghami Inc. into the OSN+ ecosystem. This was far more than a structural change: it represented a deliberate and strategic realignment. Multiple internal workstreams were launched to transition business functions under the leadership of the Anghami Inc. team, enabling the formation of a unified, agile operation.

The integration process was extensive, involving the harmonisation of reporting systems, operational frameworks, and team structures to fully realise the value of the expanded Anghami Inc. From the legal perspective, this required precision and rigour, aligning legal and regulatory standards across jurisdictions, addressing legacy issues, and proactively resolving matters identified during due diligence.

The defining project of 2025 has been securing Warner Bros. Discovery’s investment into OSN’s streaming arm. This was a landmark moment, with WBD choosing to invest in OSN as the entity holding a controlling interest in Anghami Inc. — a clear signal of confidence in our strategic vision and market position. As General Counsel, I worked closely with the CEO, leading negotiations, managing external counsel, and overseeing all aspects of documentation, diligence, and stakeholder alignment required to close a deal of this magnitude.

In parallel, we finalised a long-term content agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery, based on an innovative “ingest” licence model for streaming. This represented a novel structure for both parties and required a bespoke legal approach to ensure the traditional safeguards of programme licensing were embedded effectively into this next-generation framework. It was a rewarding challenge to help deliver a solution that breaks new ground in the content licensing space.

Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?

People are often intrigued by my early work as a legal adviser on controversial programming, including crime documentaries. Perhaps it’s the rare glimpse it offers into a high-pressure, behind-the-scenes world where legal judgement and live broadcasting collide.

There’s an undeniable adrenaline rush that comes from sitting in a studio and making real-time decisions about what can — or cannot — be said about an active crime. The stakes are immediate: one wrong word could derail an investigation, invite legal action, or violate someone’s rights. This work demanded fast, balanced calls that protected the broadcaster while preserving the integrity and impact of the content.

It also sharpened my ability to assess legal risk instinctively and act decisively, often under extreme pressure. Over time, I developed not only a clear sense of how to balance editorial urgency with legal constraints, but also the foresight to anticipate where challenges might arise—before they ever surfaced.

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

Earlier this year, I recorded a podcast episode on this very topic — it’s something I feel strongly about. For too long, legal teams were seen as blockers to innovation. That reputation is no longer sustainable.

The modern in-house counsel must have the ability to separate material risks from background noise, and that requires more than just technical legal skills. It demands commercial acumen, contextual judgement, and the confidence to make calls that support growth without compromising compliance.

My goal has been to develop a legal function that not only raises the alarm when necessary, but also finds a credible pathway to “yes.” That means delivering advice quickly, clearly, and in language the business can act on. No lengthy legal memos for the sake of it — just actionable input, delivered at pace.

It also requires emotional intelligence: the ability to “read the room”, recognise when a deal is delicately poised, and know when to speak up, when to hold back, and when to reframe the conversation altogether.

In the high-stakes environment we operate in, success isn’t just about what you know — it’s about being credible, dependable, and commercially attuned, every single time.