Team size: 4

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

Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and Nasdaq Dubai are, respectively, the onshore and offshore stock exchanges of Dubai. As such, they form a fundamental part of Dubai’s economy and indeed that of the UAE, as well as the region. The stability of both exchanges is therefore critical. As General Counsel, I play a key role in ensuring that we remain resilient and prepared for any event having the potential to disrupt operations or otherwise affect the integrity of the markets, such as cybersecurity threats, technical malfunctions, or serious market violations. This is achieved first and foremost by preparing for crises before they occur (and in doing so aiming to prevent them), through extensive planning involving legal, operational and regulatory stakeholders. Open and regular communication with these internal and external partners naturally comprises a consistent part of my day-to-day work regardless of the type of matter on my plate at any given time; but in the context of crisis readiness, it is absolutely indispensable.

What are the main cases or transactions that you have been involved in recently?

My position requires that I oversee all legal matters relating to DFM and Nasdaq Dubai as well as other group entities, including both transactional and disputes work. The continued growth of both exchanges has made it a very busy year on all fronts. As we have sought to establish ourselves as one of the region’s premier investment hubs, I am particularly proud to have played a key role in ARENA, which is DFM’s most innovative initiative to date. ARENA is Dubai’s technology-powered private market for capital raising, listing and investments. It is unlike other platforms because it offers a private offering alternative to IPOs for family businesses, growth companies, and private companies. It was a genuine thrill for me to participate in the inception of this pioneering development, responsible for its legal and regulatory architecture and deeply involved in its rollout. I look forward to the further implementation of ARENA as it continues to be developed, and to working on many more cutting-edge projects in the future.

What do you see as the major legal challenges for businesses in the region over the next five years, and how are you preparing to address them?

For businesses here, as well as for the General Counsels who must help to steer them through this evolution, there will be many challenges to navigate. Of particular relevance to my practice as General Counsel of two stock exchanges, I expect to see the following: enhanced regulatory scrutiny of financial institutions and the investors, borrowers, and lenders that they intersect with; an increased volume of high-value litigation, owing to the growth in overall economic activity plus regulatory oversight; unification of data privacy and protection regimes, which will be more important and necessary than ever given the prevalence of digitisation, artificial intelligence, and automation; and a deepening concern for the ecological implications of business and consumption activity, and increased investment in businesses that embrace these changes. Each of these developments will naturally entail regulatory and legal changes to either provide a framework or to enhance enforcement, so I would expect my own role to evolve concurrently in order to help my business stakeholders adapt to the challenges and opportunities that would emerge as a result.