What are the projects that you are most proud of working on over the past 12 months?

I am most proud of having achieved the set-up of a working Reserved Alternative Investment Fund on behalf of a client within two and a half months of the moment the assignment was given. By using existing relationships, we managed to beat the normal timeline by six months.

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

An interesting experience was being able to circumnavigate the strict ownership rules that applied, at the time, in the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to structure my client’s expansion and growth in the region whilst remaining fully compliant with the applicable legislation.

What do you think sets you apart from other in-house counsel?

Two things; being able to think outside of the regular solutions; and seeing chances rather than only risks.

What is a cause, business or otherwise, that you are passionate about?

I am passionate about circularity and sustainability, provided this is based on the right data and encompasses a full footprint analysis. It is enormously frustrating that most initiatives are based on incomplete premises or data, and thus often result only in the shifting of issues to those areas or people who don’t have the luxury to refuse those shifts.