Based on your experience, what is the key to collaborating successfully with business partners?

I firmly believe that good communication is the most important factor when successfully doing business. If parties can establish good clear lines of communication and be honest in their messaging, then everyone knows where they stand, and you can address any discord head on. In my experience, the vast majority of problems arise when there is poor or miscommunication involved, or parties try to avoid difficult conversations.

Which political, economic or regulatory changes have impacted your work the most in the past year?

The increasing regulations around the globe for foreign direct investment and foreign subsidy regulations (FSR) has had a big impact on global cross-border transactions. FSR is a relatively new area, and the regulators are also still trying to streamline their own processes and procedures, which is making it challenging and time consuming for businesses to navigate their way through the system.

What is a cause, business-related or otherwise, that you are passionate about, and why?

I really want to see a reduction in the volume of single use plastics in Saudi. We need to look after our planet and simple steps like eliminating the volume of plastic water bottles used by businesses and moving to glass or aluminum, which is easier to recycle, would be a great move forward. There needs to be a big change in KSA to help everyone understand the impact this has. Just a simple drive into the desert and you can see all the discarded waste, which is such a shame when you have such beautiful landscapes, let alone the impact this has on the wider environment.