What are the most significant cases and/or transactions that you have been involved in over the past year? 

Over the past year, I have advised on a number of complex, high-value infrastructure and government-led development programmes for Mace across the Middle East and Africa region, including strategic initiatives led by government entities and sovereign-backed institutions.  

My work has focused on contract structuring, risk allocation, and legal governance across multiple jurisdictions, often involving multi-party stakeholder frameworks and short delivery timelines. In this context, I’ve led negotiations on several types of agreements, including consultancy agreements aligned with international standards (such as FIDIC), with a particular focus on liability management, indemnities, fitness for purpose, risk allocations and insurances. I regularly engage with commercial and corporate teams to align legal outcomes with overall business strategy, balancing risk mitigation with commercial agility. 

I have also played a central role in reviewing and coordinating insurance coverages across the region, working closely with insurance team, brokers and internal stakeholders to ensure compliance with local regulatory frameworks. This included the renewal of key operational policies, alignment with global coverage requirements, and fulfilling local insurance requirements. The work was essential to ensuring our legal and commercial risk exposure remained properly managed, both locally and at a group level. 

In parallel, I have also led efforts to strengthen internal governance and introduce legal engagement in early project phases, ensuring that risk is appropriately managed even in accelerated delivery contexts. This includes implementing fallback protections and legal touchpoints at the pre-contract stage where necessary, to protect the company’s position without hindering progress on key projects. 

What innovations have you made to the way your legal team works in the past year? 

Working within a fast-evolving and dynamic legal market like the Middle East and Africa, and in particular Saudi Arabia, requires initiatives that bring clarity, responsiveness, and practical legal integration into business operations. 

One of the most impactful changes has been introducing a legal research and knowledge platform focused on Middle East jurisdictions, particularly Saudi Arabia. With evolving regulatory frameworks and unavailable official translations, this platform has filled a critical need — enabling access to legal resources, more informed decision-making, and faster turnaround across areas such as public procurement, data protection, and compliance. 

Another important development has been embedding the legal function within the region for the first time. Being based in Riyadh has allowed me to engage closely with the business, monitor legal developments, and input early in the project lifecycle. This has improved legal alignment and visibility, reinforcing the legal team’s role as a proactive and strategic partner.  

As an Arabic speaker, I’ve helped reduce risks of contractual misinterpretation by reviewing bilingual and Arabic-language contracts—especially in engagements with government entities. This ensures that translation discrepancies and culturally nuanced clauses are properly interpreted, reducing the risk of misunderstanding and strengthening the company’s contractual position. It has also allowed me to connect more effectively with local authorities and stakeholders, facilitating smoother communication and alignment in areas requiring legal coordination.  

Recognising the fast-changing regulatory environment, I’ve also built strategic collaborations with external legal advisors to deliver targeted legal training for commercial and delivery teams. These sessions have proven invaluable in bridging the gap created by limited resources and the pace of legislative change. Without focusing on challenges, the intent was to proactively equip internal teams with practical knowledge where up-to-date legal insight isn’t always readily accessible.  

These developments have been made possible within a leadership culture at Mace that empowers autonomy and encourages proactive legal engagement. This trust has enabled me to operate with agility and confidence, while ensuring alignment with broader governance expectations. 

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

One of the things I’m most passionate about is bringing clarity and structure into environments where legal processes are still evolving. In Saudi Arabia, where regulations are changing rapidly and legal precedents are forming, it can be challenging for businesses to stay aligned with developments. I see real value in simplifying legal concepts — particularly for non-lawyers — and translating legal complexity into practical, actionable advice.  

I’m also deeply motivated by the opportunity to help shape the legal function’s presence and contribution in a market still maturing. From building regional fallback language to aligning internal stakeholders where precedent is lacking, I’ve worked to localise and adapt legal processes that reflect both business needs and local realities.  

Ultimately, my role sits at the intersection of global governance and regional nuance. It’s this blend of structure, adaptability, and collaboration that makes the work so rewarding — and reinforces my belief in the legal function as a catalyst for progress in high-growth markets like Saudi Arabia.