Wealth / Life Middle East (DXB)

Ajay has advised international entrepreneurial clients throughout his career and has been in private practice and in-house roles in London, Jersey and Guernsey. 

Ajay was an external adviser to Saffery Champness before he joined the firm in 2009 and in 2011 he was recognised as one of the UK’s Top 35 under 35 private client practitioners. 

Ajay is a member of the Private Taxes Committee of the International Bar Association and is a regular panelist at international conferences. He was admitted to the Law Society of England & Wales in 2001.

Since 2018, Ajay divides his time between Guernsey and Dubai, where he is the Managing Director of the firm’s DIFC operation and he travels extensively on behalf of the firm, meeting with professional advisers and assisting with strategic and client management matters.

Heba joined Orangefield Group (now Vistra) in 2012 as part of the UK client commercial advisory department. She has a particular focus on HNWIs, UHNWIs and Family Offices from the Arabian Gulf. She
supports the structuring of international personal and business assets, succession and implementing governance across generations.

Heba began her career in various legal and philanthropy roles in the City of London. She grew up in the Middle East and is equally comfortable working in English and Arabic. She holds a degree in Law and has completed the Legal Practice Course at the University of Law, London.

In 2018 and 2017, Heba was named as one of eprivateclient’s ‘Top 35 Under 35’ professionals. Heba has also been shortlisted as Woman of the Year - Future Leaders in the Powerwomen Awards 2020.

Nick Holland focuses his practice on international contentious trusts and estates and acts primarily for wealthy families, individuals, institutional trustees, protectors and enforcers in disputes involving offshore trusts. Nick is also often involved in non-contentious international private wealth matters where he brings his extensive knowledge of offshore trusts and jurisdictions as well as potentially litigious outcomes to bear on the difficulties faced by international wealthy families.

Nick is qualified as a lawyer in England and Wales, the Cayman Islands, British Columbia and Ontario; and has played a key role in litigation in the Cayman Islands, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, British Virgin Islands, Singapore, Switzerland, Canada and the United States. A Canadian expatriate in London, Nick often advises Canadian individuals and institutions on matters of UK law either himself or where appropriate in conjunction with other members of McDermott’s prestigious private wealth or tax teams.

Nick is co-Chair of the annual highly respected ALM/LegalWeek Global Elite International Trusts and Estates Forum. He chaired the International Trust & Private Client: Isle of Man conferences in 2017 and 2018. He was chair of the Private Client Summer School program held at Cambridge University in 2018 and 2019. He is often asked to speak on International trusts disputes and has done so in amongst other places New York, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Toronto, Chicago, New York, Jersey, Guernsey, Provence, the Isle of Man, Singapore, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates. He sits on the Consulting Editorial Board for LexisPrivateClient PSL. He is a co-author of “Contentious Trust Matters in the United Kingdom and Offshore Jurisdictions” in International Estate Planning. (New York: LexisNexis, 2019)

Nick is recognised as leading lawyer in the world’s most eminent legal guides and directories including Chambers High Net Worth, Chambers UK, and Legal 500. CityWealth ranked him as one of the top 100 trust litigators internationally in 2020.

Carine has joined the Firm in 2003, she is now the managing partner. She handles corporate matters and commercial transactions at a national and international level and has significant experience in estate planning and in advising local and international investors on how to structure their assets.

Carine practices commercial litigation, including bankruptcy, asset protection and asset recovery and tax related litigation. She is a certified mediator and handles mediation cases. She also coordinates and overviews field work and relationships with authorities for the implementation of structures, transactions and projects.

She has obtained her law degree and a masters degree in private law from Saint Joseph University in 2003. She also has an MBA from Paris I Pantheon - Sorbonne, Paris- Dauphine and Saint Joseph Universities, a certificate in International Private Law from the Hague Academy of International Law, as well as a Higher Master’s degree in International Cooperation, Humanitarian and Development Policy from Paris I Pantheon - Sorbonne. 

Carine is a ranked lawyer at Chambers and Partners. 

On a more personal note, Carine is involved in various initiatives and associations including  fight against corruption, asset recovery, community support, preservation of Lebanese heritage, support to micro-businesses and the rule of law.

Her memberships include: the Beirut Bar Association (since 2003),  the International Bar Association, the Lebanese Association for Taxpayers’ Rights (ALDIC), the House of Christmas, Together LiBeirut, Legal Action Worldwide and AmCham. 

Carine is a French, Arabic, English and Spanish speaker.

Sunita is a UK and UAE trained and qualified attorney who leads the Private Wealth & Family Offices practice at Hourani.

Sunita advises and assists significant business families and clients in the Middle East, SW Asia and Africa with topical matters such as Cross Border Estate and Succession Planning, Wealth Management, the implementation of Family Codes of Governance and Family Constitutions and establishing Family Offices.

Sunita has established intrinsic relationships with the UAE regulatory authorities, financial advisers, corporate service providers, family offices and private banks. She actively works with the local regulators to spread awareness in the international community of the latest developments and updates within the private wealth sector, particularly in relation to the recent Foundations and Trust Laws implemented by the ADGM, DIFC and RAK ICC and other developments in the Middle East.

In addition to her client advisory work, she has dedicated significant time to training and sharing knowledge with relationship managers, trusted advisors and family offices in the global private wealth community on legal and practical developments in the Middle East; she believes that the success of the UAE as an IFC, is dependent upon the continual dissemination of knowledge and the correct application of current legislation when implementing cross border wealth planning structures.

As an active member of the private wealth community Sunita is a full member of STEP (Africa and Arabia) and frequently speaks at various international forums and conferences.

Sunita is regarded as a leading authority on Middle East private client issues by global private wealth industry groups such as HUBBIS and PCD. Sunita is consistently ranked by Chambers and is also listed in the Private Client Global Elite Directory.

She actively promotes women empowerment for young professionals in the Middle East and SW Asia and is a professional mentor for female executives in the GCC.

A Saudi lawyer, with local and international experience, holds a Ph.D degree in the field of Waqf and trusts law from King’s College in London, a master’s degree in contract law from McGill University, and a bachelor’s degree in Sharia from the Islamic University of Madinah.

Dr. Hamid specializes in litigation, international transactions, endowments, wealth management, commercial law, and labor law. Dr. Hamid has many publications, the most prominent of which is a book titled: Toward the Reform of Private Waqfs: A Comparative Study of Islamic Waqfs and English Trusts (Brill, 2015).

Mustafa manages our group office in London and co-chairs  group strategy. He joined Accuro in 2019 from Taylor Wessing LLP, where he advised private clients as a corporate partner.

Utilizing the deep insight and strategic thought  honed working in London, Singapore, Kuwait and advising Middle Eastern clients for 21 years, Mustafa works with clients to plan governance, succession and private wealth structures and solutions.

His goal is to bring proactive, culturally astute and purpose-led insight to families. Mustafa is a devoted father as well as a landscape and abstract photographer.

Joëlle de Cerjat Santa Cruz is a senior wealth planner at LO Patrimonia S.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lombard Odier Group.

She specialises in wealth and estate planning for the Middle East markets. She has been active in advising private clients for 15 years in the fields of international tax, estate planning and wealth structuring. She regularly gives courses and training to both managers and students and publishes articles on her favourite subjects, namely estate planning techniques in the Middle East. She joined the Lombard Odier Group in May 2020. She previously worked as a wealth planner with Union Bancaire Privée (UBP SA), ABN AMRO (Switzerland) SA and UBS AG. Prior to moving into the field of private client wealth planning, Joëlle was a practicing Swiss Attorney-at-law at the Geneva Bar for 8 years. She holds a law degree from the University of Geneva and a Swiss bar exam

Rima is a Partner with the Corporate and M&A practice, based in our DIFC offices in Dubai.

She is an experienced corporate and insurance lawyer who has practiced in the UAE for over sixteen years.

Rima specialises in advising insurance companies, corporate organisations, financial institutions, energy companies and private equity funds on a wide range of legal issues. These include M&A transactions, due diligence, commercial agreements, commercial related disputes, IT related transactions and various regulatory matters.

She has also advised and assisted international clients in developing their business throughout the GCC, particularly in relation to regulatory and compliance matters. She also provides employment advice to companies in relation to policies, structuring and breach of contract.

Rima was recently recognized by Financial News as the 50 Most Influential Women in the Middle East Finance – 2019

Rima holds a Masters Degree in Public Law and Sustainable Development Law from Universite Paris Descartes.

Hannah is a partner in the private client and tax team and co-head of the Middle East group.

Hannah is a specialist succession and personal tax planning lawyer whose clients include domestic and international individuals, families, trustees and family offices.

Hannah provides tax efficient and estate planning solutions, with a particular focus on international families with a presence in the UK, or who are investing into or relocating to the UK. Her key specialism is UK real estate ownership for international families and investors, where she provides inheritance tax and other personal tax mitigation advice for real estate investment to the UK and for existing ownership structures.

Hannah co-heads our Middle East group and many of her clients live in or have a connection to the Middle East region.

Hannah's clients benefit from her holistic approach to estate and tax planning, and she operates as an embedded trusted advisor alongside her clients' other professional advisors and family offices to provide tailored legal and tax structuring solutions.

Mr. Al-Jebouri began his financial career working for Arthur Andersen, London office focusing on oil & gas accounting and consulting. Having spent more than five years at Arthur Andersen, Mr. Al-Jebouri ventured into investment banking with Lazard Brothers in London. He spent the next four years working on the execution of prominent oil & gas mergers and acquisitions deals as well as advising a number of governments on their oil & gas strategies.

In 2002 Mr. Al-Jebouri took on the challenge of a political career, he joined the newly elected government in Bulgaria as a Senior Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister of Bulgaria (Simeon Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha). Mr. Al-Jebouri was later tasked by parliament in Bulgaria to work with the Bremer government in Iraq on the reconstruction and re-development of Iraq. In addition, in 2005 he was appointed as the Head of the Tourism sector of Bulgaria (ministerial role).

In 2007 Mr. Al-Jebouri returned to the private sector to lead the private banking efforts of Barclays Bank in Geneva responsible for Russia, CIS and SEE markets. After two years in private banking Mr. Al-Jebouri returned to London to set up a private equity fund focusing on SEE.

Having successfully managed to grow and divest his private enterprises, Mr. Al-Jebouri joined BCGE, Geneva at the end of 2016 to head up the bank’s International Banking Rep. office in Dubai and the efforts of the bank to develop and grow its market position in the GCC, MENA, Russia and CIS regions.

Mr. Al-Jebouri holds a BEng. in Civil Engineering from the University of London. He currently resides in Dubai, United Arab Emirates with his family

Sarah Courtney Dockett is Head of Women in Wealth, EMEA. She is passionate about Diversity and Inclusion.  She is also a Senior Private Banker in the UK UHNW Team based in London. Sarah is responsible for managing 30 UHNW clients and Family Office relationships. While they may be resident in the UK, Sarah’s clients span the globe and she specialises in dealing with US connected clients. Sarah has 23 years of experience working with Private Clients, 12 of which she has spent with Citi.

An advertising executive turned barrister (called to the Bar in 2004), Stuart has pioneered a new kind of advisory role which combines both aspects of his background. Specialising in reputation management, Stuart helps to manage the communications around complex litigation, helping to guide and protect his clients during the most challenging of circumstances.

He has led a whole new approach to litigation communications and crisis management for major corporate clients drawing on his experience in international PR, eight years with Pump Court Chambers as a barrister and as a senior account handler with several top advertising agencies.

Richard is experienced in many aspects of corporate work including domestic and international mergers and acquisitions in various industries, including health care, education, logistics, food and beverage, retail, etc, and reorganizations and joint ventures.

He also specialises in regional private equity and venture capital funding, with particular expertise in advising on investments in technology and media.

Richard has advised upon many UAE and regional M&A and joint venture transactions, including advising international companies on structuring options available to them that allow them to carry on business in Dubai and in the UAE.

Richard also specialises in advising regional high net worth individuals and family businesses on restructuring and, in particular, trust structuring, acting for some of the largest family companies in the Middle East and the wider MENA region on their deal and governance structures.

Richard is ranked as a Leading Individual in Legal 500 for Commercial, Corporate and M&A.

Charlotte is a Partner in Forsters LLP's Private Client team. She advises high net worth international individuals, families, trustees, beneficiaries, family offices and private banks on estate and succession planning, trust law and personal taxation.

Her work focuses on the creation of wealth structures that are bespoke to the international individuals and families that she works with. This involves the creation and structuring of trusts, family governance, succession planning, residence, domicile and general UK tax planning work.  Charlotte has particular expertise in advising clients from the Middle East in this field.

Charlotte also has experience in wealth protection, risk analysis and defensive structuring. This work includes undertaking reviews of existing structures in order to identify weaknesses that would render them vulnerable to attack by third parties, regulatory authorities or other family members.

Finally, Charlotte has experience advising on contentious trust matters, both onshore and offshore, including issues relating to the validity of trusts, claims for removal of trustees, investment disputes, division of trust assets and applications to the court for directions. She acts for settlors, trustees and beneficiaries.

Charlotte qualified as a Solicitor in September 2012 at Lawrence Graham LLP (now Gowling WLG) and joined Forsters with the rest of the Gowling WLG London Private Client team in May 2017.

Jeremy Kosky is a Litigation Partner and Solicitor Advocate with significant experience in big ticket commercial litigation with a particular focus on private wealth and private equity disputes.

In the contentious trusts market, he has advised trustees, beneficiaries and protectors in relation to some of the most high profile trust disputes such as the Thyssen litigation in Bermuda (1997 to 2002) and the Alhamrani litigation in Jersey (2003 to 2009).

Jeremy has extensive offshore experience, working in local counsel in Bermuda, Cayman, BVI, Jersey and Guernsey in particular. He is wellknown for bringing his skills as a "diplomat" to help clients resolve their cases whether with or without the assistance of a mediator.

Suzanne is a US/international private client and philanthropy lawyer based in London. She is admitted to practice law in the State of New York. She is a member of the Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners, the International Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, Philanthropy Impact and the Council on Foundations.

Damien is based in Dubai and has more than 13 years of experience in structuring Middle East Families. 

Damien brings a very practical and pragmatic approach to his structuring work. No two families are the same and Damien is passionate about developing a tailored-made solution to ensure a smooth transition of wealth to the next generation. Damien has worked with a number of large Middle East Families to develop ownership structures for their assets.   

Prior to moving to the Middle East Damien had worked in the Fiduciary Services industry in Jersey for over 14 years. 

Damien has a BSc in Estate Management and is a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) as well as an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA). 

Steven is Head oof Tax at Creation Business Consultans with over 20 years of progressive predominantly in the areas of M&A and international taxation.

After qualifying in 2022, Steven joined a Big 4 UK tax practice in 2006 specilaising in providing international tax planning advice. He moved to the M&A tax team in 2007 and relocated to the Middle East in 2010. He continued to work in the M&A and International tax teams of the Big 4 in the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and head of International Tax at Grant Thornton prior to joining Creation Business Consultants in 2021.

Since Steven began advising on transactions in 2007, he has been involved in a range of deals on behalf of international and regional clients ranging from owner-managed businesses to listed companies (including the world's biggest initial public offering). He has undertaken in excess of 200 due diligence projects (both buy side and vendor due diligence)  and structuring assignments.

Steven is also a Director of the British Business Group in the UAE.

Special Agent Anthony Cook conducted criminal tax and money laundering investigations focusing on uncovering beneficial ownership and tracing illicit global financial transactions. In 2017, Special Agent Cook accepted a position at the American Embassy in London serving the diplomatic mission between the United States and United Kingdom.

In 2022, Special Agent Cook accepted a position as Regional Attache, Middle East, based in Dubai, UAE. His Area of Responsibility includes the Gulf Cooperation Council plus Israel and Jordan.

He has represented the U.S. Government on assignments in over 25 countries and is the U.S. Delegate, and Member of the Bureau, on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Task Force on Tax Crimes in Paris. He is leading the Action Group dedicated to FinTech that is focusing on tracing illicit transactions via cryptocurrencies and virtual assets. He is a licensed Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).

Simon Clegg is one of the UK's most experienced sports and major events business leaders.

He has held CEO and COO at the British Olympic Association (1997 to 2008), Ipswich Town Football Club (2008 — 2013), the US$ 1 Bn 2015 inaugural European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan (where he led a team of 2500 staff and delivered a global television footprint of 823 million households) and the US$ 7Bn World Expo in Dubai. Additionally, he has led and managed British athletes at 12 Olympic and Olympic Winter Games, including leading Team GB to its most successful Olympic Games for 100 years in Beijing in 2008. He has also served on the Executive Committee of the Bureau International des Expositions as a representative of the UAE and been Chairman of Great Britain Badminton overseeing the sport’s first Olympic medal in 12 years.

From 1997 to 2002 he led the national political and PR campaigns to persuade the British Government and Mayor of London to bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. He was a board member of the Bid and subsequent Organising Committee (LOCOG) and was one of three British signatories on the Host City Contract when London was awarded the event.

Pete is head of the firm’s Sports & Entertainment Group and advises a range of corporate and individual clients, primarily in the sports and entertainment sector.

His major clients include both international and national governing bodies of sport, clubs, major venues, rights holders, other sports businesses and individuals. Pete now advises over 70 Premier League footballers on all aspects of their tax affairs.

He also provides tax advice to companies and individuals across the wider entertainment sector, including film, television, music and e-sports.

In addition, Pete also has a strong client base in the entrepreneurial and owner-managed business space, focusing on providing commercially driven tax-efficient solutions in this sector.

Pete spent over 10 years at Deloitte, initially as a general corporate tax specialist in Manchester before moving to London in 2005 to lead the tax side of Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, moving to Saffery Champness in 2011. In 2012 Pete was listed in the Accountancy Age Top 35 under 35, and in 2015 was voted into Taxation Magazine’s Top 40 under 40.

Pete regularly speaks at industry conferences about the key taxation issues in sport, as well as appearing in all forms of media. He is well known as a trusted adviser to major stakeholders across the sports industry.

Tom Ashby is a leading global advisor on reputation and communications. Tom has provided strategic counsel on a global basis to heads of state, senior executives, as well as prominent individuals. He works at the intersection of finance and politics, where reputation is at stake. He has a track record of advising leaders on communicating during crises and in conflict situations including litigation. He is Head of Global Communications for the International Energy Forum in Riyadh; founder of Ashbright, a strategic communications consultancy based in Dubai and co-founder of Iridium Advisors, who specialise in investor relations. 

Alison Anderson is the Founder & Director of The LINK Consultancy, a B2B marketing & business development advisory company working with clients across the professional services, legal, accountancy, real estate & finance sectors. With over 15 years’ experience, she works with start-ups, SMEs and large corporations who are seeking outsourced services. Prior to LINK, Alison held senior positions at both international and regional law firms in the Middle East, as well as professional accountancy firms and the UK Department of Trade in London and New York respectively. She is also currently the UAE Partner of The Law Middle East, a legal association dedicated to knowledge sharing & mentorship across the sector.

Andrew qualified from Edinburgh University in 1985.  After training in various posts around the UK including London, Liverpool and Bristol, and a 6 month fellowship in Toronto, Canada, he was appointed as Consultant ENT Surgeon to Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey, in 1995. 

In January 2016, after 20 years and in search of a new challenge, he moved to work at Mediclinic City Hospital, Dubai. He worked in that role for 4 years, until 2020, when he became medical director for City hospital, a position he held until earlier this year. He is now working again as an ENT surgeon in the Crown Clinic at DHTC, where he is also the clinic director.

Andrew has written extensively on many subjects in ENT. He was awarded an MD by Edinburgh University for his thesis ‘Wind noise and hearing loss in motorcyclists’. He has authored 3 text-books. 

Outside of medicine he enjoys snowboarding, kite-surfing and, since retiring from motorcycle racing, cycling.

He is married with 3 grown up children.

Dr Katie Sweeting is a doctor, coach and mentor.

For two decades, Katie worked as a palliative care consultant, helping patients and families faced with chronic, life-limiting illness. She was employed by the NHS and charitable hospice sector in the UK for 15 years before relocating to Dubai in 2018.  In Dubai, Katie set up the palliative care service at Mediclinic City Hospital, the first palliative care service in Dubai. She is an experienced educator, combining clinical practice with training and mentoring of undergraduate and postgraduate clinicians.  She has a particular interest in teaching communication skills, critical thinking and ethical issues.

Using her skills and expertise in sensitive communication, teamwork and leadership, Katie now works with professionals in high-stress jobs, both within and outside of healthcare. She provides coaching, mentoring and workshops to encourage individuals and teams to put their wellbeing at the centre of career success.

Tasleem is an English-qualified solicitor and a DLAD licensed legal consultant based in Dubai, with over 15 years' experience advising private clients in relation to a range of issues, including advising clients on both Shari’ah-compliant and conventional inheritance and succession matters. In addition, she assists clients of diverse nationalities and religions in relation to wills, guardianship, cross-border estate administration, and foundation structures.  

As a result of her standing in the market she is listed as a "leading individual" within Chambers & Partners High Net Worth Guide for Private Wealth Law.  Clients routinely praise Tasleem for her 'broad knowledge of UAE law and dealing with international affairs, as well as her approachable nature.'

She has strong relationships with key local government bodies and authorities, benefiting her clients in navigating legal processes efficiently. She also works closely with wealth managers, financial advisors and real estate professionals, providing advice on succession planning and estate administration.

Sarah Malik is an award-winning lawyer who achieved Litigator of the Year (2022) at the first GCC Women in Law Awards and received an honourable mention as the Law Firm Leader of the Year category at the same awards. She set up SOL, a boutique legal practice in the UAE in 2018. SOL has since become a household name both in the UAE and worldwide, and has been listed as a ‘Firm to Watch in Dispute Resolution’ by Legal 500 EMEA. Sarah is a published author of two legal texts, a visiting lecturer in law, an arbitrator, acts as Counsel in multi-jurisdictional disputes and is an international public speaker who trains governments and judiciaries worldwide. 

Sarah is also retained as personal advisor to UHNW, acts as external GC, and undertakes sports, fashion, and entertainment law.

Gilly Kennedy-Smith heads up the Guernsey-based International Trusts and Private Client practice at Mourant, a law firm-led professional services business.

An experienced international private wealth advisor, Gilly advises international families, trustees and family offices. This includes advice relating to the preservation and protection of wealth, estate and inheritance planning, succession and the passing of control through generations, trusts and foundations, restructuring for tax and other reasons, relocation services, alternative resolutions to trust and private client issues, and family governance and philanthropic giving.

Gilly sits on the Guernsey branch of the STEP technical committee, having also previously sat on the committee in London.

She is a qualified Tax Technician and member of the Association of Tax Technicians, the leading professional body for those providing tax compliance services.

Gilly is individually ranked in the Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide 2023, Private Client Global Elite Directory 2023 and Legal 500 UK.

As an ex-professional broadcaster from London, Daniel's roots are firmly based in the entertainment business. He managed the careers of several acclaimed artists as well as running his own recording label, distribution and publishing companies.

In 2006, using his well-rounded entertainment industry experience, he identified a gap in the Middle East for talent management and event production.

Since then, he has been based in Dubai and has brokered hundreds of talent deals and toured artists across the region including the first Middle East and India tours for Ed Sheeran, Michael Bublé, Drake and countless others, in turn contributing majorly to ever-evolving entertainment landscape in the region.

With clients ranging from Meydan, Atlantis The Palm and Dubai Opera, MAC Global has become an industry leader in the field.

Dr. Nazli Balkir Neftci is a DHA licensed clinical psychologist and psychotherapist with over a decade of dedicated service. Her experience spans diverse cultural backgrounds, including Europe and the Middle East. In addition to her thriving clinical practice, she has devoted nearly a decade to guiding and mentoring graduate students of clinical psychology as they navigate the complexities of psychotherapy. Dr. Balkir Neftci has made impactful contributions to refugee and immigrant support projects in Turkey and Germany, serving both as a psychotherapist and a researcher in collaboration with esteemed European universities.

Her numerous publications in the realms of cultural and clinical psychology underscore her dedication to understanding the unique needs and expectations of patients from diverse cultural backgrounds during psychotherapy, as well as the cultural factors that influence mental well-being. For the past four years, Dr. Balkir Neftci has been practicing in Dubai's academic and therapeutic landscape as a lecturer, researcher, and psychotherapist.

Leen is a New York-qualified partner who has experience of a wide range of corporate and commercial transactions in the Middle East and internationally, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, IPOs, private placements, and general corporate regulatory and advisory work. She has worked on transactions in the oil and gas, energy, shipping, chemical production, health, e-commerce, education, F&B, real estate, retail and heavy equipment and machinery industries.  

Leen has worked with a variety of international companies, local Saudi entities, and governmental bodies on corporate and foreign investment matters and is familiar with the regional and regulatory issues arising from such transactions.

Leen has been ranked as a Band 1 – Next Generation Lawyer in Legal 500’s Commercial, Corporate and M&A rankings for 2018 and 2019, and as a Highly Regarded Lawyer for M&A by IFLR 1000. She is currently the only female lawyer in private practice to be ranked across all practice areas in Saudi Arabia.

Leen obtained an LLM in Commercial Law (Distinction), and an LLB (Hons) from the University of Bristol.

Abdulla Ziad Galadari is a Senior Partner within Galadari Advocates & Legal Consultants, where he is the principal professional behind the growth strategies of many private and public organisations, who today continue to develop under his strategic input. He is a key influencer across the UAE, having supported a diverse range of businesses and senior dignitaries to navigate the legal framework of the country. Furthermore, he has been recognised as a regional ‘Leading Professional’ by Legal 500.

Aside from his technical and professional remit, he is the strategic leader behind the firm’s progressive approach, which has seen the introduction of global lawyers being introduced, key insights being shared with the market, along with developing and executing a technology driven strategy which will continue to drive innovation within the profession.

To further fortify his position as a leading professional, Abdulla has been the key driving force behind supporting leading legal professionals to continue their development through the initiation and execution of the collaboration with the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs, where we have created, developed and delivered a continuing professional legal development course (CPD).

Furthermore, he actively supports the young Emirati leaders of tomorrow through initiatives which include providing internships and training contracts for young students and new graduates. This has resulted in over 30 Emirati lawyers fulfilling the requirements of the Ministry of Justice to obtain a federal lawyer’s license, so that they may continue to provide ongoing impact to the country.

Sharon Missah is a Marketing and Communications Lead for the largest international law firm in the Middle East and Founder of communications platform Let's Talk DXB.

She is a senior marketing and communications expert with over 14 years of professional services experience across the Middle East, Africa and the UK. Sharon has a client-centric mindset with a passion for creating marketing strategies, impactful content and enhancing brand reputation.  

With a sound commercial awareness and understanding of the latest marketing trends, Sharon has led global and regional multi-channel thought leadership campaigns across various sectors.

A believer in diversity of thought, she encourages and champions diversity and inclusion within her profession.

Raya is an award winning, multilingual legal advisor with over 12 years of experience. She founded a boutique legal consultancy in 2012 which focuses on the Middle East market. She advises SME’s and multinationals companies based in the GCC region and clients across US and Europe.

Prior to setting up her legal consultancy, Raya worked for two leading International Law Firms Simmons&Simmons and Reed Smith.

She won an award in 2017 and has been named “Legal Consultant” of the Year by the Arab Woman Awards. Raya is also active in various women development initiatives in the MENA region and Founding member of the Women Lawyers Group-Middle East.

H.E. Mariam Bin Al Shaikh, Director of Sharjah Business Women Council leads formulating strategic plans for SBWC, and plays a critical role in determining new opportunities for the council and steering the team towards achieving its mission and vision.

Al Shaikh was part of the Consultative Council from 2019 – 2023. As member of the Financial, Economic and Industrial Affairs Committee, she is part of an elite team of professionals who advise on public policies, laws and legislation as well as services and public utilities.

Mariam studied International Relations at the American University of Sharjah. She is also a graduate of the Sharjah Leadership Programme and has attended several management and leadership programmes conducted by leading international universities.

Alastair leads the private wealth practice in the Middle East with a significant amount of his work having an international dimension to it and often involving cross-border succession and tax planning.

Having been based in the Middle East for a decade Alastair is regarded as an expert in planning for clients with a nexus in the GCC. His clients consist of ultra-high net worth individuals and families based in the region, be they GCC nationals or global expatriates.

Clients routinely praise him for being "astute, commercial, and creating very good working relationships, with a deep knowledge of UAE and international matters."

Alastair's expertise includes advising on family trust and governance structures encompassing both business and private assets, tax efficient UK real estate investment structures, immigration, cross-border estates and tax residency advice for those moving to or leaving the UK.

In addition, Alastair is increasingly advising clients on legacy planning involving regional assets and has a particular focus on DIFC and ADGM foundation and trust structures.

Alastair is ranked as one of the leading private wealth legal practitioners in the Middle East market and is ranked in Band 1 for Private Wealth Law by Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide. He is also named as an expert for private clients in Who's Who Legal and was the sole winner of the Client Choice 2022 award for Private Client in the UAE, chosen from over 2,500 nominations.

Alastair is the technical director for the Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners (STEP) Arabia and a member of the International Academy of Trusts and Estates Lawyers. Given his reputation Alastair is regularly requested to speak at various international conferences regarding a variety of private client issues.