Experience

Oryx

• Australia
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Senior Consultant

  • May 2023 - Present

  United Arab Emirates



Smarter Legal Services LLC

• Founder and Managing Director

  • Mar 2017 - Jun 2023

  Dubai, United Arab Emirates On-Site Consultancies: (1) Kimberly-Clark. (2) Injazat - the technology arm of Mubadala, who provide tech solutions for the Abu Dhabi Government. negotiations and agreements with technology product developers, licensing, partnerships, software as a service, infrastructure as a service, cloud services, master supply services agreements, product reseller agreements and more. (3) Via Lawyers on Demand (“LoD”), I had three secondments; (a) GlaxoSmithKline, one of the… Show more On-Site Consultancies: (1) Kimberly-Clark. (2) Injazat - the technology arm of Mubadala, who provide tech solutions for the Abu Dhabi Government. negotiations and agreements with technology product developers, licensing, partnerships, software as a service, infrastructure as a service, cloud services, master supply services agreements, product reseller agreements and more. (3) Via Lawyers on Demand (“LoD”), I had three secondments; (a) GlaxoSmithKline, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world; (b) Gartner, a global research and advisory firm; (c) MTN Group Limited, a South African multinational mobile telecommunications company, the eighth largest mobile network operator in the world, and the largest in Africa. (4) Otis Elevator Company. Negotiated, drafted and reviewed construction contracts, managing construction-related disputes, claims and litigation and corporate governance matters related to Otis’ spin-off from UTC. (5) Coaching and advising entrepreneurs and SMEs via the MindCloud Tribe Portal. Private Clients - providing legal consultancy to corporations and individuals on various matters such as corporate and commerical law, JVs, M&As, Fintech, Crypto, Tech, Labour Law, Bankruptcy and Insolvency Cases, and more. Show less



Gulf Coca-Cola Beverages (GCCB)

• United Arab Emirates
• Food and Beverage Services
• 100 - 200 Employee

• General Counsel

  • Jan 2021 - May 2023

  Dubai, United Arab Emirates Head of Legal for the Gulf Coca-Cola Bottlers, I provide counsel, guidance and advisory to executive management and boards in the areas of Corporate, Commercial, Corporate Governance, Procurement, Supply Chain, Technology Services, Employment, Ethics and Compliance, Regulatory and other legal matters.



Kimberly-Clark

• United States
• Manufacturing
• 700 & Above Employee

• Associate General Counsel - Middle East and Africa

  • Sep 2015 - Aug 2017

  Dubai Head-hunted from the USA, I started working with Kimberly-Clark Corporation ("K-C") in 2015. K-C is an American multinational personal care corporation with brand name products includinh Kleenex Kotex, Cottonelle, Scott, Andrex and Huggies disposable diapers and baby wipes. Key responsibilities included: • Commercial; drafted, negotiated and reviewed wide range of commercial contracts including in distribution, third party logistics, supply and delivery, sales service, key accounts… Show more Head-hunted from the USA, I started working with Kimberly-Clark Corporation ("K-C") in 2015. K-C is an American multinational personal care corporation with brand name products includinh Kleenex Kotex, Cottonelle, Scott, Andrex and Huggies disposable diapers and baby wipes. Key responsibilities included: • Commercial; drafted, negotiated and reviewed wide range of commercial contracts including in distribution, third party logistics, supply and delivery, sales service, key accounts, marketing, events, and managed any intellectual property rights and trademarks issues, across the region. Worked extensively and closely with the procurement, marketing, quality, regulatory and R&D departments on compliance with local laws and regulations. •Advising teams with regards to implementation of K-C's CoC, other company policies as well as local laws and regulations in areas such as advertising claims, product compliance, product recalls, competition law, trade programs, records and information management, FCPA, facilitating payments, data protection and privact. Developed corporate governance framework for MEA corporate structure and management functions. • Corporate; managed negotiation and drafting of various commercial agreements relating to K-C’s JV partner (Olayan) in Saudi and Bahrain where manufacturing of certain products takes place. Managed establishment and/or structure of K-C legal entities in Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Bahrain and Saudi. Managed trademarks portfolio across MEA. • Business Growth; managed, developed and maintained “playbooks” for GEM markets such as Morocco, Iran and Nigeria. * Developed, drafted and managed the legal framework for K-C’s entry into the Iran market including the development OFAC and sanctions compliance processes, reviewing contractual set up and clearance/ screening of distributor’s customers, set up and supervision and a steering committee of global stakeholders to oversee this business. Show less



Musanada

• Saudi Arabia
• IT Services and IT Consulting
• 1 - 100 Employee

• General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

  • Mar 2009 - Aug 2013

  Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates • Provided the board of directors with overall functional and management support vis a vis the company’s operations. Managed and led Board meetings and Executive Committee meetings, drafted board resolutions and other related documents. • Instrumental in the revision of company’s original strategy as well as in revising the organization structure and manpower plan. • Developed corporate governance framework for the organization including the establishment of board and management… Show more • Provided the board of directors with overall functional and management support vis a vis the company’s operations. Managed and led Board meetings and Executive Committee meetings, drafted board resolutions and other related documents. • Instrumental in the revision of company’s original strategy as well as in revising the organization structure and manpower plan. • Developed corporate governance framework for the organization including the establishment of board and management committees, developed robust and extensive delegation of authority framework. • Corporate/Commercial; Provided company with extensive support on all corporate/ commercial matters including organization redesign restructuring and related employment law matters. • Construction; advising on agreements and material legal points of major construction projects in Abu Dhabi; working with a cross-disciplinary team of construction lawyers, engineers, accountants and procurement managers to prepare and implement the Company’s standard construction/procurement contracts, tendering processes and committees, as well as workflow planning and management. • Technology; providing counsel and managing external advisors to assist the business in delivering its governmental mandate to provide technology to Abu Dhabi government agencies such as data centre, network, infrastructure and enterprise business applications, as well as providing advice and guidance on effective outsourcing and supplier management. • Procurement; providing counsel, advising on and managing legal support for the provision of procurement services across all Abu Dhabi Government entities. This included being a member of the tendering committee, drafting procurement policies and process documentation and managing compliance with government procurement laws and procedures. Show less



Philip Morris International

• Switzerland
• Tobacco Manufacturing
• 700 & Above Employee

• Senior Counsel, Middle East (Dubai)

  • Aug 2005 - Dec 2007

  Dubai, United Arab Emirates • Commercial; drafted, negotiated and reviewed wide range of commercial contracts including in distribution, business performance, supply and delivery, pricing, sales service, key accounts, marketing, sponsorship, events, and intellectual property rights and trademarks across the region. Worked extensively and closely with the marketing department on compliance with local laws and regulations. • Regulatory and Compliance; Responsible for training clients and ensuring compliance with and… Show more • Commercial; drafted, negotiated and reviewed wide range of commercial contracts including in distribution, business performance, supply and delivery, pricing, sales service, key accounts, marketing, sponsorship, events, and intellectual property rights and trademarks across the region. Worked extensively and closely with the marketing department on compliance with local laws and regulations. • Regulatory and Compliance; Responsible for training clients and ensuring compliance with and implementation of local laws and regulations as well as company policies on competition law, competitive intelligence gathering, trade programs, document creation, records and information management, FCPA, facilitating payments, data protection reviews, contributions to charitable or governmental institutions, amongst others. • Government Relations; Responsible for working on initiatives with governments in the region including tax issues, public health issues, environmental and agricultural practices, regulation, compliance with WTO regulations etc. Worked extensively with Ministers of Industry, Commerce, Trade, and Health on various corporate initiatives including foreign investment projects and product regulations. • Management Team; Key member of the Middle East Management Team. Continued the work of my predecessor in establishing a law department for the Middle East based in Dubai. Have been responsible for putting in place a variety of processes required to run a smooth legal function to support all main clients, in the following functions; executive management, sales, marketing, HR, finance, corporate affairs, business planning and development. Member of crisis management response team. • Corporate, HR and Employment; established and managed a new corporate structure for PMI in the Middle East, which included drafting and negotiating lease agreements, insurances, banks as well as managing all relevant issues relating to HR, employment and cross-border movement of employees. Show less



PepsiCo

• United States
• Food and Beverage Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Legal Counsel - Middle East, Africa, Central Asia

  • Jan 2000 - Jul 2005

  Dubai, United Arab Emirates • Commercial; drafted, negotiated and reviewed wide range of commercial contracts Most prominently drafted and negotiated franchise, licensing, conditional and business performance agreements with new franchisees in Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Morocco. Managed litigation cases and disputes arising from termination of franchise agreements in Saudi, Oman, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Libya. • Regulatory; directly responsible for working with Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) and… Show more • Commercial; drafted, negotiated and reviewed wide range of commercial contracts Most prominently drafted and negotiated franchise, licensing, conditional and business performance agreements with new franchisees in Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Morocco. Managed litigation cases and disputes arising from termination of franchise agreements in Saudi, Oman, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Libya. • Regulatory; directly responsible for working with Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) and US State Department for obtaining OFAC licenses to perform franchise and distribution activities in Iran, Libya and Sudan, under the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act. • Corporate; managed establishment and structuring of legal organization throughout MEA. Managed negotiation and drafting of various commercial agreements, shareholder agreements and joint ventures in Lebanon, Pakistan, and Saudi. Managed vast trademarks portfolio across MEA. Managed tax liability case in Kuwait. • Employment and Compliance; directly responsible for all HR and employee issues in MEA including drafting and negotiating employment contracts and separation agreements. Also managed cross-border employee transition issues, from setting up and managing local branch offices of Pepsi-Cola International Limited, compliance related issues, social security and tax matters and generally advising on regional Labor Law issues. Show less