JUDGING PANEL

Each year, ALB invites an independent judging panel of senior and expert legal industry leaders from various sectors corresponding to the diverse list of award categories. ALB is pleased to list some of the distinguished judges. The rest of the panel will be revealed on the evening of the awards.

Afshan Akhtar
Chief Legal Counsel and Board Secretary, BAPCO Refining
 
With over 20 years of wide-ranging legal experience, Afshan has developed an extensive repertoire of legal knowledge and skills. However, what really makes Afshan unique is her ability to work in any industry, any institution and make high impact contributions. Afshan has worked in the oil and gas sector, banking, and the mining industry to name a few, and has consistently shown her prowess to be able to work in diverse industries at the C-Level and make the legal function a success. Her ability to absorb information, analyze situations and her leadership qualities allows Afshan to provide a multi-faceted and holistic legal solution in any situation. Her skills and achievements have been recognized by her peers in the legal industry through many awards including the award of General Counsel of the Year.

Ahmad Al Aseh
Head Of Legal - Middle East, CEVA Logistics

Ahmad (LLM Business Law) is presently located in Dubai, where he holds the esteemed position of Middle East Head of Legal at CEVA Logistics, a subsidiary of the CMA CGM Group. Prior to his current role, Ahmad served as the Legal Manager for the Middle East region at CEVA Logistics, based in Istanbul. In his current capacity, Ahmad oversees the complete spectrum of legal affairs, encompassing 16 distinct legal jurisdictions within the Middle East region. With a professional journey spanning over 14 years, Ahmad has adeptly navigated roles as an in-house and private practice legal professional across diverse geographies, including Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

His distinguished background encompasses serving as the Legal Head for a renowned French perfumery enterprise, in addition to his position as a Legal Advisor at Christopher & Lee Ong, a member of Rajah & Tann Asia, stationed within the Kuala Lumpur Office. Ahmad's global career trajectory has enriched his repertoire with profound international legal experience, artfully spanning Corporate Governance, Corporate Law, Intellectual Property Law, Shipping & Logistics Law, dispute resolution, and contract law within the realms of both Common and Civil law systems.     

Bapsy Dastur
General Counsel and Head – Corporate Risk, Compliance and Legal, VFS Global

With a distinguished career spanning over 25 years in global legal, compliance, and risk roles, Bapsy has led at esteemed multinationals like General Electric, GE Capital, ABB, and Grindlays Bank. Her expertise spans diverse industries—Energy, Logistics, Banking—across continents. Proficient in M&A, Project Finance, Risk Management, and Compliance, Bapsy has built robust functions, nurturing innovation and teams. A champion of gender diversity, she founded VFS Women’s Network and GE Women’s Network (Middle East). Recognitions include Legal 500 GC Powerlist Middle East 2022, World leading General Counsel in 2017. As TRACE International Director, she advances global anti-bribery standards. Bapsy's journey merges legal acumen, leadership development, and transformative impact.

Dineli Gowribalan
General Counsel and Company Secretary, GRIP (DIFC) Ltd

Dineli Gowribalan is currently General Counsel and Company Secretary of GRIP (DIFC) Ltd, Dubai. She is also a director of Zetoya CSP FZCO, Access Capital SPC (Cayman Islands) and Pronghorn Global Limited (a collective investment vehicle registered with and regulated by the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission).

She previously headed the international legal division of the Sobha Group, UAE. Prior to that she worked as Senior Associate in the corporate commercial division of a leading Omani law firm – SASLO (Said Al Shahry & Partners). She has also worked with KPMG Sri Lanka providing tax advisory services. er work experience spans more than 16 years PQE in the following legal practice areas: corporate, commercial, investment funds, banking and finance, acquisitions and business reorganisations, real estate, construction contracts, joint ventures, employment, agency, intellectual property, technology, media, taxation and dispute resolution. She has also conducted legal due diligence and established businesses in new geographies.

Firas OGGAR
Group General Counsel, Zain Group 

Firas Oggar is the Group General Counsel and a member of the executive leadership team of Zain Group as well as being a board member of Zain Iraq. Zain (www.zain.com) is a leading mobile telecommunications operator listed on Boursa Kuwait (and on three other regional equity markets) with a market cap totaling over US$8 billion as of 31 December 2022. Zain counts over 7,000 employees among its ranks and owns or manages operations in seven countries across the MENA region, serving a customer base of over 51.7 million. Zain has responded to the digital wave reshaping the telecom industry by embarking on an ambitious strategy to transform from a traditional mobile telecom operator into a regional digital and ICT communications business, driven by data and pursuing the highest levels of the customer experience. 

Mr. Oggar is a trilingual Corporate Attorney (English, French and Arabic) with over 23 years of experience, having qualified as a Lawyer before the Paris Bar, also holding a Master in International Business Law from University of Paris and completing an Executive Education Program from Harvard Business School. He is a Board Member of “The Association of Corporate Counsels (ACC)”, Washington D.C. (Middle East Chapter, 2017 – to date). ACC is the world's largest community of in-house Counsel and a global bar association that promotes the common professional and business interests of in-house counsel.

Mr. Oggar is a visiting professor in M&A, International Contracts and International Arbitration and Trade Law at the University of Paris, Pantheon-Assas International Law School Executive Education Program. (LLM International Business Law), Dubai Campus.
 

Jacques Visser
Chief Legal Officer, Dubai International Financial Centre Authority

Jacques Visser heads the Legal, Registrars and Regulatory Compliance departments of the DIFC Authority. He also holds the following positions: 

• Supervisory Board Member of the DIFC Employee Workplace Savings Plan (DEWS)
• Board Member and Chairman of the Investment Committee of the DIFC Fintech Fund
• Board Member and Member of the Investment Committee of the Dubai Future District Fund
• Board Member of xCube LLC
• DIFC Commissioner of Data Protection
• DIFC Security Registrar
• Secretary to the DIFC Higher Board, the DIFC Authority Board and the DIFC Investments Ltd Board 
• Editor-in-Chief of the Laws of the DIFC publication

Hanane Farhane
Senior Counsel, Lenovo META and France

Hanane Farhane is the Senior Counsel at Lenovo META and France. With an impressive background in corporate law, Hanane has been an invaluable asset to Lenovo, one of the world's foremost technology companies. Her role as Senior Legal Counsel has seen her navigate intricate legal landscapes with finesse, ensuring Lenovo's compliance and protecting its interests in a dynamic industry. Hanane's exceptional talents have earned her a well-deserved spot on the prestigious Legal 500 – General Counsel Power list for the Middle East in 2022. Hanane's recognition in the Legal 500 – General Counsel Power list for 2022 is the culmination of an exhaustive research process spanning several months. It underscores her remarkable contributions to the field of law and cements her status as one of the most influential in-house lawyers in the Middle East. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Hanane is known for her unwavering commitment to ethical standards and her dedication to fostering a culture of integrity within Lenovo. Her leadership sets a high bar for legal professionals, making her an exemplar in the corporate legal realm.

Helen Graham
General Counsel, Dutco Group

Helen Graham is dual qualified in New Zealand and England including as a Solicitor Advocate of the High Court of English & Wales and trained CEDR mediator.  
In 2007 she left practice in dispute resolution in a London partnership to came General Counsel for Dutco Group a UAE conglomerate in construction, industrial manufacturing, freight and logistics, hotel operation and management in UAE, real estate and oil & gas.

Lidia Kamleh           
Chief of Legal Affairs, Dubai Future Foundation

Lidia serves as the Chief Legal Officer at the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) where, together with her team, she oversees all legal affairs across the group (encompassing entities such as Museum of the Future, Dubai Future Labs, and Dubai Design Lab) as well as providing strategic guidance to the leadership team. Her role at DFF is pivotal in facilitating the organization's mission to drive innovative and future-oriented initiatives both in Dubai and on a global scale, devising forward-thinking solutions that empower DFF to navigate complex legal landscapes while staying on the cutting edge of industry trends. 

Beyond her professional achievements, Lidia is a member to various cross-governmental teams (including the Courts of Space working group) and project lead on various first-of-their-kind legal and regulatory projects. Through these diverse roles, Lidia contributes to shaping the future of Dubai and the broader legal landscape. 

Mark Hultum
Head of Legal MEA, Deutsche Bank

Mark leads Deutsche Bank’s regional legal function as the principal manager of legal risk across all of its activities in the Middle East & Africa region, advising the bank’s Corporate Bank, Investment bank and Private Bank business units, as well as its Regional Management and Infrastructure Functions. With over 15 years’ experience gained in private practice and in-house roles, he is regularly recognised as one of the region’s most influential in-house counsel, including as a member of Legal 500’s GC Powerlist Middle East and as “General Counsel of the Year” at the Middle East Legal Awards 2023. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Mark worked in Clifford Chance’s M&A and Private Equity teams in both London and Hong Kong.

Mohamad AlDarwish
Regional Legal Director, Carrier

Mohamad is a Lebanese lawyer with over 18 years of experience in Litigation, M&A, IPOs, and commercial law. Mohamad started his career as an attorney in Lebanon, then moved to Saudi Arabia advising clients on major merger and acquisitions, IPOs, and corporate restructuring. Currently, Mohamd is the regional legal director for Carrier, the leading HVAC manufacturer, and based in Dubai. Besides his LLB, Mohamad holds an EMBA from Hult International Business School, and has several publications.

Dr. Mohamed Elmogy 
General Counsel, Siemens Energy 

ACC MENA Board Director, multi-awards winner, International Legal Counsel, and bilingual business leader currently the Regional Lead Counsel at Siemens Energy with an outstanding track record of 27 years of hands-on legal experience across the Middle East & Africa ("MEA") Region with F500 Corporations and major commercial groups including Siemens Energy, Siemens, PepsiCo Inc., Snadoz and Vodafone.

MOGY has made huge impact on the In-house Legal Community of the Middle East by founding the platforms for in-house legal counsel in both UAE and Egypt. He is fluent in Arabic (native) and English also with a good knowledge of French and Italian and has successfully obtained his Ph.D. in International Commercial Arbitration at the American Arab Academy in partnership with Texas University and his master’s degree in law MSC in International Legal & Commercial Transactions and Logistics at the Arab Maritime Academy for Science and Technology. MOGY is a proud to have come from a family that well-rooted in the legal field in the region with great legacy in the law society. 
 

Nadim Elias El Haj
Chief Legal Officer, Abu Dhabi National Hotels

Nadim Elias El Haj has served as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel in major government, semi-government and private real estate development and hospitality groups in the UAE over more than two decades of work on ground-breaking projects. He took on lead roles in negotiating and closing mega transactions in the real estate development and hospitality industries in the UAE including the successful negotiation and closing of AED 2.2 B acquisition of five hotel assets in Downtown Burj Khalifa from Emaar Hospitality Group in 2019. Nadim is a passionate of the hospitality industry and had successfully completed in 2020 a “Real Estate Hotel Investments & Asset Management Program” at Cornell University. He was featured as part of The Legal 500 GC Powerlist Middle East for the years 2019 and 2022.

Sandeep Chokshy    
Managing Region Counsel – MENA & ESSA, Expro

Sandeep is a triple qualified lawyer - qualified to practice law in India, UK and US state of Texas. He has worked in private practice for over 12 years with different law firms across UK, Russia, Channel Islands and UAE. His practice areas included banking, finance, corporate and advising on laws in offshore jurisdictions. He switched to in-house practice over 10 years ago into oil and gas sector working with market leaders like Baker Hughes, Frank's International (now, Expro). He is presently Managing Region Counsel for Expro covering Europe, Russia, Africa and Middle East with a lean team based in Aberdeen and Dubai.

Susan L. Karamanian
Dean of the College of Law, Hamad Bin Khalifa University

Susan L. Karamanian is Dean of the College of Law at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Doha.  She was previously the Provost at the American University of Sharjah and the Associate Dean for International and Comparative Legal Studies and Burnett Family Professorial Lecturer at the George Washington University Law School. Before joining GW Law, she was a Partner in Locke Lord LLP in Dallas. She serves on the governing bodies of the American Society of International Law (ASIL), the Center for American and International Law (CAIL), and Texas Appleseed. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Council on Germany and a life fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Texas Bar Foundation.  

Professor Tenia Kyriazi PFHEA MCIArb
Deputy Director Teaching and Learning, Law & Social Sciences
Head Law & Politics Programmes, Middlesex University Dubai

Dr Tenia Kyriazi is the Deputy Director at Middlesex University Dubai. She holds a PhD in International Law, an LLM in International Law with International Relations, an LLB, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education. She is also a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK). Tenia is a member of the Athens Bar Association (Greece) and the Chartered Institute of Arbitration (CIArb).

Tenia’s research interests include International Human Rights Law, International Organisations, International Judicial Organs, and Legal Education. Her work has been published in many peer reviewed journals.

Winnie R. Lardizabal-Morales
Deputy General Counsel, ENGIE Asia, Middle East & Africa 

Winnie is the Deputy General Counsel of ENGIE Asia-Pacific Middle East Africa (AMEA) Regional Hub based in Dubai, UAE. With ENGIE since 2015, she's progressed from senior legal counsel at ENGIE Philippines to Deputy General Counsel-Interim General Counsel of ENGIE Asia Pacific in Singapore before assuming her current role in Dubai. Prior, Winnie led legal and compliance at CalEnergy RHQ and Enfinity Asia-Pacific RHQ, managing renewable energy projects. Her legal expertise spans corporate, tax, and power/energy law. ENGIE, a global electricity, renewable energy, and natural gas leader, finds its headquarters in Courbevoie, France. Winnie's journey encapsulates a dynamic career across diverse legal landscapes.

and many more...