Speakers Archives - Page 5 of 10 - LexisNexis Middle East

Dr Dema Nasser Alwugyan

18/06/2019
by Madelein Du Plessis

Dr Dema Nasser Alwugyan is an International Law professor in Kuwait University Law School. She is also a legal advisor of the Minister of Oil in Kuwait. Dr Alwugyan holds a Ph.D Degree from Kuwait Penn State Law University in the US. Previously to this, she completed a bachelor and Master degree at Kuwait University. She has been selected as a judge at Jessup international law moot court in Washington DC in 2015 and 2016 and is a legal international arbitrator in Kuwait Chamber of Commerce.

Jacques Visser

21/05/201917/02/2021
by Madelein Du Plessis

Chief Legal Officer, DIFC Authority

Jacques Visser heads the Legal Affairs division of the DIFC Authority. In addition, he holds the position of Secretary to the DIFC Higher Board and the Boards of the DIFC Authority and DIFC Investments LLC. Mr. Visser also currently serves as DIFC’s Security Registrar and Commissioner of Data Protection.

With over 20 years of experience as a financial services lawyer, Mr. Visser’s expertise lie in multi-jurisdictional investment structures, funds, asset management and regulatory matters in emerging markets, as well as investment strategies and related M&A transactions. During his expansive career, he has established a number of landmark funds and investment structures relevant to the MENA region.

In his previous role, Mr. Visser worked as National Partner at Dechert LLP in Dubai. During his tenure at Dechert LLP, The Legal 500, an international guide to top-tier legal firms and practitioners, listed him as one of the top three most notable lawyers in the UAE investment funds industry, while MENA Fund Manager recognised him as one of the 50 most influential individuals in the industry in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Prior to Dechert, Mr. Visser ran his own consultancy firm, where he focused on advising a number of emerging and frontier market investment boutiques. He was also a founding partner and Managing Director of DIFC-based firm Algebra Capital, which was sold to Franklin Templeton Investments in 2011. Following the acquisition, Mr. Visser served as the Executive Managing Director and supervised the merger of the two firms.

He has in the past, and continues to serve outside the UAE, as a board member and advisory board member of funds, financial institutions and a technology startup.

Mr. Visser holds a Master’s degree in Banking and Capital Markets Law (LLM) from the University of Johannesburg, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Competition Law from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. In addition, he holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law (LLB) degree from the same university.

Muhammad Mahmood

21/05/2019
by Madelein Du Plessis

Muhammad has a broad disputes practice, ranging from shareholders’ disputes to technology and telecommunications disputes. He has worked on some of the DIFC Courts’ landmark cases, including DNB Bank ASA v Gulf Eyadah Corporation and Other (CA-007-2015) and the DIFC Courts’ first IT hacking case. He has a particular specialism in conflict of laws, regularly advising on complex issues of jurisdiction and enforcement.

Muhammad’s practice at Clyde & Co is comprised primarily of commercial proceedings in the DIFC Courts and arbitration.

Nicholas Braganza

21/05/2019
by Madelein Du Plessis

Nicholas is a dispute resolution and regulatory lawyer based in Dubai, with a wide range of experience in advising on internal and regulatory investigations, and also conducting litigation in court and arbitration proceedings in the Middle East.

Nicholas joined the Dubai Office of Clyde & Co in 2012, and has a broad range of experience in both commercial litigation and international arbitration in the UAE and elsewhere, advising local and multinational companies (as well as individuals) on a diverse range of complex disputes including real estate litigation, shareholder and JV disputes, and white collar matters.

Nicholas has developed a specific practice in regulatory and investigations work in recent years, and advised clients and conducted investigations on a range of topics including cases of pure theft and fraud, but also bribery and corruption, defrauding government authorities, antitrust infringements, sanctions breaches, and money laundering.

Nicholas has also expertise in the enforcement of foreign court judgments and arbitration awards in jurisdictions in the Middle East, especially in the developing jurisdiction of the DIFC.

Alya Al Zarouni

21/05/201908/04/2025
by Madelein Du Plessis

Alya Al Zarouni

Chief Operating Officer | DIFC Authority

As the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the DIFC Authority (DIFCA), Alya is responsible for setting the strategic direction of DIFCA’s operations and client experience. She brings more than 20 years of experience in developing and delivering technology-driven business services and solutions, providing outstanding client service, and driving internal efficiency through policy, process and digital transformation. Prior to her appointment as the COO, Alya assumed multiple roles across different functions in DIFCA and has led the transformation of DIFC services since 2010.

Alya was appointed as Board Member of the World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC) in 2023, an association registered in Belgium representing 19 leading international financial centres across four continents.

She has also been serving as a board member of Hawkamah: The Institute for Corporate Governance for over three years and led the DIFC Academy since its inception until 2022.

In terms of her education, Alya was at the top of her class and earned both her BSc in Computer Science and MBA from the American University of Sharjah. She has an LLM in International Business Law from the University of Paris II Pantheon Assas (Magna Cum Laude). She is a graduate of the prestigious Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development, completing both the Young Leaders Programme and the Dubai Leaders Programme.

Hussain Hadi

19/05/2019
by Madelein Du Plessis

Hussain Hadi heads the Middle East publishing arm of LexisNexis, which provides online access to legislation, regulatory news, case law, and practical guidance from across the MENA region. Prior to joining LexisNexis in 2011, his legal publishing experience includes roles at Oxford University Press and the Informa Group, where he managed a portfolio of commercial and banking law newsletters, books and websites. He launched the online version of the Lloyd’s Law Reports: Insurance & Reinsurance and also developed a series of legal training courses across a range of areas including patents, reinsurance, and contract drafting.

Hussain has overseen the publication of over 200 leading practitioner works on commercial and international law, as well as managing a portfolio of business magazines including the first dedicated monthly law magazine in the Middle East. Having advised government and industry associations such as the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and the General Arab Insurance Federation, Hussain has chaired and spoken at conferences in UAE, UK, Oman, Bahrain and Jordan.

Ayyappan Palanissamy

01/05/2019
by Madelein Du Plessis

Ayyappan Palanissamy has obtained two post-graduate degrees (LL.M & MHRM), and two under-graduate degrees (LL. B & Psychology) from Pondicherry University, India. Currently, he is a Coordinator for the Commercial Law program and a faculty teaching commercial law and management courses at Modern College of Business and Science, Oman. He has taught previously in the international universities in Malaysia and has 16 years of teaching and research experience in the field of law. His research interests include intellectual property law, artificial intelligence and law, and cyber laws. He is a professional member of the Bar Council of Tamilnadu, India, as well as a member of the International Association of Computer Science and Information Technology (IACSIT), and the International Economics Development and Research Centre (IEDRC). He is a reviewer for International Journal of Knowledge and Learning published by Inderscience Publishers.

Shak Ashraf

01/05/201910/11/2022
by Tanya Jain

MD – Forte Markets | CEO & Founder Reg-1 | Founder of the Legal Technology & Innovation Institute

Shak is an accomplished executive with over twenty years of experience in delivering complex technology and business solutions. He has worked extensively in the regulatory and technology segments, having scoped, mobilised and delivered programmes across regulatory requirements spanning some of the most critical changes over the past decade, including MiFID, Market Abuse, AML, EMIR and GDPR. An avid entrepreneur, Shak is leading numerous ongoing tech ventures and also acts as an advisor and consultant for numerous start-ups from several global jurisdictions. He has worked on complex change programmes across front office, operations and technology impacting both the financial and legal industries.

Shak has been particularly active in the implementation and awareness of changes in the legal and regulatory markets, supporting global clients, delivering effective change by ensuring that legacy technology and operating models are replaced with innovative solutions.

Years of responsibilities and a breadth of experience and excellence gained from being a senior practitioner, Shak has an unrivalled understanding of technology, from solution design to execution and deployment, putting him on the front line of innovation across the legal and regulatory domains.

Shak possesses a proven track record in roles that demand rigor, a high level of drive and dedication.

Rim Hamacha

01/05/2019
by Madelein Du Plessis

Rim Hamacha is a Senior Lecturer at Middlesex University who specialises in Commercial and Banking Law. Rim is a module coordinator on the LLM Business Law and LLB Honours programmes, where she delivers lectures in Intellectual Property and the World Trade Organisation Law.

Prior to joining Middlesex University, Rim worked as a Lecturer at Brunel University where she taught Legal research skills, Tort, Equity and Business Law. As part of her research, Rim worked as a project assistant for the International Chamber of Commerce on the role of Arbitration in the Middle East and North Africa. Rim started her career as a trainee analyst at the European Investment Bank where she specialised in investments projects for the MENA and Eastern European markets.

Rim obtained a PhD in Comparative Competition Law from Brunel University London and an LLM in Corporate Finance Law from the University of Westminster. Her research interests focus on the interaction between Law and Finance and the evaluation of the performance of regulatory agencies in the UK, EU and emerging markets.

Lubna Masood Khan

01/05/201918/06/2019
by Madelein Du Plessis

Lubna Khan is a UK qualified solicitor specialising in commercial property and corporate work. Lubna has practiced at various firms in London and during this time was also part of establishing a niche practice focusing on this area of legal practice.

Lubna has also been involved in legal training and producing CPLD conferences across Europe, which were aimed at legal professionals from around the world. These were on such diverse areas as insurance, finance/banking, media, and intellectual property.

Prior to moving to Middlesex University, Lubna was a Lecturer on the Legal Practice course at BPP University, School of Law in London where her main areas of specialism were Property Law & Practice, Private Acquisitions and Solicitors Accounts. At Middlesex her main teaching interests include Contract Law and Criminal Law .

Lubna Khan received her Master’s in International Law & Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London) and also holds a Postgraduate Certification in Higher Education.