Adnan Doha

Senior Associate, King & Spalding

Adnan Doha has extensive experience in public and private mergers, acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, restructurings and corporate finance matters. A Senior Associate in King & Spalding’s award-winning Middle East Corporate, Finance and Investment group with significant cross border expertise, Adnan represents corporate, private equity and financial institution clients on a range of key strategic transactions. His sector focus spans consumer goods and retail, industrials, real estate, technology and e-commerce, healthcare, hospitality and leisure.

Prior to joining our firm, Adnan worked in the London office of Clifford Chance LLP for a decade, with a year on secondment to the Dubai office. Adnan has also spent time leading an Africa focussed private equity house working on a range of acquisitions, joint ventures and disposals from deal origination to deal execution.
Adnan has advised NBK Capital Partners on its investment in an e-commerce business operating in Kuwait and Egypt as well as Baker Hughes, a GE Company in its acquisition of a 5 per cent interest in ADNOC Drilling for an initial consideration of US$550 million, valuing ADNOC Drilling at US$11 billion. Adnan also advised Legal & General on its disposal of interests in UK shopping centres for £150m to a Japanese bank and subsequent joint venture arrangements.

Osama Audi

Partner, King & Spalding

Osama Audi specializes in private equity, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, complex corporate structuring, and corporate finance. As a partner in our award-winning Corporate, Finance and Investments Group.  Mr. Audi works with clients doing business in the Middle East and Africa, with a particular focus on the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

With region-specific expertise in mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and corporate finance, Mr. Audi represents private equity and alternative investment funds, closely held businesses, multi-nationals and sovereign wealth funds in sectors such as consumer goods and retail, oil & gas, technology and e-commerce, healthcare, education, real estate, hospitality and leisure.

Prior to joining our firm, Mr. Audi worked in the Dubai office of Clifford Chance and, for approximately two-and-a-half years prior to that, was seconded to Clifford Chance’s partner-firm in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Al Jadaan & Partners Law Firm, where he focused his practice on mergers and acquisitions transactions, and the establishment and successful operation of joint ventures.

Previously, Mr. Audi worked with Istithmar, the private equity arm of the Dubai World sovereign wealth fund. There, he was a member of the international acquisitions group, focusing on real estate, hospitality and leisure acquisitions, and joint ventures.

Graham Lovett

Graham Lovett, Board Director, Dubai International Arbitration Centre

Graham leads the Middle East disputes practice of Akin Gump and specializes in high-value, complex and cross-border commercial litigation and arbitration. He regularly appears as an advocate before the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts and sits as an arbitrator in both domestic and international arbitrations. Graham also appeared regularly before the Dubai World Tribunal, a specialist Court set up by Decree to hear cases involving Dubai World and its subsidiaries during its restructuring. He also sits as an arbitrator in both domestic and international arbitrations. In October 2021, His Highness the Ruler of Dubai appointed Graham as a director of the board of the recently expanded Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC).

Mhairi Main Garcia

Partner, Dentons Dubai

Mhairi is a partner in Dentons’ Dubai office who specialises in UAE and energy and infrastructure projects, advising on project development, M&A and capital markets in the energy and infrastructure sectors. With over 21 years’ experience practicing in the Middle East, Mhairi’s expertise in renewable energy and infrastructure spans a range of utilities projects, including conventional power, wastewater, solar, wind, waste-to-energy, and upstream oil and gas. Predominantly acting for multi-national corporates, sponsors, lenders, contractors, infrastructure companies, high net worth individuals and public sector clients in numerous jurisdictions. Mhairi has also been an author to various publications such as MENA renewables- powering ahead. She is a member of the Clean Energy Business Council, Association of International Petroleum Negotiators, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Emirates Solar Industry Association, Law Society of England and Wales. Mhairi is also a registered legal consultant at Dubai Legal Affairs Department. She has advised on a number of award-winning and ground-breaking deals in the MENA region. Mhairi was recognised as the leading UAE- based international lawyer by Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) 2011.

Dr. Daniel Brawn

Senior Counsel, Galadari Advocates & Legal Consultants

Daniel specialises in arbitration of construction disputes. He has published learned articles and lectured extensively on construction and arbitration subjects and is a critical member of the Construction and Projects team at Galadari.

Daniel has a wide experience of the construction industry, both from a contentious and non-contentious perspective. He has put together development projects of all sizes, providing the legal and practical advice needed to manage risk. He has advised land owners, developers, contractors, purchasers and their professional teams and has carried out due diligence work for funders. Daniel has well practiced experience of drafting and negotiating contracts and all the associated documents, warranties, assignments, bonds and guarantees that are used on large developments. On the contentious side, Daniel has focused particularly on arbitration as a means of resolution for technical disputes, drafting pleadings and advising on the level of proof required in breach of contract claims, extensions of time, liquidated damages, the valuation of variations and loss and expense, the effects of delay and prolongation.
Daniel had worked in the construction industry for many years before taking the decision to retrain as a lawyer. He graduated (BA Hon) in Law from the University of Greenwich in 1995, called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1996, read for a Post Graduate Diploma in Arbitration Practice and Procedure in 1999, was admitted to the Roll Solicitors in England and Wales in 2001, became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and eventually a Chartered Arbitrator in 2002, finally taking his PhD from Manchester University in 2005.

H.E. Justice Shamlan Al Sawalehi

Court of Appeal Judge and Judge in Charge of the Arbitration Division, DIFC Courts

H.E. Justice Shamlan Al Sawalehi has over 23 years of experience in international commercial and financial litigation in common law, civil law and Sharia’ legal systems. He has experience in arbitral practice in civil and common law systems, as has served as sole arbitrator, Co-arbitrator and Chairman of many arbitral tribunals. He joined the DIFC Courts in 2010 as a Judicial Officer before becoming a Small Claims Tribunal Judge and then a Court of First Instance Judge before he was appointed as Court of Appeal Judge in 2017. He was appointed by the DIFC Courts Chief Justice as Judge in Charge of the Arbitration Division of the DIFC Courts in 2020. Prior to joining the DIFC Courts, Justice Al Sawalehi was the founder of Shamlan Law firm, where he represented governments and private clients on complex commercial and financial disputes in the UAE and MENA region. Prior to that, he served as Director of Strategic Affairs at The Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai where he was involved in number of strategic legal cases.

Celine Kankari

Partner at Kennedys Dubai

Celine is a partner in Kennedys’ Dubai office who specialises in UAE and International Arbitration. With over 15 years’ experience practicing in the Middle East, Celine’s expertise in domestic and international arbitration spans a range of industry sectors, including real estate, commercial and construction. Predominantly acting for multi-national corporates, construction companies and high net worth individuals, Celine has also been involved with drafting training materials for the Dubai Legal Affairs Department. She is a member of the UAE International Chamber of Commerce and Arbitral Women. Celine also sits as arbitrator with leading institutions such as the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Dubai International Financial Centre and London Court of International Arbitration (DIFC-LCIA), and Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) – from whom she was awarded best sole arbitrator under the age of 40 in 2018.

Yaseen Bin Khalid Khayyat

Chairman, Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA)

Yaseen Bin Khalid Khayyat is the Chairman of the SCCA and holds the following qualifications: Master degree in law and professional practice, with excellent grade, from King Abdul-Aziz University in Jeddah. His experience includes:

• Law suit researcher in Ministry of Hajj and Ummra from 1417 AH to 1419 AH.
• Obtaining Legal Consultation License from 1418 AH.
• Obtained License to practice law number: 59/23 from Ministry of Justice.
• Certified arbitrator from the Saudi Ministry of Justice.
• Vice-Chairman of the Lawyers Committee at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jeddah for the nineteenth session.
• Chairman of the Lawyers Committee at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jeddah for the twenty first and twenty second sessions.
• Member of the National Lawyers Committee in the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC).
• Chairman of the Board of Directors of the G.C.C Commercial Arbitration Center (GCCCAC) – Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2012 and 2016.
• Member of the Board of Directors of the General Commission of the Guardianship of Trust Funds for Minors and their Counterparts.
• Former member of the Standing Committee for Saudi Arbitration Centers.
• Member of the Bankruptcy Committee (Amiable Conciliation against Bankruptcy Committee).