People Archive - Page 33 of 41 - LexisNexis Middle East

Steven Brown

08/08/201905/05/2020
by Madelein Du Plessis

Partner, ASAR Bahrain

Steven Brown is a Partner at ASAR and the Managing Attorney of ASAR’s Bahrain Office. Steven has over 9 years of legal experience in Bahrain. Steven’s Bahrain law expertise is focused on banking and finance (secured finance focus), mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, regulatory law, and employment law.

Steven has been involved in a supervisory capacity on a number of restructuring and regulatory projects ranging from typical regulatory transfers to the multi-faceted restructuring of companies facing financial difficulties. He has worked on and led several transactions from inception to completion and has wide experience in conducting due diligence exercises, analyzing local assets, drafting and negotiation of transaction documents and executing such transactions in front of Bahrain ministries.

Munir Suboh

01/08/2019
by Madelein Du Plessis

Munir joined BSA in 2018 as a Partner and Head of the Intellectual Property Practice in our Dubai office. Practicing in the Middle East since 2006, he has worked on numerous contentious and non-contentious IP works including trademarks, trade names, copyrights, patents, trade secrets and domain names. He also works on commercialisation and complex disputes of IP rights.

Over the years Munir has advised many high net worth clients on setting up regional strategies for the protection of their IP rights including prosecution, protection, transaction and enforcement. He represents a range of clients from various industry sectors including media, FMCG, tobacco, industrial, pharmaceuticals and many more.

His principal set of expertise encompasses negotiations, settlement mandates and litigation. He also has extensive experience in regulatory works and has experience in consulting clients on consumer protection, antitrust and competition law.

Munir has co-authored and published many articles in prestigious publications, such as the World Trademark- Anti-Counterfeiting Global Guide, INTA Bulletin, Bloomberg, World Trademark Review (WTR) and The International Law Office (ILO).

An active member in INTA who serves as a member in their committees, Munir holds an LL.B from the University of Jordan and an LL.M in Intellectual Property & Information Technology Laws from the University of San Francisco.

Edouard Salwain

01/08/2019
by Madelein Du Plessis

Edouard is a Senior Associate in BSA Dubai office in the United Arab Emirates, specialising in corporate and commercial law. He provides practical and professional advice on contractual issues, corporate governance and compliance. His principal areas of practice are commercial law, local and cross-border M&A, distribution, franchising, agency and energy law.

Having practiced law in Oman, Paris and Beirut, Edouard has held positions in both in-house and private practice. Throughout his experience in multiple jurisdictions, he has acquired a thorough and solid experience in representing major banks, law firms, energy companies, and other business organisations across the world on a wide range of matters.

Edouard holds an LLB from Saint Joseph University of Beirut as well as a Masters in Corporate and Commercial Law from the University of Lyon III in France.

Samantha Jayne Roberts

18/06/201913/04/2021
by Madelein Du Plessis

Senior Lecturer, Middlesex University Dubai

Samantha is the Campus Programme Coordinator for undergraduate Law and Politics programmes at Middlesex University Dubai. She holds an LLB and MA from King’s College London (UK), a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from BPP University (UK) and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education from Westminster University (UK). She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK).

Samantha’s learning and teaching interests include Medical Law & Ethics, Employment Law, Land Law, Clinical Pedagogy & Problem Based Learning, Mooting and Professional Skills. Her research interests include Regulation of Reproductive Technologies, Reproductive Justice and Post-Colonial Feminism, Law & Ethics at the End of Life, Medical Law & Ethics, and Legal and Clinical Pedagogy.

Lisa Riddler

18/06/201913/04/2021
by Madelein Du Plessis

Lecturer, Middlesex University Dubai

Lisa studied LLB Law at Manchester Metropolitan University (UK) before undertaking the Legal Practice Course at The College of Law, Chester (UK). She is currently undertaking her MA Education and Linguistics at The Open University (UK). Lisa practiced in the UK as a Solicitor where she specialised in Family and Childcare Law. Lisa’s learning and teaching interests include the English Legal System, Equity and Trusts, Family and Children Law, Criminal Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Academic Writing and Legal Drafting.

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.