Maha Bin Hendi

Maha Bin Hendi is the Managing Partner of Maha Bin Hendi Law Firm. She is a qualified Emirati lawyer, holding the right of audience before the UAE’s Federal Courts and the Dubai Courts.

Prior to establishing her own firm, Maha worked for a leading and prominent independent law firm, Hadef & Partners, where she handled various real estate and commercial transactions disputes.

Maha Bin Hendi Law Firm is the first law firm operating out of the heart of the city, Dubai Design District (d3). The firm focuses on Commercial, Corporate, and Litigation matters across the UAE. 

Valentina Rainone

Senior Executive, Board Member of many worldwide entities, Certified Auditor and Chartered Accountant with more than twenty years professional experience in roles of progressive responsibility leading global and national financial operations across international luxury fashion, retail and sport brands .

Throughout her career, she constantly focused on and made great achievements in improving her ebit and net financial position. Former Wolford Group CFO, she has several years of experience in C-level roles at Marni (OTB Group), Ermanno Scervino, Nike and Fendi, among others.

Gabriella Saracino

International Senior Executive with 25+ years of experience in global leadership roles within the luxury and fashion industry, following a solid foundation in top-tier Investment Banking and Management Consulting. Highly skilled in strategy setting, business planning, negotiation, and brand development, with a hands-on management approach across complex, extensive, and diversified product categories.

She consolidated several experiences, from Valentino, to Versace, being Worldwide licensing Director, demonstrating success in leading business units with full P&L responsibility, driving significant growth in established businesses, as well as pioneering start-up projects. A unique combination of creativity, management expertise, and a passion for building and scaling businesses, particularly in the Beauty, Fashion, Home & Interior Design, and Branded Real Estate sectors.

Sarah Malik

Sarah Malik is an award-winning lawyer who founded SOL International Ltd, a boutique legal consultancy registered at the ADGM, UAE in 2018.

Sarah is also the Founder of Sarah Malik Lifestyle which deals with bespoke consultation and training in fashion, sports, and entertainment.
Sarah has achieved various awards including ‘Litigator of the Year’ (2022) at the first GCC Women in Law Awards. Sarah has been recognised as one of ‘Asia’s 100 Women Power Leaders 2023’ by White Page International in May 2023. She has been featured in Vogue Turkey in September 2024 and in a special edition of Women In Law 2024.

Sarah successfully completed a Fashion Law Certificate Program from the renowned Milano Fashion Institute in July 2023 with Merit and 97% score. The course covered fashion processes and business models (including France, Italy, Brazil, and China) fashion IP processes, fashion negotiation, design, fashion pipeline and counterfeiting, marketing and promotion agreements, and merchandising plan: how to plan and design a fashion collection.

In July 2023, she was appointed to the Advisory Board of Fashion Law Arabia Council. She is a published author of various articles on issues affecting the fashion industry including sustainability, metaverse, franchising and HR issues. Sarah has spoken on panels on infringement issues in the virtual fashion world.

Sarah acts for a company in the luxury goods market who brings a unique and innovative concept to authenticate luxury items. She is retained Counsel for one of the largest jewellery brands in Gold and Diamond Park UAE and has advised a major Italian luxury fashion house in the UAE in respect of misuse of employee benefits.

She is instructed by a European designer to showcase a collection in the Middle East. Sarah is frequently invited to speak at conferences within the UAE, GCC and internationally and also undertakes entertainment law, looking after the interests of artists including IP rights. Sarah will be moderating a panel in November 2024 in respect of Art Crime.

Payam Beheshti

Payam is a partner specialising in complex disputes, with a focus on the financial services sector, contentious regulatory matters and investigations.

He represents clients before the Courts of England and Wales, the DIFC Courts, the ADGM Courts, and regulatory bodies, as well as in arbitrations.

In addition, Payam sits as an arbitrator and advises clients on anti-bribery and corruption matters, cyber-crime, data protection and privacy laws.

David McDonald

David leads Simmons & Simmons’ Middle East employment practice and has been based in Dubai for a decade.

David advises on all aspects of the employment relationship and he is an expert in managing employee risk with a particular focus on the United Arab Emirates market.

He has a deep background in employment disputes, workplace investigations and disciplinary matters and he regularly guides clients through these complex and sensitive situations.

Patrick Dillon-Malone

Patrick is a dispute resolution partner in Clyde & Co’s Dubai office; he is a Senior Counsel (Ireland) and barrister (England and Wales) whose practice as an advocate for over 25 years has extended to a broad range of international commercial disputes.

Patrick has practiced in Dubai and the wider Middle East and North Africa region since early 2017. He heads the firm’s Middle East and Africa Advocacy Unit and its focus on strategic support, pleading, and advocacy in cases before international commercial courts and tribunals in the region.