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.

Maria Andraos

Maria advises clients in various jurisdictions across the MENA region in arbitration proceedings (including ICC, DIFC-LCIA and UNCITRAL ad hoc arbitrations) and litigation proceedings.

Her experience covers a range of industries, including real estate, transport and defence logistics, construction, media and banking sectors; and her practice encompasses a variety of disputes relating to, inter alia, international sales and services agreements, agency agreements, shareholders agreements, and general commercial disputes.

Prior to joining Clyde & Co, Maria gained experience between Paris and Beirut, where she worked in international and regional law firms focusing on international arbitration and litigation.

Maria is fluent in English, Arabic and French.

William Prasifka

William is a barrister with a practice focusing on arbitration as well as litigation before the DIFC and ADGM Courts. He has represented major financial institutions, media and technology companies and various firms operating in the energy and marine sector. William acts as an advocate in complex international arbitrations, freezing injunctions and a variety of commercial disputes. Having been based in Dubai over three years, he has a thorough knowledge of the freezone courts and their integration into the UAE’s legal system.

William holds a degree in history from Columbia University and a law degree from the University of Cambridge. He is called to the bar of England and Wales.

Sherif Maher

Sherif is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution Group at Clyde & Co’s Dubai office and Cairo office. He
divides his time between the two offices.

Sherif advises both local and international clients on commercial contentious matters across the MENA
region. He handles a wide range of commercial dispute resolution work with focus on advising clients in
commercial litigation before the local courts in the MENA region. He further advises multinational
corporations and government-owned entities in international commercial arbitrations under a variety of
rules including those of the CRCICA, DIAC and ICC with a focus on arbitrations involving interests in
the Middle East. He has a strong expertise on regional laws and procedures.

Sherif has extensive experience in complex, high value local and international disputes and his practice
primarily focuses on resolving Middle East disputes arising out of commercial agreements (e.g.
commercial agencies, sale of goods and services agreements, real estate and lease agreements, joint
venture and partnership agreements and management contracts). In addition, he advises regularly on
disputes involving the enforcement of judgment and arbitration awards, debt recovery and bankruptcy.
Sherif lived in Paris, London, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Cairo. He is fluent in English, Arabic and French.

Bassam Al-Azzeh

Bassam Al-Azzeh is a senior associate in the field of intellectual property (IP), Customs and International Trade, with more than a decade of experience in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. He advises and represents clients on a wide range of legal services related to IP matters across various sectors, such as FMCG, tobacco, media, technology, pharmaceutical, automotive, and luxury brands.

Bassam is a well-rounded and versatile legal professional, who can provide high-quality and tailored solutions for his clients’ IP needs including:

Trademark prosecution: He can assist clients with trademark clearance, registration, renewal, and portfolio management in every jurisdiction in the region, as well as advise them on the protection and development of their brands and non-traditional trademarks.

Enforcement and litigation: He can help clients design and implement effective enforcement strategies and work with enforcement agencies to take anti-counterfeiting and infringement actions. He can also represent clients in IP disputes before authorities.

Copyright and media: He can advise clients on the protection and enforcement of their copyright and related rights, as well as assist them with copyright recordation and assignment. He can also represent clients in media disputes.

Competition and consumer protection: He can advise clients on the compliance with competition and consumer protection regulations in the region, as well as assist them with product recalls, price increases, unfair commercial practices, and exploitation of IP rights.

IP transactions: He can advise clients on the IP aspects of various commercial transactions, such as licensing, assignment, co-existence, and joint ventures.

Labelling and standards compliance: He can advise clients on the standards and regulations governing the labelling of various products, as well as assist them with obtaining approvals for the importation and distribution of their products. He can also advise clients on the compliance with health warnings, country of origin, pictorials, and other labeling requirements.

Domain names and online enforcement: He can assist clients with retrieving their domain names from cyber-squatters and infringers through filing complaints with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center or other relevant authorities. He can also assist clients with taking down infringing material from social media platforms and other online sources.

Bassam has a proven track record of success in the MENA region and a deep understanding of the IP landscape and the challenges and opportunities that clients face.