Wednesday 20th May 2026
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM | Registration & Networking Breakfast
9:00 AM - 9:10 AM | Welcome Address
9:15 AM - 10:00 AM | Keynote Speech
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM | Plenary Session
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10:45 AM - 11:00 AM | Coffee & Networking Break
Law in Action: Risk, Regulation and Business
Law in Motion: Innovation, Leadership and the Future
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Navigating Regulatory Change: Business Impacts in the Middle East
As regulatory environments across the Middle East evolve, understanding how these shifts influence business strategy is essential for staying ahead and driving business growth and resilience. This session explores how regulatory changes shape decision-making, market engagement, and organisational adaptation - providing practical insights for in-house legal leaders operating in the region.
Monita Barghachieh, General Counsel - Marafeq QatarDr Ahmed El Shakankiry, Head of Legal and Compliance - Samsung Gulf Electronics
Dawn Sanderson, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer - Al Dahra Group
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
AI and the Future of Legal Practice: Challenges, Opportunities and Realities
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the legal landscape, and in-house legal teams are uniquely positioned to lead its implementation. This session explores how AI is transforming legal workflows, decision-making, and the expectations placed on corporate counsel. It examines the practical realities of AI adoption - where it is already making an impact, where caution is warranted, and how legal teams can harness its potential to deliver strategic, long-term value.
Tarek Nakkach, Director & General Counsel, MEA - KyndrylMatteo Grassani, General Counsel - Zahid Group
Law in Action: Risk, Regulation and Business
11:45 AM - 12:30 PM
From Due Diligence to Integration: Mastering M&A
Successful M&A depends not only on deal execution, but also on the clarity and cohesion that follows. This session offers a practical, end-to-end view of the M&A lifecycle, from early due diligence through to post-deal integration. Designed for in-house counsel, it explores how legal teams can shape outcomes, anticipate complexity, and support seamless transitions across functions and jurisdictions. Whether you are deal-ready or refining strategy, this session helps you lead with confidence.Mohammed Majid, CLO/ Group General Counsel - Dubizzle Group
Mustasan Mir, Group Chief Legal Counsel - Burjeel Holdings
Law in Motion: Innovation, Leadership and the Future
11:45 AM - 12:30 PM
Rethinking Data: How Privacy and Security Are Redefining Legal Strategy
As data becomes central to business operations, the legal function is being called to rethink its role in shaping how organisations govern, protect, and leverage information. This session explores how evolving expectations around privacy and security are influencing legal strategy, internal collaboration, and corporate decision-making. Join us to gain practical insights into how data considerations are reshaping the contours of legal advice, risk assessments and cross-functional leadership. Dr Thouraya Mathlouthi, Group Legal Director Data Privacy and Protection - e&
1:15 PM - 2:00 PM | Roundtable Sessions
Join these highly interactive, participatory roundtable sessions for legal leaders to engage with peers in an intimate knowledge exchange that ensures highly relevant, actionable and time-efficient dialogue that drives value.
Law in Action: Risk, Regulation and Business
Law in Motion: Innovation, Leadership and the Future
Law in Action: Risk, Regulation and Business
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
When Crisis Strikes: Strategies for Legal and Corporate Resilience
In moments of disruption, the legal function plays a crucial role in stabilising operations, guiding leadership, and preserving trust. This session explores how in-house teams can prepare for and respond to crises with clarity, coordination, and strategic foresight. From internal alignment to external communications, attendees will gain practical approaches for supporting resilience across legal and corporate domains - not just in reaction, but in readiness.
Zaid Gardner, General Counsel - Property FinderLaw in Motion: Innovation, Leadership and the Future
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
Making Legal Partnerships Work: What In-House Counsel Need from Law Firms
Strong external partnerships can elevate the impact of the legal function - but only when they are built on alignment, responsiveness, and mutual understanding. This session explores what in-house counsel need from law firms beyond technical expertise, touching on collaboration, communication style, and strategic priorities. From matter management to relationship dynamics, attendees will gain insights into how to shape legal partnerships that are both efficient and effective.
Zhanara Bateson, General Counsel - Total EnergiesHamad Haider, Chief Legal Officer - Equiti
Meltem Ozker Gunduz, General Counsel - GE HealthCare
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM | Fishbowl Sessions
Fishbowl Sessions are lively, interactive discussions led by a moderator and a few experts seated in the centre of the room - the fishbowl. One extra chair is always open for audience members to join the conversation. Anyone can step in, share their thoughts, and then leave to let someone else take their place. This creates a fast-paced, engaging exchange of ideas between experts and participants.
Fishbowl Session 1
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM
FB1 - Who Decides the Risk: Legal or the Business?
In fast-moving environments, risk decisions often sit at the intersection of legal judgment and commercial ambition. This fishbowl session invites in-house counsel and business leaders to unpack how risk is assessed, owned, and communicated - and who ultimately gets to decide. Through interactive dialogue and real-world scenarios, it will explore how legal and business functions can align or diverge in navigating uncertainty, accountability, and strategic choice. Join us to gain a deeper understanding of what shared ownership truly looks like.
Fishbowl Session 2
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM
FB2 - Is the Traditional In-House Legal Team Model Becoming Obsolete?
As business needs evolve and technology reshapes how legal work gets done, the role of in-house counsel is under pressure to transform. This fishbowl session invites candid conversation about whether the traditional legal team structure still serves today's pace, complexity, and expectations. From embedded legal operations to cross-functional collaboration with IT and AI-enabled workflows, it will explore what is changing and what still matters. Join us in unpacking the future of legal teams: what to keep, what to rethink, and what to build next.
Fishbowl Session 3
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM
FB3 - Sanctions, Tariffs, and Trade Tensions: What Keeps In-House Counsel Up at Night?
As global trade dynamics grow more unpredictable, in-house lawyers are under increasing pressure to navigate evolving sanctions regimes, shifting tariffs structures and tightening trade restrictions. This session brings together legal leaders to discuss how they assess risk exposure, advise business leaders, and respond when geopolitical tensions disrupt operations. Join us to discover how legal teams are building resilience – and what keeps them up at night – as they balance opportunity with compliance in a volatile global landscape.
Fishbowl Session 4
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM
FB4 - Navigating Legal Value Under Pressure: How Do You Move When the Budget Says 'No'?
In-house counsel are under growing pressure to deliver legal value with fewer resources, tighter timelines, and rising expectations. This session explores what it means to lead legal strategy when the budget says “no” to external counsel, headcount, tech, and time. Join us to learn how to prioritise effectively, push back strategically, and protect legal integrity in cost-conscious environments.
3:45 PM - 4:30 PM | Plenary Session - Law and Talent: Building Future-Ready Legal Teams in the Era of AI
AI isn't just changing how legal teams work - it is also challenging who is needed. As technology begins to automate tasks like research, drafting and even decision-making, legal leaders must rethink how they hire, train, and grow their teams. This session explores both the opportunities and challenges at the intersection of legal leadership and AI disruption. From rethinking recruitment and redefining roles to upskilling, succession planning, and preserving human judgment, speakers will share practical strategies for leading legal teams through rapid change.
Mohammed Jamil, General counsel - Petromin CorporationMathieu Savaris, General Counsel & Head of GRC - NEOM
Bassam Moussa, Senior Executive Vice President, Group General Counsel - Mashreq