This will be conducted in English and according to Riyadh local time. 

With the success of our ingural KSA event in 2023, Legal Plus will be back in Riyahd for the 2nd International Arbitration Summit – Riyadh on Thursday 7 November 2024 at Marriott Riyadh Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh. 

The event will bring together a group of arbitration expertise to share their knowledge and give tips to on arbitration and lookout for 2025. Through presentations and discussions, you will be able to interact with speakers and fellow legal professionals to enhance and update your knowledge.   It will be an excellent opportunity to ask questions to legal household names in the region, network and create business opportunities, meet & greet and make some new friends!

Registration is now open.  Contact us today or view the latest flyer for registration and program details. Download

If you are interested to sponsor or speak at the event, contact Jason at jason.sinclair@legalplus-asia.com for package details.  For registrations details, contact Bettina at legalpluseventsasia@legalplus-asia.com.

Program
The organiser reserves the right to change the program without prior notice.

• Welcome Message by Chairman
  Rupert Reed KC, Barrister and Arbitrator, Serle Court Chambers
  
• Welcome Address by Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration
  Christian P. Alberti, Chief of ADR and General Counsel, Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA)
• Keynote Session: Update in Global Arbitration 2024 and Looking into 2025
  Gary Born, Chair of the International Arbitration Practice Group, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
• Managing and Avoiding Construction Disputes in the Coming Energy Transition 2030!
  Dr. Qaisar H Metawea, Managing Partner, Dr. Qaisar H Metawea Law Firm
• Practical Steps for Effective Enforcement of International Arbitral Awards in Saudi Arabia
  Sarah Gonem, Partner, Z&Co.
• Arbitration Clauses – Interpretation & Enforcement
  • Anton Mikel, Partner, Baker McKenzie Law Firm
  
• Managing Cross-border Disputes With Chinese Companies
  Tim Yimin Liu, Partner, Global Law Office
• 1st Grand Panel: Speeding Up the Process in Arbitration — Expedited & Emergency Arbitration: Who Benefits Most, Choice of Seats & What are the Pitfalls for General Counsels in the Region
  Moderator:Leonora Riesenburg, Chartered Arbitrator, INTADR DMCC
  Panellists:
  • Randall Walker, Partner, Riyadh/ Dubai, Litigation, International Arbitration, Hogan Lovells
  • Julian Cohen, Arbitrator & Barrister, Resolution Chambers
  • Nesreen Osman, Partner, Pinsent Masons LLP
  • Karim Haroun, Senior Associate, Dr. Qaisar H Metawea Law Firm
• 2nd Grand Panel: Arbitration, Mediation and the ADR Toolbox — When to Use Which Tool and How Effective are they in MENA & Other Jurisdictions
  Moderator: Reshma Oogorah, Independent Arbitrator
  Panellists:
  • Joshua Coleman-Pecha, Senior Associate, HFW
  • HK Suresha, Senior Partner and Country Head, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Masin
  • Fadi Nashed, Managing Director, Ankura
• Leveraging Effective Disputes Mechanisms in Construction Disputes — Damages, Quantum and Enforcement Issues in The Middle East
  • Niall Clancy, Partner, Simmons & Simmons
  • Stuart Dutson, Partner & International Co-Head of Arbitration, Simmons & Simmons
  
• Global Supply Chain Crisis in Construction & Energy: Disputes & Cost Management
  Nick Oury, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills
  
• 3rd Grand Panel: Energy Charter Treaty, ESG, LNG, Pricing and Compliance: Avoiding Inevitable Disputes and Understanding Changes of Circumstances
  Moderator: Euan Lloyd, Partner, Al Tamimi & Company
  Panellists:
  • Gary Born, Chair of the International Arbitration Practice Group, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
  • Fatima Ghaith, Legal Expert
  • Sean Hugo, Partner, CBBG Group
• 4th Grand Panel: Shareholders, Stakeholders & Director Disputes with KSA & Foreign Companies: Best Practices to Protect the Company
  Moderator: Anton Mikel, Partner, Baker McKenzie Law Firm
  Panellists:
  • Marcus Khoury, General Counsel, ALEC Engineering
  • Christian P. Alberti, Chief of ADR and General Counsel, Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA)
  • Cesar Ghaleb, Founding Partner, Triumph & Co.
  • Sarah Gonem, Partner, Z&Co.
  

Speaker

Rupert Reed KC, Chairman

Barrister and Arbitrator, Serle Court Chambers

Rupert Reed KC is a Commercial barrister and arbitrator in Serle Court Chambers with a substantial litigation and arbitral practice in London, Dubai and the wider Middle East. Having read History and Modern Languages with joint honours at Oxford, he took a double first in Law at Cambridge and attended Harvard Law School as a Kennedy Scholar. He was called to the English Bar in 1996, appointed to the Attorney General’s C Panel of Treasury Counsel in 2000, registered as an Advocate before the DIFC Courts in 2009, and appointed as Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) back in 2014. He is fluent in French and has a working knowledge of Arabic. He has a strong interest in both Arab Civil and Islamic Law, and has written on the application of Shari’a principles in English Law, most recently in the Journal of Banking and Finance Law. He has acted in a number of cases between Saudi parties in the English Courts, including for the successful Defendants in Abbar v. SEDCO Real Estate [2013] EWHC 1414 (Ch) and recently in Asturion Foundation v. Aljawarah bint Ibrahim Abdulaziz Alibrahim [2023] EWHC 3305 (Ch). He has been a leading practitioner in the DIFC Courts for nearly 15 years and co-edits and writes the leading text on DIFC law, the DIFC Courts Practice, now in its second edition. He has sat as arbitrator in commercial and property matters in the Gulf region, with significant experience as a co-arbitrator, chair and sole arbitrator in DIAC, DIFC-LCIA, and LCIA arbitrations. He has served on both the DIAC Rules Task Force and DIFC Court’s Arbitration Working Group. He is recognised as a leading practitioner in Commercial Chancery, Commercial, Banking and Finance, Property and Civil Fraud in the leading UK and global directories of legal counsel. Chambers Global identifies him as one of the top two London leading counsel acting in the UAE.

Biography

Christian P. Alberti, Welcome Message

Chief of ADR and General Counsel, Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA)

Christian P. Alberti is the Chief of ADR and General Counsel of the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA) and based in Riyadh and Dubai. Prior to joining the SCCA in 2019, he was the Assistant Vice President of the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (AAA-ICDR). He taught as Adjunct Professor at New York University School of Law (NYU) on International Arbitration and International Sales Law between 2017 and 2019. He is a Member of the Global Advisory Board of the New York International Arbitration Center (NYIAC), a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators as well as a member of various international ADR associations. He is certified to practice law in Germany and New York State.

Biography

Gary Born, Keynote Speaker

Chair of International Arbitration Practice Group, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP

Gary Born is Chair of the International Arbitration Practice Group at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP and the world’s pre-eminent authority on international commercial arbitration and international litigation. He has served as counsel in over 675 arbitrations, including several of the largest arbitrations in ICC and ad hoc history, and has sat as arbitrator in more than 250 institutional and ad hoc arbitrations. Mr. Born has published a number of leading works on international arbitration, international litigation and other forms of dispute resolution. He is the author of International Commercial Arbitration (Third Edition, Kluwer 2020), the leading treatise in the field, which has received the American Society of International Law’s Certificate of Merit for High Technical Craftsmanship and OGEMID’s Book of the Year award for 2009. He is an Honorary Professor of Law at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland and Tsinghua University, Beijing, and teaches regularly at law schools in Europe, Asia and North and South America. Mr. Born is a former President of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) Court of Arbitration, a member of the International Advisory Board of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), a member of the International Arbitration Committee of the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB), a member of the Global Advisory Board of the New York International Arbitration Center (NYIAC), and a member of the Jerusalem Arbitration Center’s Court of Arbitration. Among many accolades, Mr. Born has received the Global Arbitration Review inaugural “Advocate of the Year” award, the Client Choice award for “Best International Arbitration Practitioner” and the Best Lawyers “London Arbitration Lawyer of the Year” award. He is one of only two practitioners in London and globally to achieve “starred” status for international arbitration in the Chambers guides. In 2018 Chambers recognized him for his “Outstanding Contribution to the Legal Profession,” describing him as the world’s foremost authority on international arbitration and litigation, “in a class of his own” and “revered around the world for his work on international commercial and investor arbitration.” Mr. Born is also the author of “The File,” a best-selling spy thriller.

Biography

Leonora Riesenburg, Moderator - 1st Grand Panel

Chartered Arbitrator, INTADR DMCC

Leonora Riesenburg is a seasoned, independent Chartered Arbitrator and Accredited Mediator, empanelled on arbitration and mediation panels across the globe. A UK qualified barrister, Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England & Wales, in the UAE since 2007, Leonora is an International Tenant at 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square in London, a Chartered Arbitrator and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), and a Certified ADR Practitioner and Fellow of the Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution (AIADR). Her practice is international, and routed cross jurisdiction, encompassing both civil and common law systems. Previously Branch Chair of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in the UAE, and a member of Board of Management for CIArb London, Leonora holds pivotal roles for the CIArb as a Regional Pathway Leader (International Arbitration, Commercial Mediation) in the MENA region and is a highly sought after faculty member for the Institute. She also trains and assesses for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), both in MENA and in the UK. Leonora is honoured to be a serving member of Governing Council of HAC in Hyderabad, India, and on the Global Advisory Panel of ADR Practitioners for MICADR in Karachi, Pakistan. She is also a member of the DIFC Courts Arbitration Working Group and the LCIA Users’ Council.

Biography

Reshma Oogorah, Moderator — 2nd Grand Panel

Independent Arbitrator

Reshma Oogorah is an international arbitrator and legal counsel with over a decade of experience in high-value and complex commercial disputes. She focusses on the construction, technology and energy sectors, and has represented clients in both common and civil law jurisdictions. She has sat as Sole and Presiding arbitrator and acted as counsel in adhoc arbitrations, and under most major arbitration rules. Prior to setting up her arbitration and legal practice, Niyom Legal, Reshma spent time working with leading law firms in the United Arab Emirates, Mauritius, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, and with a top London Barrister’s chambers. Throughout her career, Reshma has advised and represented clients in transactions and disputes worth up to US$25 billion. Reshma is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), an elected committee member and Public Relations Officer of the CIArb UAE Branch, and General Editor of the Branch’s quarterly newsletter.

Biography

Euan Lloyd, Moderator - 3rd Grand Panel

Partner, Al Tamimi & Company

Euan Lloyd leads Al Tamimi & Company’s Construction & Infrastructure practice and is based in Riyadh. Euan is admitted as a solicitor in England & Wales as well as in New South Wales, Australia and has practiced in the Middle East for 15 years. Euan advises stakeholders on various high value concession agreements, construction contracts, O&M contracts. subcontracts and consultant services agreements in respect of a variety of power, utilities, infrastructure, building and development projects. Euan’s practice also encompasses construction disputes (including in the form of ADR, arbitration and court proceedings). Euan speaks at various construction industry events and regularly publishes topical articles.

Biography

Anton Mikel, Moderator - 4th Grand Panel

Partner, Baker McKenzie Law Firm

Anton Mikel is a Partner at Baker McKenzie Law Firm. He focuses on commercial litigation and arbitration. He has extensive and diverse commercial litigation and commercial arbitration experience in Saudi Arabia and the U.S. federal (district and appellate) and state courts. He has represented some of the largest foreign and local companies and banks operating in the Middle East in relation to a range of disputes involving breach of contract, joint ventures, liquidation, and labor disputes.

Biography

Dr. Qaisar H Metawea

Managing Partner, Dr. Qaisar H Metawea Law Firm

Dr. Qaisar Metawea is a Saudi lawyer and the managing partner of Dr. Qaisar H Metawea Law Firm, a full-service law firm established in Saudi Arabia with a commitment to providing and implementing complete innovative legal solutions to satisfy their diverse clients. Dr. Qaisar has practiced as a Saudi attorney for over nineteen years. He is also a licensed attorney by the Saudi Ministry of Justice. Apart from his professional excellence, Dr. Qaisar has received an S.J.D. degree in International Trade Law, L.L.M. degree in International Intellectual Property Law from Indiana University, School of Law, U.S.A. Also, Dr. Qaisar completed an L.L.M. degree in Business Law - International Trade Law at Case Western Reserve University, School of Law, U.S.A and an L.L.B. degree at King Abdul Aziz University, Saudi Arabia. Dr. Qaisar has wide-ranging in-depth experience in legal opinions, legal drafting, negotiating business transactions, company structuring, litigation, completing registrations in various sectors and obtaining licenses. Dr. Qaisar also has extensive experience working closely with executive governmental authorities in policy drafting and review. In addition to Dr. Qaisar’s professional practice, Dr. Qaisar was a pat-time associate law professor at Dar Al-Hekmah University, teaching corporate law and intellectual property law courses. He is a founding member of the Saudi Bar Association. He writes legal columns for prominent local newspapers, including Okaz and Arab News.

Biography

Julian Cohen

Arbitrator & Barrister, Resolution Chambers

Julian has 30 years of specialist experience of heavyweight international, and domestic, disputes. Sums in dispute in his cases vary from small to in excess of USD 2 billion. In addition to acting as counsel, he also regularly sits as an arbitrator. Julian has over 10 years’ experience in the MENA region, including 2 years based full time in Dubai, and an ongoing long-term commitment to the region. Julian has been involved in projects and disputes in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Oman, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Benin, Sierra Leone and Mali. Julian was called to the Bar in England & Wales in 1990. He was with Pinsent Masons’ Construction Disputes practice in London and Hong Kong from 1993 to 2009. He left Pinsent Masons as a partner in 2009, and was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 2010. Julian is particularly well known for his heavy weight practice in relation to the Construction and Engineering sectors, the Energy, Oil and Gas sectors and International and domestic arbitrations.

Biography

Sarah Gonem

Partner, Z&Co.

Sarah Gonem is a Partner at Z&Co., with her core practice in commercial litigation. Sarah joined Z&Co. in 2014 from the London office of an international law firm and is a UK-qualified lawyer. In the litigation department, she works closely in the overall project management of complex commercial matters, including supporting in scrutinising the structure and justification of each argument. As a result of Sarah’s international experience and bilingual language skills, she acts as an essential conduit between the local Sharia and judicial context and international best practices in the management of complex commercial issues and disputes. Sarah is currently ranked as a Leading Individual by the Legal500, and has been ranked in her individual capacity since the 2020 edition, which reported that Sarah is “excellent” and “has a particular talent for facilitating progress in cross-border cases”. She has also been ranked in Chambers Global since the 2021 edition, which states “Sarah Gonem has an increasingly substantial presence in the market and is noted by commentators for being “good at combining Western and Arabic legal expertise in a very effective manner.” She is well placed to advise on significant claims for both multinational companies and major Saudi players. Clients also comment that she provides “very strong and detailed advice.”.

Biography

Tim Yimin Liu

Partner, Global Law Office

Mr. Yimin Liu, Tim, FCIArb, focuses on cross-border legal practices, his cases are from the jurisdictions such as the USA, China, the UK, the UAE (DIFC and ADGM), the KSA, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Kazakhstan, ASEAN, India, Australia, and New Zealand, etc. Tim is empaneled as arbitrator and mediator of SCCA and DIAC. As counsel, Tim works on the matters such as China domestic litigation and arbitration, cross border litigation, international commercial arbitration and mediation, judicial reviewing of arbitral awards (recognition and enforcement, setting aside, and refusal of recognition and enforcement). Tim was also involved in cross border bankruptcy and assets recovery in foreign jurisdictions. Currently Tim works with Global Law Office of China (GLO) as partner in Shanghai. Before that, Tim worked with Accenture as in-house Legal Director for complex digital and data deals, and with other leading international law firms such as Morrison & Foerster, Clifford Chance, Nixon Peabody LLP, and Heller Ehrman LLP, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto. Tim worked in NYC, Chicago, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Biography

Fadi Nashed

Managing Director, Ankura

Fadi Nashed is a Managing Director at Ankura, based in Riyadh. Prior to relocating to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Fadi was based in Toronto. Fadi specializes in planning and delay analysis, investigations, arbitration, and litigation support services for construction matters. Fadi has provided other services to construction clients, including productivity/disruption analysis and provision of contractual advice. Fadi aims to assist his clients in avoiding or resolving any disputes on medium, large, and mega-projects. His clients include major law firms, public sector owners, main contractors, subcontractors, and design firms. Fadi has arbitration qualifications and has received invitations to be on arbitrators’ rosters; he uses these skills to render complicated technical matters simple when communicated to courts, arbitrators, tribunals and legal professionals. Fadi has worked in English, French, and Arabic, bringing multiple languages to projects for more complete communication

Biography

Joshua Coleman-Pecha

Senior Associate, HFW

Joshua Coleman-Pecha is a senior international construction, infrastructure and technology dispute specialist working in the MENA region. He advises on construction and technology projects from inception to completion. Joshua is a qualified solicitor advocate, meaning he has rights of audience in the courts of England & Wales, and is a PRINCE 2 qualified project manager. Joshua advises on all aspects of complex dispute avoidance and resolution. He has represented several clients in billion-dollar disputes before a variety of arbitral institutions including ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, DIAC, and SCCA. He has experience handling disputes under the governing laws of England & Wales, the UAE, Saudi, and Qatar. Joshua’s recent significant work includes advising in relation to oil and gas processing facilities, drilling contracts (onshore and offshore), a water desalinisation plant, a battery energy storage park, the MENA region’s largest metro system, and a major railroad and metro project in the UAE and Saudi respectively. Joshua has experience of projects across the region having handled disputes in, for example, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Turkey. His clients include international oil & gas companies, refining and petrochemical companies, EPC contractors, oil & gas service companies, EPC employers, and international technology providers. Finally, he acts in a hybrid role as general counsel to a billion dollar pharmaceutical company based in the UAE. Joshua was recently recognized as a ‘Key Lawyer’ in Oil, Gas and Natural Resources by Legal 500 2024. He is also a member of various construction industry associations and a contributing member of the Legal Funding Journal.

Biography

HK Suresha

Senior Partner and Country Head, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Masin

HK Suresha is the Senior Partner and Country Head for Masin in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. He is an engineer and surveyor with over 23 years of experience. Suresha specialises in delay and quantum analysis, with extensive experience in mega and large-scale projects in understanding, identifying, and evaluating engineering and construction disputes and claims, contracts and project advisory. He also specialises in dealing with complex issues by simplifying them towards resolution. Suresha has provided expert testimony in international arbitrations, such as ICC, LCIA, QICCA, DIFC, and DIAC, and has been cross-examined in arbitration hearings. Suresha has also acted as an arbitrator and mediator, leading numerous claims negotiations and settlements. Suresha has worked on various types of projects in sectors like oil & gas (up-stream and downstream), international airports, metro rail, process plants, power projects, treatment plants, buildings (residential, commercial, highrise and mix development), highways, infrastructure, and renewable energy. Suresha is an RICS Registered Expert Witness and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Society of Construction Law (SCL), and the American Association of Cost Engineering (AACE International).

Biography

Randall Walker

Partner, Riyadh/ Dubai, Litigation, International Arbitration, Hogan Lovells

Randall is a partner in the international arbitration practice. He has acted as counsel and advocate in international arbitration and commercial litigation proceedings, as well as in adjudications, expert determinations, and other forms of ADR. Randall’s role extends beyond the courtroom. He is a trusted advisor and representative for clients embroiled in complex disputes and investigations under a variety of civil and common law systems across a range of industries. His expertise spans general commercial and corporate claims, insurance matters, fraud, and asset recovery, as well as claims arising out of energy and infrastructure/construction projects in international arbitrations and court proceedings. Ranked individually for Construction Disputes by Chambers & Partners (UAE 2024) and as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ for Energy and Infrastructure Projects by Legal 500 (UAE) (2020, 2021, 2022), the legal directories describe Randall as having an “in-depth knowledge of dealing with complex highvalue disputes in the energy sector,” as well as being a “disputes expert,” a “name to note for energy arbitrations.” He is also complimented for being “very business oriented, and very close to the client’s needs,” as well as an “excellent commercial lawyer” known for “providing recommendations, not just advice.”

Biography

Cesar Ghaleb

Founding Partner, Triumph & Co.

Cesar is the founding partner of Triumph & Co., a firm with offices in the UAE and Lebanon, and currently expanding into London and KSA. Cesar is a dual qualified lawyer, admitted to the Beirut Bar Association, and admitted as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales. He holds two master’s degrees including an LLM in Corporate and Commercial Law from Queen Mary University of London, having graduated with distinction. With over ten years of experience and a strong focus on the construction industry, he represents through his firm a significant number of leading contractors and developers in high profile litigation and arbitration cases across the region, having handled billions of dirhams in claims.

Biography

Niall Clancy

Partner, Simmons & Simmons

Niall is a partner in our Middle East construction and dispute resolution practices. He focuses on projects, and in particular their construction. Niall provides end-to-end services across the entire project lifespan, from front-end procurement strategy, negotiation, and preparation of contracts through to project delivery advice. He has conducted large arbitrations in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, as well as in Europe and Asia. His clients include employers, developers, regional and international contractors, subcontractors, and consultants on the construction of some of the Middle East’s largest projects. Niall has also represented corporations, shareholders, suppliers, and government entities, throughout his career, in various corporate and commercial disputes. His experience includes disputes pertaining to minority shareholders, joint venture, intellectual property, and supply agreements. Over his 21-year career, Niall has been involved in high profile court cases and arbitrations. They have involved meticulous planning (including choice of arbitrators and experts) and managing large teams. He has worked with many of the leading counsel from the Bar in London as well as leading global experts. Niall's dedication to excellence, combined with his expertise and foresight, make him a trusted advisor for global clients seeking to navigate projects and commercial disputes with confidence and clarity.

Biography

Karim Haroun

Senior Associate, Dr. Qaisar H Metawea Law Firm

Karim is a bilingual legal professional with 15 years of robust legal experience in the GCC region, particularly Saudi Arabia. He has built a solid legal career in both private practice and in-house environments. Fluent in English and Arabic, Karim possesses extensive expertise in navigating complex regional legal frameworks. He has advised clients on a broad range of corporate, commercial, and banking and finance matters, focusing on compliance and risk mitigation. His notable achievements in the arbitration field include participating in a high-profile, multimillion- dollar arbitration case with a global iron-ore supplier during his tenure at a prominent steel manufacturing company in Bahrain. With a proven ability to deliver strategic, results-driven legal solutions, Karim excels at building strong partnerships and driving organizational success in challenging legal landscapes.

Biography

Stuart Dutson

Partner & International Co-Head of Arbitration, Simmons & Simmons

Stuart is the Global co-head of our international arbitration practice. Stuart has drafted complex choice of law clauses and multi-tier and multi-party arbitration and jurisdiction agreements for many transactions, including multi-million dollar M&A deals and international oil and gas projects in the Middle East, Nigeria, India and South America. Stuart has conducted arbitrations under both common law and civil law in England, mainland Europe (including Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic), the Middle East, Africa and Australia. He has acted for and against parties from the UK, mainland Europe, Central Europe, Asia, North and South America, Australia and Africa.

Biography

Nesreen Osman

Partner, Pinsent Masons

Nesreen is a Partner at Pinsent Masons in Dubai with 17 years’ disputes experience specialising in construction and engineering disputes. Nesreen has practiced in the Middle East region for 10 years and acts on behalf of employers, main contractors, subcontractors and consultants from various parts of the world including the GCC, Europe and Asia. She has extensive experience in complex, high value international arbitration in the infrastructure and energy sectors. A significant portion of Nesreen’s time is also spent advising clients on managing risks during the project as well as negotiations and ADR (including mediation and expert determination). Nesreen was ranked as a Next Generation Partner in the Legal 500 EMEA 2021, 2022 and 2023 rankings for UAE Construction. Nesreen also sits as an arbitrator and is a member of the board of directors ArbitralWomen.

Biography

Sean Hugo

Partner, CBBG Group

Sean, a Partner at CBBG Group, brings to the table extensive expertise as a Testified Delay and Disruption Expert. His proficiency spans the specialized domains of delay and disruption analysis. Prior to assuming this role, Sean held key project-based positions, including Site Engineer, Project Manager, Project Controls Manager, and Planning Manager, on complicated projects. Sean has significant EPC experience in Oil and Gas in both a dispute setting and practical work experience. As an Independent Delay and Disruption Expert, Sean has been entrusted with drafting numerous expert reports, testifying and undergoing cross examination, offering unbiased opinions on construction project delay and disruption. He is wellversed in adhering to the best practice protocols outlined in AACE International Recommended Practice No. 29R-03 and the SCL Delay and Disruption Protocol. Additionally, Sean has undergone formal training in expert witness testimony and advanced cross-examination techniques. Sean’s expertise has been recognized through his appointments as an independent delay/disruption expert under the arbitration rules of ICC, DIAC, QICCA, and LCIA. His contributions in this capacity have led to him being recognized by WWL under the category of Arbitration Future Leaders – Expert Witnesses.

Biography

Nick Oury

Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP

Nick Oury is the head of the HSF’s Middle East construction and infrastructure disputes practice, based in Dubai. He specialises in dispute resolution in the construction and infrastructure sector, with a focus on international arbitration. His experience covers matters of a variety of scale and complexity in the energy (including renewables), real estate, oil & gas, transport and infrastructure sectors. Nick has experience of all the major arbitral institutions used in the Middle East, including SCCA, DIAC, ICC and LCIA. His practice involves advising both employers and contractors on all forms of project procurement. He also advises clients on disputes relating to other project-related contracts, including power and water purchase agreements, joint venture agreements, facilities management agreements, and operation and maintenance agreements. A graduate of Oxford University, Nick is an English law qualified solicitor, and has represented various key clients on high value and significant construction disputes across the Middle East, with a growing focus on Saudi Arabia.

Biography

Fatima Ghaith

Legal Expert

Fatima Ghaith is a Scottish, Bahraini, and English lawyer with over 17 years of experience in the GCC, especially in Saudi Arabia. As the Associate General Counsel for Weatherford International, she leads a team of lawyers that oversees the legal function in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman. Previously, she worked as a projects finance lawyer at Baker & McKenzie, where she specialized in Islamic finance and represented large Saudi government and quasi-government conglomerates, as well as leading global and Saudi banks and financial institutions.

Biography

Marcus Khoury

General Counsel, ALEC Engineering

Marcus Antoine Khoury is General Counsel of the Dubai-based construction company, ALEC Engineering and Contracting. Marcus has been working as an in-house legal counsel in the construction industry in the GCC, in particular in Saudi Arabia and in the UAE, for the past 20 years. He is both German and Lebanese and has graduated at the Sorbonne in Paris and the Universities of Cologne and Munich. In his spare time Marcus loves to hike and considers having walked more than 1000 km to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela as one of his greatest experiences.

Biography

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