Biography:

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.

Biography:

As Managing Director – MENA, BENJAMIN FILAFERRO oversees LexisNexis’ activities in the Middle East and North Africa region. Prior to joining LexisNexis, Benjamin set up the Key Account Management teams of two start-ups providing B2B SaaS solutions. Earlier in his career, he was a strategy consultant leading the delivery of large marketing initiatives and customer-centric programs in the Middle East and North Africa region. Benjamin earned an Executive MBA from ESCP Europe and received a Master of Science degree in engineering from Arts et Métiers ParisTech.

Biography:

David commenced legal practice in 1974. He is admitted to practise in Australia, England and Wales (Lincoln’s Inn), the Courts of the Dubai International Financial Centre, New York (as a Legal Consultant), New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

He currently practises in Dubai, London, and Abu Dhabi (Outer Temple Chambers), Sydney (Ground Floor Wentworth Chambers) and Brisbane (Sir Harry Gibbs Chambers). He has acted for Commonwealth and State Governments as well as individuals and corporations. David was President of the Taxation Institute of Australia from 1993 to 1995, and of the Asia Oceania Tax Consultants’ Association from 1996 to 2000.

He has lectured at the University of Sydney for the Master of Taxation course, the University of Queensland for the Master of Laws course and served as an Adjunct Professor of the University of Queensland. He is the co-editor of the Oxford University Press Journal Trusts & Trustees.

He was the Inaugural Chairman of the STEP International Client Special Interest Group, was Deputy Chair and a director of STEP and a member of its World Wide Council and various Committees, and is a co-chair of the United Arab Emirates Chapter of the International Section of the New York State Bar Association, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Section, an Academician of The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, a Member of the Middle East and North Africa Branch Committee of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (UK), a member of the Worshipful Company of Tax Advisers, a Freeman of the City of London and an Honorary Member of the Taxation Institute of Hong Kong. In 2016 he chaired the DIFC’s Wealth Management Review Working Group.

David is listed in the Taxation Category in the Australian Financial Review/Best Lawyers review of the Australian Legal Profession in 2008 and all later years and in 2014 was the Tax Institute’s Chartered Tax Adviser of the Year. In 2010 he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun (with Gold Rays and Neck Ribbon) for his services to Australia-Japan relations. In 2012 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for, among other things, “service … to taxation law and legal education.” Since 2016, he has been recognised by Legal Week and The American Lawyer as part of the Private Client Global Elite.

Biography:

Dhana started her practice as a junior lawyer before the Supreme Court of India in the year 2004 assisting on Income Tax, Economic Scams and Custom Duty matters. During her study period in the Netherlands, she worked with IBFD on their publications on Indian Tax Judgements. After completing an LLM Adv. in International Taxation from the Netherlands, she worked with Deloitte for four years in Rotterdam, Bangalore and Muscat, and then with Dentons for four years in Muscat. She was working with OMRAN, the Oman government’s arm for developing Tourism in Oman, and she was the legal adviser for their mixed use waterfront developments

Dhana joined Al Hashmi Law in 2017 as the Head of Property, Tax and Project Finance. Dhana has been writing in Islamic Finance News, a daily magazine since 2018 on topics relating to Islamic Finance and Tax. Dhana gives guest lectures at Modern College for Business Studies and is a member of Energy Majlis organized by the Netherlands Embassy in Oman and presents on renewable energy project financing and Renewable Energy Certificates. She is a member of World Pranic Healing Association and is a patron of Katha Organisation in India that promotes reading habits in children under the age of 12 through StoryPedagogy. Dhana lives with her two children in the capital city of Oman.

Biography:

Dr. Abdulaziz Altuwaijri is a law professor at King Saud University. He’s a senior consultant at Burhan Almarifa. Dr. Altuwaijri is, Also, a consultant for a number of Saudi government entities. Dr. Altuwaijri graduated with an S.J.D. and L.L.M from Georgetown University and L.L.B. from KSU.

Biography:

DR. ABDULKAREEM AL-KANDARI is a politician and assistant professor who is a member of the Kuwait Parliament. Dr. Al-Kandari was first elected in the Kuwaiti General Election in 2013. Subsequently, in the 2016 General Election he was elected the fourth chair by his constituents. By 2020, Dr. Al-Kandari had be elected the first chair by his constituents. During his time in Parliament, Dr. Al-Kandari has contributed to various committees such as: National Human Resources Development Committee, Human Rights Committee, Woman and Family Committee and many others. He is also a member of many organizations like Kuwait Lawyers Association and University of Strasbourg Center of Commercial Law. Dr. Al-Kandari has received his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and Ph.D. in Commercial Law.

Biography:

H.E. Justice Shamlan Al Sawalehi has over 23 years of experience in international commercial and financial litigation in common law, civil law and Sharia’ legal systems. He has experience in arbitral practice in civil and common law systems, as has served as sole arbitrator, Co-arbitrator and Chairman of many arbitral tribunals. He joined the DIFC Courts in 2010 as a Judicial Officer before becoming a Small Claims Tribunal Judge and then a Court of First Instance Judge before he was appointed as Court of Appeal Judge in 2017. He was appointed by the DIFC Courts Chief Justice as Judge in Charge of the Arbitration Division of the DIFC Courts in 2020. Prior to joining the DIFC Courts, Justice Al Sawalehi was the founder of Shamlan Law firm, where he represented governments and private clients on complex commercial and financial disputes in the UAE and MENA region. Prior to that, he served as Director of Strategic Affairs at The Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai where he was involved in number of strategic legal cases.

Biography:

Omar Al Hashmi is an accomplished bilingual lawyer proficient in Arabic and English and is qualified in Oman.  His in-depth legal experience involves advising on a broad spectrum of contentious and non-contentious matters in all specialties for Omani and international clients.

He manages a strong team of legal professionals from different countries and has developed a strong legal network across the world with affiliations and work associations with several leading law firms, through which he provides expert legal services to his clients located in different parts of the world.

His office provides a full range of legal services, including corporate, commercial, dispute resolution (arbitration, mediation and local and international litigation) besides real estate, construction, tax, etc.

Biography:

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.

Biography:

Kanupriya is a licensed attorney with over five years of experience specializing in corporate tax advisory, litigation, and international tax. She holds a dual degree in law and business administration, along with a master’s in tax law. Having worked with Big 4 and Tier 1 law firms in India, she has advised multinational corporations, investors, and businesses on navigating India’s tax and regulatory landscape. Her expertise includes cross-border taxation, treaty interpretation, and tax policy. She regularly writes on international tax developments, providing insights into the evolving global tax framework.

Biography:

Bilal Asif is a seasoned finance and tax professional with extensive experience in tax compliance and regulatory matters. With a deep understanding of the Saudi tax landscape, he has helped corporations navigate complex taxation challenges while optimizing their tax positions.

Bilal regularly shares insights on tax developments and the digital transformation of taxation, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the GCC. He has participated in industry panels and discussions on e-invoicing and tax technology, offering thought leadership on emerging regulatory trends.

Biography:

Mr. Cattan has been active in Qatar since 1995 when he worked in Doha on the project financing of some of the first LNG production facilities in Ras Laffan. He has lived and practiced law in Qatar for the last 17 years.

Mr. Cattan has expertise in a number of specialty areas of practice. These including the energy sector in Qatar. Mr. Cattan is ranked at the highest level — “Band 1, Projects and Energy – Qatar” — in the Chambers Guide to The Legal Profession. He also authored the Qatar chapter in Chambers and Partners’ first edition of a practice guide on global “Energy: Oil & Gas” law published in November 2015, and an updated version published in 2019. Mr. Cattan also has substantial experience with international project finance, bank finance, and equipment finance transactions.

A large part of Mr. Cattan’s practice involves providing advice on the laws of Qatar, including the Qatar Civil Code, and on Qatar law-governed transactions.

Mr. Cattan obtained his undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College and his Juris Doctor at Georgetown University. He is a member of the New York and District of Columbia (Washington DC) bars.

Biography:

Adnan Al Noorani is the founder of the Future Innovation Summit and the Chairman of the Board of Leo Investments, D1 Technologies, Apollo Management and H2H General Trading.

He found D1 Technologies, which is focused on bringing together the best and most innovative the solutions for any kind of business, including sustainable blockchain and supply chain solutions and the Metaverse.

In October 2021 he launched one of the largest semi- government conferences and exhibitions called the Future Innovation Summit. Its core idea is to build strong bridges without barriers between the Government and Private sector entities.

With 19+ years of experience, Adnan Al Noorani has been working with Royal Families of the UAE. His primary expertise is Government Market, UAE Law, Finance, Investments and Business in the GCC region.

Biography:

SARAH HADDADI is the Head of Rule of Law and Deputy Head of the LexisNexis Middle East office. She studied Law at Paris La Sorbonne University and Assas University, where she completed a Master’s degree in Rule of Law and Lobbying. Before joining LexisNexis, Sarah worked in a prominent law firm in Paris, specialising in private law. She joined the LexisNexis team in 2015 and has been based in Dubai since 2016, where she manages the LexisNexis Rule of Law activity in the MENA region.

Biography:

Vera Tkachuk is the Assistant Dean at Fordham Law School and the Associate Vice-President for External Relations at Fordham University.  In her role, Vera provides opportunities for Fordham Law School alumni, faculty and students to intentionally engage with each other and the school’s programs and curriculum in order to strengthen the Fordham Law School experience for the entire community.  Vera joined Fordham Law School in 2010 and prior to that worked in similar roles at Columbia University, the Brearley School and the Chapin School.  Vera is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Biography:

As Director of Indirect Tax Operations at Majid Al Futtaim Holding LLC, Nitin leads the Group’s indirect tax strategy and operations across 15+ countries, covering diverse verticals including Retail, Real Estate, Entertainment, Communities, and Digital.

He is spearheading the centralisation and transformation of the Group’s indirect tax function—building a center of excellence, standardizing processes, embedding automation, and delivering scalable, risk-managed solutions. He also serves on the UAE Federal Tax Authority’s Business Advisory Group for VAT and Excise, and have actively contributed to the UAE e-invoicing consultation group, shaping the country’s digital tax future.

Previously, he led the award-winning tax function at Majid Al Futtaim Carrefour UAE, recognised as ITR’s In-House Indirect Tax Team of the Year (EMEA) in 2023, and earned back-to-back nominations as In-House Indirect Tax Leader of the Year (2023 & 2024). With 20+ years of experience in tax, audit, finance, and project management, Nitin Spearheaded major tax initiatives, including ERP integrations, tax technology rollouts, and cross-border compliance programs in collaboration with Big 4 advisors and global teams.

He is known to lead with a people-first mindset, combining strategic clarity, technical depth, and a passion for innovation to elevate the role of tax as a value-generating function.

Biography:

DR FAHAD AL-ZUMAI holds a PhD in Law from SOAS – the University of London, and an LLM in International Business Law from the University of Manchester. He is admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales and to the State Bar of California and the State Bar of Kuwait. He is a fellow at the International Bar Association.

Currently, he is an Associate Professor of Law in the Private Law Department at Kuwait University. He is also the editor-in-chief of the Law Journal published by Kuwait University.

He was the principal author of several recent legislative reforms, including insolvency and competition law.

Dr Al-Zumai’s research interest includes Companies and Capital Markets Laws, Bankruptcy, and Banking Law. In addition, Dr Al-Zumai has published in several journals on topics relating to capital market regulations in the Middle East and Europe, law and economics, and jurisprudence.

Biography:

DR. YOUSEF MUHAMMAD ABDULLAH AL-ALI is the Vice President of the Kuwait International Law College board of Trustees. Formerly, he worked as a director of the Legal Department of the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where he possessed the title of the Secretary-General of the Kuwait Center for Commercial Arbitration. Dr. Al-Ali also served as the Capital Markets Authority Commissioner. He was a member of the team preparing the draft law on the Capital Markets Authority, where he led the preparation of the executive regulations for the Capital Markets Authority Law No. 7 of 2010. Dr. Al-Ali was also the minister of Trade and Industry and served as a member of the Appeal Board of Appeals at the Kuwait Stock Exchange.

Dr. Al-Ali is a lecturer and coach in the field of arbitration. He chaired the arbitral tribunal in many international and local arbitration cases, in addition to his participation as an individual arbitrator or a member of an arbitral tribunal in various cases. He also served as a member of the International Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Court for nine years. Dr. Al-Ali has a Bachelor of Laws and Sharia from Kuwait University, a Ph.D. in International Law from Sorbonne University, and a master’s degree in economic law, international specialization, from the University of Bourgogne.