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Middle East and North Africa: MENA Soundbites

By Borys Y. Dackiw, Abdulrahman AlAjlan, Mohamed Ghannam, Karim B. Nassar, Ian Siddell and Keltoum Boudribila January 24, 2023 2 Mins Read

As some countries open up and economies gradually rebound, there are still prolonged business issues and market trends accelerated by the pandemic that will continue to affect companies across all industries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

In this vlog series, our MENA team of cross-practice specialists provide a quick roundup of the latest legal and commercial developments in the region as well as insights to emerging challenges and opportunities, to guide you as you shape your organization’s business resilience and strategy in the medium and long term.

In addition, our senior female lawyers from our BakerWomen Middle East team join the conversations and share their insights on business and inclusion issues and trends in the region, as together we look to build trust and well-being in a post-pandemic world.

BakerWomen Speak: Practical Tips to Mitigate Risks in Changing Employment Contractual Terms – NEW!
Aqsa Khan-Sadiq talks about how employers should carefully manage changes to terms and conditions in employment contracts in light of the changing market conditions and health and economic circumstances. Aqsa shares the risks of changing contractual terms unilaterally as well as provides some practical tips for employers when drafting or making changes to employment contracts.

In addition, our senior female lawyers from our BakerWomen Middle East team join the conversations and share their insights on business and inclusion issues and trends in the region, as together we look to build trust and well-being in a post-pandemic world.

BakerWomen Speak: Commercial and Trade Developments in the UAE and Middle East
Laya Aoun Hani speaks about the recent commercial and trade developments in the UAE, including amendments to commercial agencies and foreign ownership, consumer protection regulations in e-commerce, and the re-establishment of intra-regional ties, and how these have created significant opportunities for businesses in the Middle East.

Author Borys Y. Dackiw

Borys has been a partner of Baker McKenzie since 1995. In 2008 Borys was appointed managing partner of the Gulf offices (including Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh and Bahrain), coordinating the opening of the Abu Dhabi and Doha offices and the merger in the UAE with Habib Al Mulla in July 2013. Borys is head of the Investigations, Compliance & Ethics practice in the Middle East and is co-chair of the Investigations, Compliance & Ethics Steering Committee for the EMEA region. He regularly advises clients across various industries on a broad range of compliance-related matters, including anti-bribery policies and programs. Borys has participated in whistleblower interviews and has led investigations relating to allegations of fraud, embezzlement, bribery and breach of trade sanctions. He also works with in house legal teams of multi-national clients to deliver tailored trainings on anti-bribery issues and trade compliance matters and is increasingly involved in assisting clients in the structuring and implementation of comprehensive, risk-based compliance programs. Borys' practice also extends to advising multi-national clients on foreign direct investments, including joint ventures and strategic alliances, the structuring of offset programs for defense contractors, mergers and acquisitions (including privatizations) and general corporate counseling. Borys has practiced in numerous jurisdictions over his career. Prior to moving to the Gulf, Borys was the managing partner in the Prague (Czech Republic) and Kyiv (Ukraine) offices of Baker McKenzie, spending approximately eight years in each office location. He started his legal career in New York.

Author Abdulrahman AlAjlan

Abdulrahman has 17 years of litigation and commercial experience. He represents clients at the Sharia Courts, the Board of Grievance, the SAMA Committee, Labor Committee, Committee for Negotiable Instruments and all other courts and tribunals. He has extensive arbitration experience, both as an arbitrator and also representing clients in arbitration proceedings.

Author Mohamed Ghannam

Mohamed Ghannam is the managing partner of Helmy, Hamza & Partners - Member Firm of Baker & McKenzie International. Mohamed heads the Firm's Banking, Finance & Projects, Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Markets practices in Egypt. He is consistently ranked in the top tier by Chambers & Partners, IFLR1000 and Legal 500 EMEA for his banking & finance, mergers & acquisitions, capital markets and projects practices. Mohamed has acted as counsel to many of the world's leading multinational companies and financial institutions in various industries – including those in the finance, telecommunications, healthcare and natural resources industries – helping them carry out high-value, precedent-setting transactions in Egypt. Mohamed Ghannam received his B.A. degree with high honors from Cairo University Law School in 1985 and graduated among the top 1%. In addition to his Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School in 1987 and Master of Laws degree from Chicago-Kent Law School in 1993 (Dean's List).

Author Karim B. Nassar

Karim B. Nassar is a Senior Legal Consultant in Abdulaziz Alajlan & Partners - Legal Advisors, Baker & McKenzie Limited in Saudi Arabia.

Author Ian Siddell

Ian Siddell is a Senior Legal Consultant in Abdulaziz Alajlan & Partners - Legal Advisors, Riyadh office.

Author Keltoum Boudribila

Keltoum Boudribila joined Baker McKenzie in September 2012 and works on a daily basis on operations led by the Casablanca office, the 71st office of the network and third site of Baker McKenzie in Africa.