Conference Agenda
Two days of keynotes, GC power panels, round tables and case studies — closing with the Global Legal Honors Awards.
Day 1 · Wednesday, 9 September 2026
Architecting Legal Sovereignty
in a Disrupted World
Registration & Interconnectivity
Registration and interconnectivity between participants.
Setting the Vision
Opening address by the Co-Founder & Director.
Igniting the Flame of Inauguration
Ceremonial commencement of the event, symbolising enlightenment, positivity, and the beginning of a meaningful journey ahead.
Opening Keynote
Keynote address by the industry leader.
Speaker
Dr. Lalit Bhasin
President, Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF)
The Global Lawyer's Role in the Era of Sovereign AI and Stateless Data
Dubai stands at the intersection of digital sovereignty, global commerce, and AI governance. As a jurisdiction-neutral hub connecting East and West, it represents the future model of how law, technology, and policy converge beyond national silos. This keynote positions Dubai not just as a host city — but as a living laboratory for:
- Cross-border AI regulation
- Transnational data governance
- New-age legal diplomacy
- Public–private legal frameworks for emerging technologies
ESG 2.0: Sustainability under Scrutiny
- ESG, disclosure, and litigation through enforcement & penalties
Speakers · 3
Beyana Maluegha
Senior Counsel, BOGAC2
Dr Shamini K Ragavan
Associate Professor of Law, University of Birmingham, Dubai
Shaharyar Nashat
Executive Director Legal, Al Jomaih Energy and Water Co. Ltd. (JENWA)
Followed by a 5+ minute Q&A session and speaker certifications
LegalOps as a Profit Center: Measuring and Monetizing the Value of Proactive Risk Modelling
- Quantifying risk avoidance: financial metrics for proactive legal risk management
- Operationalizing preventive controls: embedding risk modelling into legal workflows
- Monetizing legal foresight: translating risk mitigation into revenue protection and growth
Speakers · 3
Sergey Konov
Regional Compliance & Integrity Officer IMETA, Boehringer Ingelheim
Denis Sergienko
Global Counsel, HP
Sujneet Kaur Johal
Legal Technology Advisor MEA, DiliTrust
Followed by a 5+ minute Q&A session and speaker certifications
Guardians of Corporate Sovereignty: How General Counsel Navigate Cross-Border Risk, IP Wars, E-Discovery Obligations, and Regulatory Volatility in Global Deal-Making
- How GCs anticipate and manage trade, IP, and regulatory risks across borders
- The GC's strategic role in steering M&A, IP strategy, and global compliance
- How GCs build corporate resilience amid trade disputes, IP enforcement, and cross-border deals
Speakers · 6
Chehade KahiModerator
General Counsel Legal, Emirates Petroleum
Mehrdad Molaei
Senior Legal Counsel, SLB
Vijay Ojha
Group Company Secretary, Sharaf Group
Hadi N. El Kadi
Group Chief Legal Officer, Al Habtoor Group
Imran Nawaz
Group Chief Strategy Officer, Heden Group
Dikina Wedi
Group General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, Auremin
Followed by a 5+ minute Q&A session and speaker certifications
Melento Case Study — Turning Legal Ops into Revenue Intelligence
A 25-minute case study.
Speaker
Krupesh Bhat (KB)
Founder & CEO, Melento.ai
Law in a Fragmenting World: Governing Digital Assets, Tokenised Trade, and Borderless Capital Amid Geopolitical Realignment
- Tokenisation of assets and contracts: legal validity, custody, and enforcement across borders
- Digital assets vs. sanctions, AML, and financial crime regimes
- Arbitration, insolvency, and dispute resolution in decentralised finance ecosystems
- Dubai as a gateway jurisdiction for structuring compliant, future-proof digital capital flows
Speakers · 4
Hasan Al Kilani
General Counsel and Senior Legal Advisor, Ministry of Economy & Tourism, UAE
Dr Faris Nasrallah
Head of Arbitration, Crescent Petroleum
Sheila Shadmand
Partner-in-Charge, Middle East & Africa Region, Jones Day
Sunjjoy Jaiin
Founder & Managing Partner, Lex Corp
Followed by a 5+ minute Q&A session and speaker certifications
Cross-Border Contracts, Cross-Border Risk: Managing CLM Across GCC and APAC Jurisdictions
- Divergent contract law regimes across GCC and APAC create hidden execution risk
- Governing law, jurisdiction, and enforceability clauses under growing scrutiny
- AI-driven CLM tools promise speed, but raise cross-border compliance questions
- Arbitration vs. litigation: choosing the right dispute resolution path per region
- Practical frameworks for GCs managing multi-jurisdiction contract portfolios
Speakers · 4
Sergey Medvedev
Managing Partner, Gorodissky & Partners (Moscow, Russia)
Shuchita Singhal
Founder, CaseDocker
Anjali Sheoran
Director Legal, Atlan Technologies Private Limited
Soiab Khan
Head of Legal, Sharaf Group
The New Economics of Disputes: Litigation Finance, Collective Actions, and the Global Race for Judgment Enforcement
- The rise of litigation finance and its impact on claim strategy, settlement dynamics, and access to justice
- Collective actions, mass claims, and shareholder suits across common law and civil law systems
- Forum shopping, enforcement arbitrage, and the competition between courts and arbitral seats
- Dubai and other emerging hubs as next-generation centers for dispute resolution and judgment enforcement
Speakers · 3
Shilpa Bhasin Mehra
Independent Practitioner & Accredited Mediator — Governance, Risk & Cross-Border Strategy across the UAE & AMEA
Ahmed Zaki
Senior Vice President Legal Affairs, Al Hamra
Balakrishna Gopalakrishnan
Founder, BGK Law Associates, Advocates and Legal Advisors
Followed by a 5+ minute Q&A session and speaker certifications
The Velocity Mandate: How General Counsel Are Redesigning Legal Control, Enterprise Trust, and Decision-Making Resilience in an Age of Relentless Risk
Speakers · 5
Hamdy Deyab
Head of Legal, Lootah Group of Companies
Sophie Best
Co-Founder & CEO, Knowledge Nexus
Saurabh Malhotra
General Counsel, Intertek
Rita (Al Semaani) Jansen
Consultant
Raghvendra Verma
Followed by a 5+ minute Q&A session and speaker certifications
Programme subject to minor adjustments. All times are Gulf Standard Time (GST).
Some sessions are still being confirmed and additional speakers will be announced.
Secure your seat in Dubai
Join 500+ General Counsel, law firm partners and legal technology leaders across two days at the Crowne Plaza.