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• Khalifah H. Al-Yaqout – Managing Partner, Al-Yaqout and Al-Fouzan Legal Group
• Eric Bonnet-Maes – CEO LexisNexis Continental Europe, Middle East and North Africa
• Khalid Al-Suwaifan – Secretary of the Kuwait Bar Association

• Corporate Governance: Incorporating family dynamics into effective corporate structuring.
• Succession Planning: Ensuring smooth transitions across generations and protecting family legacy.
• Dispute Resolution: Effective strategies for conflict management and dispute within family businesses.

• Expanding Horizons: Strategies for Law Firm Growth in Kuwait.
• Generations & Succession: Leadership Transitions.
• Challenges and Opportunities: Insights into Kuwait Market.

• ISDS Overview: Understanding Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanisms.
• ISDS Reforms: Exploring the latest developments, trends and reforms.
• Impact on Investment: How investment arbitration shapes Kuwait’s appeal to investors.

• Examining M&A in the Financial sector.
• Optimizing Corporate Structures: Crafting effective corporate frameworks to support M&A success.
• Regulatory Framework: Strategies for securing regulatory approvals in M&A transactions.

• Khalifah H. Al-Yaqout – Managing Partner, Al-Yaqout and Al-Fouzan Legal Group

Senior Associate, Al-Yaqout and Al-Fouzan Legal Group (YFLG)

Abdulkareem has extensive experience in a broad range of commercial and corporate matters including mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, intellectual property, and general commercial transactions. He has significant experience advising on commercial and regulatory matters across the GCC countries and in various sectors, including telecommunications, logistics, and food and beverage. In addition, Abdulkareem has demonstrated experience advising private clients on the establishment and restructuring of family trust structures.

Abdulkareem holds a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University with concentrations in both Business and Commercial Law, and International Law and Human Rights. He is a registered attorney in the State of Massachusetts and the District of Columbia, Washington D.C.

Chief Executive Officer, Beyout Investment Group (BIG) Holding

Eng. Abdulrahman Al Khannah is an experienced Chief Executive Officer, where he heads Beyout Investment Group (BIG) Holding and its subsidiaries. With over 16 years of experience, he has worked on creating entrepreneurial dynamic companies under the group by building and implementing sophisticated world-class strategies, leadership and systems to meet the business growth needs, and to maximize the value creation by developing and deploying strategic management tools to ensure successful results for the organization which in turn has had positive impact on society.

Eng. Abdulrahman was on the board of several companies, and currently sits on the board of Imtiaz Investment Group – Kuwait. Eng. Abdulrahman holds a Master in Business Administration (MBA) degree from Gulf University for Science & Technology and a Bachelors of Engineering (Civil Engineering) degree from the University of Kuwait. He has also taken various executive courses in strategy and leadership.

Managing Partner, Al-Yaqout and Al-Fouzan Legal Group

Khalifah H. Al-Yaqout serves as a Managing Partner at Al-Yaqout and Al-Fouzan Legal Group and has held this position since 2015. As a lawyer and arbitrator, he has led multiple delegations in various international forums. In 2019, he headed the Kuwaiti delegation to the United Nations Council and the US Department of Commerce. He is also actively involved with the Commercial Law Development Program of the United States Department.

In addition to his current work with Al-Yaqout and Al-Fouzan Legal Group, Khalifah serves as a legal consultant for the Minister of Electricity and Water and Renewable Energy and the Minister of Social Affairs and Community Development. His approach to Corporate and M&A practice is to use practical and commercially focused tactics to successfully close the deal whilst protecting his client’s interests and minimising their risks.

Partner and Head of Litigation, Al-Yaqout and AL-Fouzan Legal Group

Anwar is a reputable Kuwaiti lawyer who has extensive experience in litigation and international arbitration. He excels in handling complex cases. He is trilingual (Arabic, English and French). Prior to joining YFLG he held a number of prestigious titles, including serving as Legal Advisor for the State Audit Bureau and National Focal Point (UNCC), member of the Consultative Counsel for Islamic Investment Companies under the Capital Markets Authority as well as General Reporter and Member of the Committee of Experts for the application of Conventions and Recommendations in the International Labor Organization from 1998 to 2012. His recent appointment as Chairman of the Kuwait Commercial Arbitration Center further underscores his esteemed reputation and dedication to promoting fair dispute resolution.

Head of Projects and International Dispute Resolution, Al-Yaqout and AL-Fouzan Legal Group

Dr. Alshorbagy heads YFLG’s Projects and International Dispute Resolution departments. With over 15 years of experience, he has extensive experience in a wide range of matters including corporate law, projects and international dispute resolution.

Dr. Alshorbagy gained extensive experience advising the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects. Over the past few years, he has advised in over 15 projects across various sectors.

Dr. Alshorbagy also has significant experience in International arbitration, where he represented clients in arbitrations under the ICC, ICSID, HKIAC, UNICTRAL, and LCIA.

In addition to his years of experience, Dr. Alshorbagy is the author of several legal books and articles that are published with reputable publishers and learned international law journals in Egypt, the U.S., the U.K., and Germany.

Chief Executive Officer, Mabanee Company (K.P.S.C)

Waleed Alsharian holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, USA (1984). With over 39 years of experience in real estate development, operations, manufacturing, and public transport, he began his career at Kuwait Public Transport Company (KPTC), ultimately serving as Assistant Managing Director – Operations. Waleed then took on leadership roles at Transport & Warehousing Group Co. and Global Logistic & Warehousing Co. Before becoming Chief Executive Officer at Mabanee Company in 2006, he was Vice Chairman and Managing Director at Refrigeration Industries & Storage Co. S.A.K (RISCO). He is also involved with Shomoul Holding Company and Al Sorouh Management Company.

Partner, Head of Arbitration and Disputes (MEA), Morgan Lewis

Sara K. Aranjo leads Morgan Lewis’s international arbitration, dispute resolution, and global investigations practice across the Middle East and Africa. Sara focuses her practice on international arbitration and dispute prevention and resolution, primarily in cases with cross-border elements. She advises and represents the interests of governments, semi-governments, and corporations in proceedings arising out of inbound and outbound investments in the Middle East and Africa across a range of sectors, including energy, real estate, hospitality, construction, banking and finance, distribution, and technology, media, and telecommunications. Sara speaks Arabic, French, and English.

Managing Partner & Head of Ligitation & Arbitration, ASAR – Al Ruwayeh & Partners

Ahmed Barakat is the Managing Partner of ASAR and is the Head of the firm’s leading Litigation and Arbitration practice. Ahmed has particular expertise in commercial litigation and arbitration relating to construction, agency, tax, insurance, banking, white collar crimes and contractual disputes. Ahmed also advises clients on corporate and government procurement matters. Ahmed is admitted to both the Egyptian and New York Bar and has more than 30 years of experience on a wide range of complex and substantial disputes and has represented clients in high-value, multi-jurisdictional, litigation and arbitration proceedings.

Dr. François-Xavier Licari is an Associate Professor of Private and Comparative Law at the University of Lorraine in France, as well as a consultant and arbitrator. His areas of research include comparative law, legal theory, business law, and arbitration law. Dr. Licari has authored numerous articles featured in prestigious law journals such as Revue de l’arbitrage, Revue Internationale de Droit Comparé, The American Journal of Comparative Law, Louisiana Law Review, and Tulane Law Review. Additionally, he has published and edited acclaimed books on Comparative Law with renowned publishers like LexisNexis, Dalloz, and Cambridge University Press.