Jersey Finance “Global Perspectives: Building Better Futures for Private Clients” – Dubai

Sunita leads Stephenson Harwood Middle East LLP's private wealth practice from the Dubai office, where the team focus on assisting clients in the GCC, Middle East, Africa and SW Asia. Sunita is a full member of STEP (Africa and Arabia) and speaks at various international forums and conferences in the Middle East and SW Asia. Sunita has established intrinsic relationships with private banks, financial and legal advisers, corporate service providers and the regulators (DIFC and ADGM) and is actively working to spread awareness in India and the GCC of their new Foundations regimes. Sunita also publishes regular newsletters that are circulated to the international private wealth advisory community covering topical issues and updates.

Mr. Abed serves as Head of Regional Business Development – his latest role in over a 12-year association with the firm. He chairs the firm's Product Development Committee and sits on the Investment Committee and the Management Committee. Mr. Abed’s experience with SEDCO Capital makes him particularly skilled in due diligence, monitoring and divestment operations for co-investments. Previous roles at SEDCO Capital included Head of Corporate Finance, and Vice President and Director of Private Equity, where he was involved in a portfolio of 100 private equity investments around the world. He also previously sat on the Investment Committee for the SEDCO Capital Partners Group Co-Investment Fund, helping to set investment direction and strateg

Fadi Hammadeh is the General Counsel of Al Futtaim group. In a career spanning over 25 years, he has worked with family businesses, government enterprises and private practice in the Middle East and Europe. He is a member of the Al Futtaim group Investment Committee and the board of its Family Office. Fadi has been involved in the family succession planning space for over a decade and has extensively spoken and written about the subject. He has helped with the drafting of several regulations to promote family business continuity in the region including UAE Federal Waqf Law No.5/2018 and the draft Family Ownership Law in Dubai.

Isaac Kwaku Fokuo, Jr. offers strategic and leadership guidance to support clients successfully navigate the nuances of emerging growth markets. Kwaku is the founder and principal of BOTHO Emerging Markets Group, an emerging markets investment advisory firm. Kwaku is also the founder of the Sino-Africa Centre of Excellence (SACE), an organization that facilitates partnerships between Chinese and African private and public sector actors. Most recently he served as the VP for Strategy and Linkages for the African Leadership Group (ALG). Kwaku is a member of the China-Africa Wildlife Conservation Council (CAWCC), an Aspen Institute and Africa Wildlife Foundation Initiative.

Walid heads Deloitte Private and the Family Enterprise Consulting practice across the Middle East, covering over 15 countries. He is a leading expert in the area of family governance in the GCC and the MENA region. In 2017, Walid celebrated 35 years of professional experience working across the five continents, of which 20 years were in his capacity as a family business advisor, serving elite business families in the region. He is among the first to have advocated the need to introduce family governance to the Middle East, as a means to manage risk and preserve family wealth. Walid is also an international corporate finance lawyer, and an accredited mediator specialized in managing intergenerational conflicts.

Gerard Rahman is the CEO of BDO Chartered Accountants & Advisors, UAE.  Starting his carreer in 1986 in assurance services, he has worked for BDO in the United Kingdom and in New Zealand. Gerard led Assurance Services at BDO UAE before being appointed CEO.

Mary Nazzal-Batayneh is a Founding Partner of 17 Asset Management, the first global asset manager designed to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She is overseeing the SDG Jordan Growth Fund; the region’s first SME fund structured to deliver financial returns and advance the SDGs. Mary was chosen as Jordan’s Top Businesswoman in 2019 and as one of Forbes' Most Powerful Arab Women for several years. She is also a Young Global Leader with the World Economic Forum (WEF) and a member of the Global Future Council of the WEF.