Ilham El Guessabi

Responsibilities:
• Act as a trusted legal advisor to business colleagues and other departments
• Draft, negotiate and review contracts in Arabic, French, and English
• Manage Marsh legal acquisitions and company setups in the MEA region
• Oversee the Errors & Omissions (E&O) risks
• Design and implement compliance programs and develop new policies in accordance with applicable laws and regulations in the region including but not limited to AML, CFT, Anti-Bribery & Corruption, Data Privacy, DHA requirements; report status to the Board of Directors and senior management
• Ensure the implementation of sanctions according to UN sanctions list, OFAC SDN and local sanctions in the region through regular corporate governance meetings
• Conduct monitoring and quality assurance to ensure the business is appropriately compliant with internal policies and identify risks
• Work with government officials and financial regulators across MENA; submit reports periodically and manage renewals for both brokerage and consultancy licenses in the UAE

Achievements:
✓ Managed and monitored the progress of E&O risk for the MEA business leading to a decrease of 30% of external legal fees
✓ Established and maintained awareness on Marsh policies and procedures by developing a new training process in Arabic, French and English
✓ Developed standardized processes (i.e. Developed an enhanced legal review process; developed standard templates which helped reduce turnaround times)
✓ Liquidated the Bahrain, UAE and Morocco branches in collaboration with different stakeholders within tight deadlines
✓ Led North Africa team-based projects supporting accelerated growth plans for the MEA region
✓ Member of the Financial Crime Committee - Emirates Insurance Association

• Provided legal counsel and legal translation
• Reviewed contracts (i.e. remittance service agreements, tenancy agreements)
• Collaborated with the Operations team on the integration of WSEC financial services within a third-party money management application

• Reviewed contracts, and drafted legal notices
• Managed pre-claim investigations, legal research, and case assessments
• Published articles on the law firm’s website https://www.stalawfirm.com/en/downloads/lists/publications.html

Co-Founder & Head of Legal

Hezz Taxi is a Moroccan Transportation Network Company - Acquired by Careem

• Handled the company formation; conducted the intellectual property procedure; drafted bylaws and code of conduct
• Drafted, reviewed, and negotiated contracts and partnerships (i.e. software and service-related agreements, employment contracts)
• Analyzed potential legal risks; provided legal counsel on commercial strategy to ensure efficiency and cost effectiveness

A French Not-For-Profit Organisation that handles consumer legal issues

• Provided legal advice on various legal matters, including reviewing terms and conditions of sale as well as insurance and commercial contracts
• Drafted legal notices and reached amicable settlement of disputes