General legal Counsel & Secretary to the Board
Silatech
Total years of experience :11 years, 7 Months
General Legal Counsel and Secretary to the Board of Trustees Legal Key Result Areas:
Structuring and managing the organization’s internal legal function
Ensuring that the organization conducts its business in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Providing on going continuing legal counsel and guidance on legal matters and on legal implications of all matters
Developing solutions to a variety of complex legal questions impacting the organization
Researching unique legal issues impacting the organization by identifying applicable statutes, judicial decisions, and codes
Advising the organization on international best practices and international law as needed.
Guiding managers and staff on regulatory and compliance matters
Keeping abreast of legislative changes that may affect the organization and its affiliates
Safekeeping the organization and mitigating risk of dealing -1-
SAHAR SALIM VINK
with doubtful bodies through conducting legal due diligence and screening through international recognized methods relating to anti-money laundering and country sanctions and related matters
Managing all aspects of intellectual property protection, including international trademark registration
Participating in the development and review of corporate polices as needed
Advising on suitable insurance policies for the organization and performing necessary steps to minimize legal risks to the organization
Preparing an internal template document library, to include MOUs, LOIs, Service Agreements, NDAs, Collaboration Agreements, Employment Agreements and Consultant Agreements
Drafting, negotiating and finalizing for execution all legal documents
Selecting retaining, managing and evaluating all outside legal counsel
Expertly drafting legal contracts and legal documentation
Consistently prompt in contract preparation and
responsiveness to legal questions
Quickly spots and makes recommendations regarding legal matters
Maintains well-organized retention and document management system for legal agreements and related documentation
Appropriately structures relationships with stakeholders, partners and joint ventures
Works closely with the HR Department, the IT Department and other BUs to provide the necessary legal support
Advise the organization on any potential legal risks
Serve as a member of the Limited Tender Committee.
Governance Secretary Key Result Areas
Provide timely and accurate materials prior to
governance meetings, according to a specific timeline
Collection of and supervision over Action Items from governance board meetings for Executive Management’s
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review
Attend all Governance meetings;
Prepare draft Minutes of Meetings for members’ review within seven days of a meeting
Maintain all Governance meetings records and ensure their accuracy and safety;
Record all votes;
Ensure that minutes are distributed shortly after each meeting;
Be sufficiently familiar with legal documents (such as the Articles of
Association, the Statute and legal notices) to note their applicability during meetings;
Provide like duties for the standing committees, when required;
Provide notice of meetings of the Board and/or of a committee when such notice is required; and
Perform such other duties or exercise such powers as may be prescribed by law, the Organization’s Articles of Association and this Statute, or that the Board, the Chair or the CEO may prescribe.
• Managing a legal team of 4 legal counsels and 2 paralegals and supervising their performance of the daily work activities to optimize performance of the legal department.
• Negotiate, write, and execute agreements and contracts.
• Provide expert and strategic legal advice to executives and heads of Divisions within the company
• Manage various projects and deadlines.
• Advise executives on contract status, legal risks and business terms of various deals.
• Draft agreements that minimize risks and maximize legal rights such as: Franchise, Distributions & Supply Agreements, Medical Equipment Maintenance Agreements, Tender & Subcontracts, Lease Agreement with high end malls, Contracting Agreements; IT related agreements, Contracts related to the hospitality Division, Distribution and Supply Agreement related to the FMCG division. Agreements related to the luxury and fashion division in addition to agreements related to the printing division in the company.
• Ensure legal objectives are met.
• Research unique legal issues impacting the organization by identifying applicable laws and judicial decisions.
• Draft terms and conditions in agreements and explain legal language in contracts.
• Keep abreast of legislative changes that may affect the company and its affiliates.
• Supervise pre-litigation work with legal counsels to minimize risks and maximize legal rights.
• Evaluate and weigh multiple inputs and impacts of any decision or course of action.
• Anticipate legal complications and estimate risks strategically
• Identify proactive solutions that will eliminate or mitigate risks
• Deal with complex, significant matters that cut across legal and related areas.
• Managing a legal team of 8 employees, and supervising their performance of the daily work activities to optimize performance of the legal department.
• Ensure that legal services provided to business units are aligned with their strategic goals, mission, and objectives in compliance with all applicable laws.
• Oversee all legal matters relating to the business units
• Participate in managing the regulatory compliance of the Company in co-ordination with the head of Risk and Compliance.
• Drafting the legal policy of the company and ensuring its continuous alignment with the group legal policy ultimately ensuring having the appropriate processes that would facilitate effective quality delivery of the legal department services.
• Reviewing/amending the policies and procedures that have been prepared by Risk and Compliance department.
• Conducting meetings on a quarterly basis with the group Head of Legal to provide follow up on compliance of the company with the group legal policy.
• Manage and assess legal risks as an astute business executive, providing alternative solutions to minimize liability exposure while achieving business goals.
• Advise and assist in the development and implementation of appropriate processes related to statutory and regulatory requirements to ensure compliance with Company policies and procedures.
• Advising business units on all contractual relationships and reviewing all agreements and documentation before company’s commitment to such relationship to mitigate escalation to litigation.
• Providing legal support to the company’s subsidiary in Dubai in its Acquisitions of various Real Estate projects primarily in the UK.
• Providing legal support in establishing a wholly owned subsidiary of the company which functioned as a venture capital financing early stage, high potential growth start-up companies.
• Providing legal due diligence relating to potential VC clients.
• Managing the daily work flow and trying to support the business units in moving ahead in a timely manner.
• Acting as the legal representative of the company and participating in negotiations of deals and structures in line with the company’s strategic goals.
• Advise business units on the compliance, regulatory and litigation risks of possible business decisions, providing preventive counselling with respect to the legal risks associated with business practices.
• Develop strategy with both inside and outside counsel and managing their performance to make sure that the Company is receiving value for services rendered and optimizing on cost effectiveness.
• Understand business units’ strategy and provide legal services, including legal risk assessment, creative problem solving, and broad legal and business advice to achieve those objectives.
• Act as liaison between the company and the external legal counsel with regards to managing all sorts of litigation specifically relating to credit division and legal collection of retail loans in addition to other litigation relating to HR/employment, business development, and commercial contracts.
• Conduct continuous in-house awareness sessions and reporting to all business units and Senior Management regarding news laws, and relevant regulatory instructions that have been issued by the Capital Markets Authority, the Central Bank of Kuwait and the Kuwait Stock Exchange.
• Acting as the lead in taking the organization through the proper steps towards compliance with the newly issued Kuwaiti companies’ law and its amendments.
• A non-voting member of the Credit Committee, mainly providing advice regarding legal due diligence conducted on a potential client.
• A voting member of the Provision committee.
• A voting member of the Write Off committee.
• A member of the Corporate Governance task force; working closely with head of risk and compliance and head of internal audit to advice on the legal sides of the company’s compliance with the new
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• Draft, negotiate, revise and edit documents and agreements relating to all activities of the business, including but not limited to escrow agreements, shareholder agreements, service agreements, Put option agreements; JV agreements; credit facilities agreements portfolio pledge agreements, non-disclosure agreements, security agency agreements; custody and portfolio management agreements, SPAs; rating advisory mandate letters, share forward purchase agreements and any other agreements pertaining to the business.
• Provided legal support to the private equity team in reviewing and advising on leveraged buyouts, growth capital, distressed investments and some mezzanine capital transactions.
• Advising on assignment and assumptions agreements between the assignees and the general partner in PE transactions.
• Provide analysis and legal counsel relating to new products, financial offerings, financial structuring, securities offerings and compliance related matters.
• Provide preliminary legal advice on issues arising from actual or anticipated lawsuits in co-ordination with external legal counsel.
• Anticipate and safeguard against legal risks facing the corporation.
• Advising companies on fulfilling their offset obligation in Kuwait through investment with the company.
• Advising and providing legal review of documentation relating to the company acting as joint lead manager in several bond and sukuk issuance.
• Participating in providing extensive legal support to the fixed income team together with the external legal counsel relating to the company’s bond issuance in 2012.
• Review all documents relating to opening bank accounts with local and international banks.
• Monitor and review government regulations to ensure that the corporation is aware of new requirements and is operating within the law.
• Advising the fixed income team on credit rating and equity placement transactions, sukuk and bonds debt raising transactions.
• Advising management on M&A transactions and all legal aspects related to such transactions.
• Reviewing the policies and procedures of the organization and recommend amendments when required to comply with the rules and regulations.
• Provide legal support to the fund administration department relating to the company's investment funds.
• Providing legal support to the real estate department in setting up various special purpose vehicles through the company’s subsidiary in Saudi Arabia.
• Liaise with international legal counsel regarding any legal issues relating to offshore funds and SPVs
• Providing legal support to the Fund Admin team in setting up and structuring funds and SPVs in multiple jurisdictions
• Providing legal support to the fund administration department in relation to managing company’s stake in private equity funds.
• Provide legal support to different business units in the corporation through preparing, reviewing and drafting legal documentation/ agreements relating to company's day-to-day operations to help and support the flow of business.
• Provide assistance and legal advice with respect to the launch of new investment products, including the formation and structuring of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) in selected jurisdictions.
• Liaise with our external legal counsel with regards to lawsuits and litigation.
• Advise business units and Senior Management regarding new rules and regulations affecting the company’s legal compliance.
• Provide the HR Department with legal advice with regards to labour issues and employees benefits.
• Represent the Company or its officials in various business meetings highlighting the various legal implications of anticipated business transactions.
• Work side by side with the Risk and Compliance department to ensure that all business unit's daily operations are compliant with the rules and regulations
• Identify appropriate laws, judicial decisions, legal articles, and other materials that are relevant to assi
Bachelors degree in law