Faculty

Abdulrahman Al-Farsi is a Legal Associate and Board Secretary at Decree. His experience spans contract review and automation, compliance, board advisory, policy drafting, legal research, and legislative analysis across Omani and Saudi law. His work also includes delivering training programs for legal teams and implementing AI systems in legal practice. He previously worked in private practice, advising on company formation, venture capital, and shareholder matters. Abdulrahman holds an LLB (First Class) from the University of Liverpool.

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Al-Mujahid is a commercially minded senior associate at FALC. Al-Mujahid’s work has a strong focus on corporate and commercial transactions, venture capital, investment structuring, and M&A. He has advised on the formation and structuring of investment vehicles, led complex corporate restructurings, and supported multi-jurisdictional transactions involving intricate corporate governance frameworks and complex financial arrangements. In addition to his transactional practice, Almujahid brings experience across arbitration, telecommunications, capital markets, aviation, and technology-driven transactions, operating at the intersection of regulatory complexity, strategic decision-making, and commercial outcomes.

Asad is a leading capital markets, banking and finance and corporate/commercial lawyer with over 24 years of experience gained in Oman, the United Kingdom and Pakistan and is qualified as a Barrister as well as a Solicitor to practice law in England and Wales and has also been called to the Bar in Pakistan. He leads the multi-award-winning boutique law firm, MAQ Legal, which has the distinction of having been named “Oman Law Firm of the Year” and awarded the “Rising Star Law Firm of the Year” for the entire Middle East and North Africa region by LexisNexis and IFLR. He also led the MAQ Legal Capital Markets team which is the only firm to have advised on all of the recent IPOs in Oman; including, the largest IPO in Oman’s history, being, OQ Exploration and Production SAOG. In addition to his work on the Capital Markets side, which includes IPOs, bonds, sukuk and funds, Asad regularly advised the Government of Oman and corporate clients on banking and finance, oil and gas and M&A matters. He is ranked ‘Band 1’ by Chambers and Partners for Corporate and Finance matters and the publication has referred to him as “one of the best lawyers in the GCC”.

Basma is a Finance and Operations Officer at Decree, where she oversees the financial and operational backbone of the organisation. Her expertise spans budget development, cash flow management, financial reporting, and forecasting. She plays a key role in keeping Decree’s day-to-day operations running smoothly, ensuring the team has the structure and financial clarity it needs to focus on building. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from the College of Banking and Financial Studies.

Buthaina Al-Wardi is a Legal Counsel at Omantel, specialising in commercial law, technology, and data privacy. She played a key role in Omantel’s implementation of the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL), advising on privacy compliance, data governance, and regulatory matters to support the organisation’s data protection framework.

Dr. Faten Hani is a chief executive and strategic advisor with more than thirty years of experience building institutions and delivering complex multibillion-dollar projects across the Gulf and internationally. She is Founder and Chief Executive of WASIL (Wise Advisors, Strategies, Innovation and Links), a specialized advisory firm serving governments, sovereign entities, and international organisations on strategy, mega-project development, and institutional design. Dr. Faten was a founding executive of the Dubai International Financial Centre, serving as Chief Human Capital Officer and later Chief Executive of the DIFC Centre of Excellence. She subsequently directed Oman’s University City Project, a national initiative by Royal Order, building partnerships with institutions including UC Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Cambridge, and Oxford. She has contributed to national visions and strategies in Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon, and has advised governments as far afield as South Korea and Vietnam. She holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from Nottingham Trent University, with research on human capability-building and national competitiveness, 2 master’s degrees in International Business Management and Business Innovation and is a Founding Fellow of WISE at Qatar Foundation.

Fatma Al Maamary is a partner at MAQ Legal. Her practice covers all aspects of corporate
and commercial law with particular focus on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets.
Fatma has extensive experience advising a diverse range of clients, including government
entities, investors, and regulators, across various industry sectors such as technology, oil
and gas, banking and others. As part of her practice, Fatma had advised on multiple
acquisitions of companies operating in the oil and gas sector and the acquisition of the rights
to exploration and production of oil and gas sites in the Sultanate of Oman. Fatma has also
worked on a number of high-value and innovative conventional and Islamic finance and
debt-restructuring transactions.

Iman is an Associate at MAQ Legal and an LLB Law graduate from the University of Leeds. Iman
advises on corporate, commercial, and banking (including Islamic finance) matters and has assisted
clients with drafting and reviewing of their commercial arrangements including liquidation, mergers,
acquisition and corporate compliance and advising on the issuance of bond and sukuk issuances.

Khalid Al Abri is a partner in the Capital Markets & Regulatory Teams. He regularly advises on
corporate and capital markets matters, with particular experience in IPOs, sukuk issuance,
investment funds, and other regulatory issues. Khalid leads the firm’s regulatory practice
and regularly advises issuers, investors, and financial institutions on a range of transactions
and regulatory matters.

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Maad Al Balushi is a Senior Associate at Faisal Al Rashdi Advocates and Legal Consultants (FALC) and a licensed Omani advocate. He advises government-related entities, financial institutions, public and private companies and international investors on corporate and commercial matters, mergers and acquisitions, investment funds, capital markets, projects, mining, energy, technology and regulatory matters. Maad holds an LLB from the University of Leicester and completed the Legal Practice Course at BPP University in London.

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Mashail Al-Balushi is a graduate in Commerce and Accounting from Modern College of Business and Science and is currently a Manager in PwC Middle East’s Business Tax team. She has over nine years of professional experience advising local and multinational clients on direct tax matters in Oman, with expertise in corporate income tax compliance and advisory, withholding tax, tax structuring, payroll taxation and accounting. She has also developed extensive experience supporting clients with the application of the Oman Income Tax Law and in managing engagements with the Oman Tax Authority.

Mohammed Al Mazrui is a New Zealand-qualified corporate lawyer with experience in New Zealand and Oman. Mohammed worked with Oman’s fastest-growing venture capital funds and tech companies and regularly advises clients on corporate governance and technology.

Muataz is an Associate in PwC Middle East’s Tax and Legal Services practice. He has experience assisting local and multinational clients across a range of direct and indirect tax matters, including compliance, assessments, advisory, tax refunds, and representations before the Oman Tax Authority and other government bodies. He also contributes to the preparation and delivery of technical tax training sessions, workshops, and seminars.

Mubarak holds a bachelor’s degree in law and International Relations from Coventry University and a Master of Law from the University of Kent. He began his career as an Assistant Legal Advisor at the Ministry of Legal Affairs, before joining Oman Airports Management Company SAOC, where he served as Director of Legal Affairs and later as Acting VP Legal. Currently, Mubarak serves as Principal Legal Advisor at OQ SAOC. 

Throughout his career, Mubarak has advised executive leadership and boards on legal, governance, regulatory compliance, and enterprise risk matters. His experience spans policy development, investment and divestment, restructuring, supply chain, litigation, arbitration, financing, and HR-related legal matters, reflecting a broad and versatile legal expertise. 

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Rida is a qualified lawyer with 10 years of experience advising on complex Banking & Finance
and Energy & Infrastructure transactions. She has acted for banks, public sector entities,
sponsors and private developers across a broad range of financing matters. Rida has
extensive experience in structuring, drafting and negotiating sophisticated financing
documentation, including project finance facilities, corporate finance facilities, working
capital facilities, standby letters of credit and Shariah-compliant (Islamic) financing
arrangements. Her practice spans the full transaction lifecycle, from structuring and due
diligence through to documentation, negotiation and financial close.

Riyadh is the Chief Executive Officer at Decree with over 20 years of experience working in the legal industry. Prior to working at Decree, he worked for over 16 years as a legal advisor in the Ministry of Legal Affairs and later its successor the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs. His areas of subject matter expertise include public international law, technology law, and intellectual property. He holds an LLB from the University of Cardiff, an LLM in IT and Commerce from Southampton University, and a PhD from SOAS, University of London.

Ruqayyah is a lawyer whose practice covers banking and finance, corporate-commercial law, and capital markets, serving clients across sectors including oil and gas. She works in both conventional and Islamic finance, advising Islamic banks and windows on structuring and rolling out Shariah-compliant products.
On the transactional side, she drafts and reviews complex commercial agreements and guides clients through M&A, liquidations, and corporate compliance, with additional advisory work in employment and tenancy law.
She also litigates, appearing before Oman’s Primary Courts and the Public Prosecution in civil, commercial, and criminal disputes — giving her strength in both contentious and non-contentious matters.

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Suhaila is a Senior Legal Counsel at Petroleum Development Oman with 10 years of legal experience, providing strategic legal support across the organization. She holds a master’s degree in International Commercial Law from University College London. Suhaila has extensive experience advising on labour and employment matters within the oil and gas sector, alongside a broad practice covering contracting and procurement, and health, safety and environment (HSE). More recently, she has supported the nation-wide pension fund integration project and the implementation of data protection laws, contributing to complex, cross-functional initiatives with significant regulatory and operational impact.

Sumaiya Al Balushi is an accomplished legal professional with over 15 years of experience in commercial law, corporate governance, and complex project advisory. She
currently serves as Head of Commercial Legal at Petroleum Development Oman (PDO),
where she leads the Commercial Legal Team and advises on high-value strategic projects.
She previously completed an international assignment with Shell International in London,
supporting energy transition and upstream projects across multiple jurisdictions. Sumaiya
holds an LL.M. in International Business Law from Queen Mary University of London,
and an LL. B in General Law from Sultan Qaboos University. She a qualified Omani
lawyer and a Certified In-House Counsel. She is passionate about aligning legal strategies
with business objectives while mentoring the next generation of legal professionals.

Yousuf is the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors at Decree and Vice President – Legal at Asyad Group. He is a dual-qualified lawyer in Oman and England & Wales, with over 15 years of experience spanning private practice, government, and in-house roles. He has extensive experience in infrastructure and energy projects, and regularly advises on the energy transition. He holds an LLB from the University of Hull, an LLM in International Commercial Law from the University of Birmingham, and an MBA from Waseda University in Japan. He is fluent in Arabic, English, and Japanese.

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