National Anthem
Opening Video
Welcome remarks by Great Minds Group
09:10 – 09:20
Opening remarks by Conference Chairman
Bruno Navarro, Managing Director, Ipso Facto
09:20 – 09:35
Opening keynote address
Speaker:
H.E. Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, Minister of Justice UA
09:35 – 10:05
Opening Regulators’ Panel: Building a resilient financial ecosystem - Strengthening business recovery, market stability and investor confidence across MENA
Enhancing business rescue and restructuring frameworks to preserve economic value and support business continuity
Safeguarding financial stability through proactive credit risk management and effective NPL resolution
Unlocking dormant capital and strengthening market confidence through effective asset recovery and investor protection
Moderator:
Mohammed Al Dhaheri, Partner – Dispute Resolution, Hadef & Partners
Panellists:
Fatima Almutawa, Head, Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy Unit, Ministry of Justice UAE
Adel Marzooqi, Chief Legal Counsel, Central Bank of the UAE
Khalid Al-Shamma, Head of Uncollected Dividends Section, Capital Market Authority
10:05 – 10:20
Global & GCC macroeconomic outlook: Repositioning for growth amid global geo-economic uncertainties
Speaker:
Simon Ballard, Managing Director and Chief Economist, First Abu Dhabi Bank
10:20 – 11:10
Official exhibition opening and networking coffee break
11:10 – 11:50
Panel discussion: Top winning strategies behind large corporate restructurings
Strategic diagnosis and restructuring roadmaps: Identifying core financial, operational, and market issues to design actionable turnaround plans.
Addressing jurisdictional, regulatory, and legal complexities in multinational and regional corporate restructurings
Strategies to drive consensus, avoid plan failures, and accelerate approvals through clear communication and governance discipline
The role of bridge financing, new money, investor confidence, and creative capital structures in stabilizing distressed companies
Moderator:
Sadaf Buchanan, Partner, Dentons
Panelists:
Dr. Zekeriyya Gemici, Executive Vice President – Strategy & Growth, Tasnee
Robbie Harris, Managing Director – Distressed Products Group, Deutsche Bank
Jody Waugh, Managing Partner, Al Tamimi & Company
12:30 – 12:45
Industry insight: From early stress to value recovery: A practical playbook for lenders and shareholders
Speakers:
Mortaza Nadjafi, Partner, Roland Berger
12:45 – 13:25
Panel discussion: Safeguarding lending in a volatile market: Effective strategies to manage credit risk and curtail special assets portfolio
Embedding NPL minimisation into origination, monitoring, and covenant design
Using restructurings, covenant resets, and sponsor engagement to protect and enhance collateral value
Internal versus external solutions: In-house special assets versus sales, partnerships, and co-investments
Assessing the viability of NPL sales, securitisation, and risk transfer structures in MENA markets
Moderator:
Oliver Carter, Senior Managing Director, Teneo
Panelists:
Mansour Subaei, Acting General Manager - Special Assets Management, Saudi Awwal Bank
George Kakos, Partner, PwC
Turki AlAhmari, Head of Special Assets Management, Banque Saudi Fransi
13:25 – 14:25
Networking Lunch
14:25 – 15:05
Panel discussion: The surge of MENA’s private credit market - From niche capital to a core pillar of distressed and special situations financing
Reviewing the complementary (or competing?) role private credit plays in filling critical credit gaps in MENA
Risk, returns & recoveries in emerging MENA market
What needs to change for private credit to scale sustainably in MENA? A review of legal frameworks and crucial factors for driving investor confidence pathways
Moderator:
Michael Rainey, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland
Panelists:
Charles Spetka, Head of Middle East, Fortress
Karim Labban, Senior Managing Director, Ankura
Sharif Eid, Partner, Head of Private Credit, Amwal Capital Partners
Christian Adams, Co-Managing Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig
15:05 – 15:45
Spotlight session: Governance failures and shareholder disputes: Lessons from MENA’s family offices and large corporates
The pivotal role of weak governance frameworks (unclear roles, poor transparency and informal decision-making) in fuelling shareholder conflicts and litigation in family business and large corporates
Navigating shareholder disputes via tools, legal pathways and negotiation strategies to prevent conflicts from derailing restructuring or business continuity
Strengthening governance in family offices through clear succession planning, defined ownership rights and structured management oversight
Embedding robust governance (board independence, reporting discipline, conflict of interest controls) to reduce disputes and stabilize companies during distress or restructuring
Moderator:
Imogen Lillywhite, Senior Reporter, Debtwire
Panelists:
Tom Bullock, Partner – Restructuring, Turnaround and Cost Transformation, Deloitte
Balaji Natarajan, Group Chief Financial Officer, Bin Ladin International Holding Company
Mihir Bhatt, Head of Restructuring - Middle East, Kroll
Ahmed Fathi Al Kilani, Managing Partner, E11 Investment
Alexander King, Chief Financial Officer, MHL Group
Ola Abdullah, Business Restructuring Services, PwC
16:25 – 16:40
Closing remarks by Conference Chairman Bruno Navarro, Managing Director, Ipso Facto
16:40
Close of conference day one
17:00 – 20:00
Networking cocktail reception
*By invite only
08:00 – 08:55
Registration & morning coffee
09:00 – 09:05
Opening remarks by Conference Chairman
Bruno Navarro, Managing Director, Ipso Facto
09:05 – 09:35
Fireside chat: From Legislation to implementation – Evaluating the new UAE bankruptcy law in practice
Moderator:
Fatima Almutawa, Head of Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy Unit, Ministry of Justice UAE
Panelists:
Mohammed Al Dhaheri, Partner – Dispute Resolution, Hadef & Partners
Fatima Marzooq Ali Al Ali, Trustee
09:35 – 09:45
Introduction to IWIRC: The importance of inclusive leadership in the Middle East restructuring and insolvency ecosystem
Speaker:
Jennifer Frenis, Director, Deloitte
09:45 – 10:25
Panel: The capital lifeline – The critical role of distressed lending in corporate comebacks
Discussing how private credit funds and alternative lenders are meeting the capital requirement of corporates coming out of restructuring, and reshaping financing dynamics in the MENA
Top strategies to incentivize banks to provide liquidity and support debtors through restructuring
Effective approaches to risk allocation, covenant design, and alignment between creditors and borrowers
Latest trends, emerging sectors, and regional variations in distressed lending across MENA
Mubashir Mukadam, Managing Partner & Chief Investment Officer, Blantyre Capital
Suhaib Aref, Senior Manager – Debt Restructuring, Saudi Awwal Bank
James Long, Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting
Husni Mousli, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis
10:25 – 10:55
Fire-side chat: A tactical playbook for NPL acquisitions in the MENA
Single loan versus aggregated portfolio sales: Comparative analysis of risk, return, and execution strategies
Leveraging analytics, credit assessments, and risk profiling for informed acquisition decisions
Step-by-step guide from deal sourcing and negotiation to closing and post-acquisition management
Understanding MENA-specific frameworks, compliance, and cross-border challenges
Moderator:
Sam Gidoomal, Head of Middle East Financial Services, Alvarez & Marsal
Panelists:
Robbie Harris, Managing Director – Distressed Products Group, Deutsche Bank
Naveen Sabharwal, Managing Director – Distressed Investments, Davidson Kempner
10:55 – 11:40
Networking coffee break
11:40 – 12:20
Spotlight session: A probe into underlying recurring issues behind failed restructurings
Understanding how liquidity shortfalls undermine restructuring plans
Challenges in securing capital for companies emerging from distress
The impact of excessive debt on recovery prospects
How poor leadership and oversight contribute to restructuring failures
Moderator:
Katie McMahon, Senior CEEMEA Reporter, Octus
Panelists:
Jerry Wu Chenggang, Chief Special Operations Officer, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Turki AlAhmari, Head of Special Assets Management, Banque Saudi Fransi
Amir Ahmad, Partner, Reed Smith
Guy Wall, Senior Managing Director and Head of Middle East Insolvency, Alvarez & Marsal
12:20 – 12:50
Fire-side chat: Recycling risk - Opening new lending opportunities for Middle Eastern lenders via synthetic risk transfers (SRTs)
Understanding how risk-sharing and capital relief mechanisms expand lending capacity for regional banks, and how recycled risk can redirect capital to priority sectors, SMEs, and new corporate borrowers
Key components, stakeholder roles, pricing considerations, and risk–return alignment
Navigating regional and international rules governing SRTs and ensuring compliance
Assessing demand from global investors and credit funds participating in MENA SRT transactions
Moderator:
Robert Bradbury, Managing Director, Head of Structured Credit, Alvarez & Marsal
Speakers:
Yasmine Calil, Managing Director, Portfolio Management and Structuring, Christofferson Robb & Company
Tauhid Ijaz, Partner, Ashurst
12:50 – 13:30
Closing Panel: Orchestrating business turnarounds - Aligning strategy, capital and execution
How leading companies identify root causes of distress and implement targeted operational, financial, and strategic fixes
The pivotal role of strong boards, accountable management, and coordinated creditors in driving successful turnarounds
Leveraging new money, distressed debt opportunities, and investor support to stabilize and grow businesses
Translating restructuring plans into measurable outcomes, resilient operations, and long-term corporate value creation
Moderator:
Emad Alsinan, Regional Head of Special Assets Management, Saudi Awwal Bank
Panelists:
Zaid Fahad Abunayyan, General Manager – Special Assets, Alinma Bank
Bruno Navarro, Managing Director, Ipso Facto
Ahmad Alanani, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sancta Capital Group
Khurram Z. Chishti, Senior Credit Officer, Habib Bank
