AMJAD MUHAMMAD OTHMAN

SENIOR LEGAL ADVISOR | LEGAL MANAGER

Profile summary

Career highlights

Key skills

Professional experience

Sole legal authority for eight companies spanning food manufacturing, retail, HORECA, general trading, and logistics. No intervening legal management - reporting line runs directly to the CEO.

• •Founded the Group's legal department, defining its structure, workflows, and reporting lines across all eight companies.
• •Authored a bespoke policy manual for each company individually, then trained every department on its application and issued continuous updates as legislation changed.
• •Built a central legal library holding all documentation produced in-house: corporate structures of the eight entities, supplier contracts, lease agreements, shop lease agreements, and sublease agreements.
• •Consolidated and standardised the Group’s corporate files and records, creating a single source of truth for contracts and licences.
• •Safeguarded compliance with mainland, Jebel Ali Free Zone, and DMCC regulations, as well as banking requirements.
• •Secured exemptions from government authorities to add activities not normally permitted on a single licence - including combined supermarket-and-café operations, general trading, and manufacturing.
• •Cultivated a strong network of relationships with mainland and free zone government entities, materially accelerating approvals and renewals.
• •Underpinned the establishment of 70 retail stores across the UAE and Katrina General Trading branches in the GCC, Egypt, and Europe.
• •Negotiated and reviewed lease, shop lease, and sublease agreements valued between AED 300,000 and AED 1 million each.
• •Restructured the PRO function to track licence expiry and renewals, completing Ejari renewals across all 70 branches.
• •Produced the Group’s template employment contracts.
• •Coached the HR department on UAE labour law and regulations covering employees, salaries, leave, disciplinary action, and recruitment.
• •Certified the Katrina factory under HACCP, training quality and safety staff on the underlying food safety regulations.
• •Enrolled and trained Katrina Bakery staff under the FoodWatch system.
• •Instituted the Group’s internal audit department and oversaw all audits and internal investigations.
• •Investigated and reported on email fraud and employee embezzlement involving payroll theft.
• •Equipped logistics staff to handle pre-shipment data, ingredients, and labelling submissions by goods type - Montaji for consumer and cosmetic products; FIRS/ZAD for food products.
• •Directed use of the Dubai Trade portal and Dubai Customs for issuing customs declarations, obtaining RTA permits, and securing permits for the transport of goods between Emirates.
• •Governed sales department policy and introduced the credit application framework.
• •Structured local and international supply agreements ranging from USD 100,000 to USD 700,000 in value.
• •Drafted franchise agreements for Katrina stores in Abu Dhabi.
• •Vetted all supplier contracts and purchase agreements, and set procurement department policy.
• •Partnered with the finance department on loan agreements with banks and with affiliated companies within the Group.
• •Recovered outstanding client debts of AED 100,000–300,000 through negotiation and enforcement.
• •Won a civil claim brought by a landlord seeking compensation, enforcement of the contract, and payment of the full lease term; countered with a criminal claim arising from the landlord’s forgery of the title deed.
• •Obtained a default judgment in a bounced cheque case in Ajman against a debtor outside the country, awarding the full debt amount plus court costs.
• •Filed a breach of trust case against an employee - referred by the Dubai Public Prosecution to the competent court for the first hearing.
• •Pursued a theft case at one of the Group’s stores - referred by the Dubai Public Prosecution to the competent court for the first hearing.

Directed the sole legal function for the business, reporting directly to the chief executive officer. Managed regulatory affairs, contract portfolios, and corporate policies for the operation located in Dubai.

• •Wrote the company policy manual, goods-return policy, and compliance guides covering theft procedures and counterfeit currency handling.
• •Prepared supply and purchase contracts with vendors and negotiated terms on behalf of the business.
• •Conducted internal investigations and filed formal complaints with Dubai Police, seeing each case through to resolution.

Managed civil and criminal litigation portfolios while advising corporate clients on governance standards, regulatory alignment, and institutional procedures across various legal proceedings.

• •Represented clients in civil and criminal proceedings by pleading cases through to judgment and conducting witness interviews in preparation for hearings.
• •Drafted and reviewed commercial contracts and internal policies for corporate clients in line with applicable regulations and government departments.
• •Resolved rent and tenancy disputes for landlords and tenants through settlement negotiations and court litigation while filing all required documentation.

Managed legal operations within the sports sector, overseeing regulatory compliance and contractual frameworks. Directed standard administration processes for player registration while coordinating external stakeholder agreements across multiple organizational departments.

• •Maintained club adherence to the mandates set by the Syrian Sports Federation and the Asian Football Confederation.
• •Managed player contracts, covering transfer protocols and registration paperwork.
• •Negotiated agreements with sponsors, facility operators, landlords, and suppliers.

• •Attended hearings and client meetings while maintaining case documentation and filings.

Education

International Law

• Damascus, Syria
• Dean’s List honoree, four consecutive years

Certifications

Languages