Shiraz Sethi

Partner and Regional Head of Employment,
Dentons

Shiraz is the regional head of employment based in Dentons' Dubai office. He joined Dentons in 2020 and has more than 15 years of experience working on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious employment law matters. He has worked with multinational clients in a variety of sectors, but with a primary focus on the technology, media and telecommunications, professional services and financial services sectors. Shiraz provides advice on all aspects of employment law, including recruitment, termination, terms and conditions of employment (benefits, bonuses and remuneration), restrictive covenants and team moves, and is a specialist in complex workplace investigations. He played a leading role in the drafting of the legislative changes to the DIFC Employment Law and was exclusively mandated to draft the COVID-19 regulations for the DMCC. Shiraz’s practice also covers aspects of criminal law where appropriate.

Shiraz assists on jurisdictional projects (including covering restructures, sales of a business as a going concern and employee status issues) as well as issues arising out of employee mobilization and international assignments. He regularly presents at seminars and workshops as part of Dentons’ regular client training program and at external events organized by various business councils, HR consultancy firms and other freezone authorities, including DMCC and JAFZA.

Shiraz is acknowledged as a leading individual for employment law and is ranked in the UAE by both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500.

Ali Al Assaad

Legal Manager,
Dentons
Ali is a legal manager in Dentons’ Dubai office. He is a member of the Corporate, Employment and Dispute Resolution practice groups and has more than 12 years of legal experience. Ali’s primary focus is in relation to employment advisory but specialises in advising on employment disputes before the local courts, conducting negotiations and reaching amicable settlements. His practice includes advising corporates on employment contracts, policies and various employment disputes. He also advises on real estate disputes, debts default, breach of contracts and abuse of rights. Ali has participated in drafting the DIFC Presidential Directive No. 4 of 2020 in respect of COVID-19 emergency employment measures, and the DMCC Employment Guidelines during the COVID-19 Precautionary Measures Period. Ali is trilingual (English, Arabic and French) and is therefore able to provide advice to a wide range of clients, based on his first-hand litigation before the local courts.

Emma O’Connor

Senior Talent Development Manager,
Dentons

Emma O’Connor is a Senior Talent Development Manager at Dentons, based in Dubai, and a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD (FCIPD). She is a senior HR and Talent Development professional with more than 25 years’ experience in the Middle East, bringing extensive regional insight and a strong understanding of the people and organisational challenges facing businesses in the region.

Emma holds an MSc in Training and Human Resource Management and has particular expertise in leadership development, coaching, employee development, and organisational capability. At Dentons, she works closely with senior stakeholders to design and deliver people and leadership initiatives that strengthen individual, team and organisational performance.

Dina Kottoros

Managing Director and Senior Legal Counsel,
Mercuria Energy Group
Ali is a legal manager in Dentons’ Dubai office. He is a member of the Corporate, Employment and Dispute Resolution practice groups and has more than 12 years of legal experience. Ali’s primary focus is in relation to employment advisory but specialises in advising on employment disputes before the local courts, conducting negotiations and reaching amicable settlements. His practice includes advising corporates on employment contracts, policies and various employment disputes. He also advises on real estate disputes, debts default, breach of contracts and abuse of rights. Ali has participated in drafting the DIFC Presidential Directive No. 4 of 2020 in respect of COVID-19 emergency employment measures, and the DMCC Employment Guidelines during the COVID-19 Precautionary Measures Period. Ali is trilingual (English, Arabic and French) and is therefore able to provide advice to a wide range of clients, based on his first-hand litigation before the local courts.

Eliza Romanovska

Group HR Director,
OBT Shipping Group

Eliza is currently serving as Group HR Director at OBT, an international shipping company headquartered in Dubai with a footprint of over 20 offices across Africa.

She is deeply focused on organizational development, talent acquisition, cross-border workforce planning, and regional compliance.

Having spent the last 5 years operating within DMCC across energy and maritime industries, specialize in building high-performing, multi-cultural teams and aligning HR strategy directly with international expansion and business results.