Our Team

Nasreen Alissa

Founding Partner - Attorney

Nasreen is an attorney with more than 10 years’ experience in corporate and commercial law. She provides legal services and support to startups, entrepreneurs, founders, seed, early-stage growth, pre-incorporation companies and small to medium size businesses. She is also skilled and experienced in negotiating startup legal documents and business contracts and agreements including founders’ agreements and term sheets. She helps clients with NDA’s, employment agreements, contracts, software licensing and technology agreements. She has a wide experience in setting up fintech companies. Nasreen holds an LLB from Nottingham Law School, BA in Sociology from the University of British Columbia, LLM from City University, and LPC from City University.

Fadi AlAwami

Partner

Fadi is a financial and business adviser with 20 + years in the banking sector and entrepreneurship ecosystem. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from KFUPM and is a certified Financial Advisor by the Ministry of Commerce. He worked as consultant at The World Bank Group and few projects in AlUla to support SMEs. Fadi also understands the regulatory challenges fintech companies face and has experience in working with fintech companies. Fadi is an active contributor in which he published several articles at regional business magazines such as Forbes Middle East, Fortune Arabia, and Arabian Business discussing different subjects related to entrepreneurship and the fintech ecosystem in the region.

Chris Symiriotis

Partner – Fintech Consultant

Chris has more than thirty years of experience in payments, having worked with FAB, ENBD, Ahli United Bank, SAMBA, QNB, and Arab Bank. As a payments advisor to the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), he authored the mada, Atheer, and MSP operating rules, standards, and procedures. He was appointed to C-Level roles in the UAE Ministry of Finance’s eDirham scheme, and Emirates Digital Wallet in the UAE. He was a senior strategy consultant with Deloitte and AT Kearney with more than 30 international assignments. He has on the ground experience in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Greece, Algeria, Oman, UK, and Indonesia. Chris holds an MSc in Management Science from Brunel University in the UK, and is fluent in Arabic, English, and French. Chris has a deep understanding of the fintech licensing application process and underlying Saudi Central Bank regulations. He has, to date, worked with three high profile Saudi fintechs that acquired their license from SAMA, including pre-operationalization processes and procedures.