Shonagh is a Senior Counsel within Hadef & Partners’ Commercial practice. She brings over 25 years of post-qualification experience, over a decade of which have been in the UAE. During this time, Shonagh has held senior leadership positions in both the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates and is recognised for providing pragmatic, commercially focused legal advice on a range of complex commercial, procurement and governance matters. Her practice includes provision of strategic advice and contractual negotiation spanning many areas to include commercial, procurement, construction, development projects, corporate governance, intellectual property, PR & media, strategic partnerships, technology and digital platforms, professional services, outsourcing, consumer goods, manufacturing and distribution arrangements.
Shonagh has delivered legal, contract & procurement advice to C-Suite, Board and senior management teams, developed processes and solutions and negotiated commercial contracts for multiple industry sectors incl: government entities, sport, events, media & entertainment, construction, manufacturing, entrepreneurial start-ups and aviation. She regularly advises on contract strategy, risk allocation, claims management, compliance frameworks and organisational transformation initiatives. She is passionate about supporting starts-ups and SMEs in creating solid commercial and contractual foundations that support organisational growth while effectively managing legal and operational risk. Shonagh was previously Director of Contracts at a leading Free Zone in Dubai and has held roles such as General Counsel for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Group Legal Counsel for an international software distribution and solutions company and has been a legal consultant supporting many businesses through periods of organisational change and growth.