Ziad Salloum, OSI, KSS, MCIArb

Ziad Salloum, OSI, KSS, MCIArb is an award-winning legal advisor and arbitrator. He is the managing partner of Salloum & Partners LLC. Since joining the firm in 2006, Ziad has provided specialist support to UAE and foreign government entities, top multinational and local companies, educational institutions, financial institutions, entrepreneurs and leading business-owning families. He has advised on matters in various fields such as: commercial contracts, employment, secured/unsecured lending, restructuring, strategic & structural planning, M&A, insurance, dispute resolution, succession planning, corporate governance and family office setup.

Ziad is often called upon to speak or present at local and international conferences and at universities. He has presented on matters as diverse as succession planning in the context of family businesses and family offices, banking and finance, industry-university partnerships, employment law, HSE and environmental protection, dos & don’ts in the UAE, ethics in business and law, mitigation of construction disputes, arbitration, force majeure, mitigating the impact of COVID19, and more.

Ziad sits on a number of company boards, including those of the Lycee Francais International Theodore Monod and the St Mary’s Group of Schools. In 2023, Ziad was appointed to the Advisory Board of Abu Dhabi University’s College of Law. He notably served multiple terms and years on the boards of the International Lawyers Network (ILN), the French Business Group (now the CCI France), the Union of French Expatriates’ (UFE) Abu Dhabi chapter, and the Alliance Française Abu Dhabi. He also served on the Advisory Board of the Emirati-Swiss Friendship Forum.

Ziad is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and is on the roll of arbitrators of the Abu Dhabi International Arbitration Center (arbitrateAD). Ziad is also a Professional Associate with Outer Temple Chambers in London.

Before converting to law, Ziad had a successful banking career, first in Treasury and Capital Markets, then in Private Banking.

He holds an LLM from SOAS, a PgDL from the University of East Anglia, an LLB from the Lebanese University and a BBA from the American University of Beirut.

Ziad is speaks English, French, Arabic and Italian.

Ziad is also a keen photographer. He has been invited to exhibit his art at high-profile venues in the Middle East. His photography has also been featured and auctioned at numerous charity fundraisers and environmental awareness initiatives. During the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, Ziad and his children began a Lego photo project which was featured in the news.

In 2017, in recognition of his services to the Catholic Church and wider community, The Vatican awarded him a knighthood with the Pontifical Order of St. Sylvester.

In December 2020, the Embassy of the Republic of Argentina issued him with an award in recognition of his dedication and services to the Embassy over the years.

In June 2021, Ziad was invested with a knighthood by the Republic of Italy, which named him a Knight Officer in the Order of the Star of Italy (OSI).

What people have said about Ziad:

• “I have the highest regard for Ziad Salloum’s professional abilities. He is both a strategist (able to see the “big” picture), and a tactician (on top of the detail).”
• “Ziad’s professional approach is meticulous, combining care and insight.”
• “[Ziad] is culturally attuned, with a deep understanding of European and Arab perspectives, and of the common law and civil law traditions.”
• “I was struck by his dedication, his attention to detail, his understanding of law and respect for procedure.”
• “He was consistently prepared and able to anticipate opposing counsel. He also had a way of setting people at ease, always willing to listen and able to defuse tense or adversarial situations among the parties.”
• “This outcome wouldn’t have been possible without your incredible effort and creative thinking. We truly appreciate how you consistently brought forth innovative ideas, even when some didn’t yield the desired results.”
• “[Y]our contributions provided us with much-needed options under local law, filling the gaps where [ ] had failed us and left us wanting.”

More information about Ziad:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziadsalloum-kss/
• https://www.instagram.com/fambamlego/

Some articles about Ziad:

• https://www.thenational.ae/uae/father-and-son-abu-dhabi-lawyers-receive-vatican-knighthood-for-decades-of-enormous-help-1.677498
• http://www.campdenfb.com/article/father-son-ziad-salloum-succession-united-arab-emirates
• https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/a-family-s-lockdown-lego-project-that-could-launch-a-career-1.1122564

Some publicly available articles written by Ziad:

• http://www.campdenfb.com/article/why-blocking-next-gen-succession-gulf-zero-sum-game
• http://www.campdenfb.com/article/view-gulf-overcoming-succession-fear-itself
• https://mgra.pt/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ILN-Corporate-Group-Force-Majeure.pdf (page 29)