Ms Dandan is the primary legal advisor to the Board of Directors, responsible for advising the DFSA’s Board and its various committees on governance and legal issues. She also oversees the Board Secretarial function, ensuring the effective management of the affairs of the Board and its committees.

For the last 9 years Ms Dandan has also headed the DFSA’s Legal Division, which is responsible for managing the DFSA’s legal risk and providing legal advice and support for all aspects of the DFSA’s functions, as well as drafting the administrative laws and rules forming the DFSA’s regulatory framework.

Following an internal restructure, where the Legal and Policy Divisions merged, Ms Dandan was appointed acting Head of the new Division, adding to her responsibilities the design and delivery of the DFSA’s regulatory policy setting work.

Prior to joining the DFSA, Ms Dandan spent five years as Head of Legal for the corporate and retail banking businesses of Barclays Bank PLC across the Middle East. Before that she served for several years as Senior Legal Advisor for HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, advising on all aspects of HSBC’s operations across the Middle East and North Africa, including their corporate, commercial, private wealth, retail and investment banking business lines.

Ms Dandan is qualified to practice law in England and Wales, as well as in Hong Kong. Prior to moving to Dubai, Ms Dandan worked for top tier international law firms in both London and Hong Kong with a focus on advising large financial institutions and global corporates.