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Karak Chats Episode 9 - In Conversation with Aarta Alkarimi

Episode 9 of Karak Chats, hosts Natalia Barroso and Kate Blotskaya are joined by Aarta Alkarimi of Chrysalis to talk about the process of becoming a chartered arbitrator and why experts are important to a case.

27 min

24/09/2025

Karak Chats Episode 8 - In Conversation with Cheryl Cairns

In this latest episode of Karak Chats, the FTI Consulting Team of Nisreen Bitar Wall and Natalia Barraso discuss construction dispute resolution with Cheryl Cairns of Trowers and Hamlins, Middle East. Cheryl outlines her impressive career, what brought her to the region, and the disputes, litigation and particularly arbitration strategies that are being used in the region. Cheryl also talks about the importance of diversity in the expert field and how to best build your profile in the industry,

37 min

29/07/2025

Karak Chats Episode 7 - In Conversation with Sara Koleilat Aranjo

In the latest episode of Karak Chats, Nisreen and Kate explore the construction and projects world with Sara Koleilat-Aranjo, Partner at Morgan Lewis. Sara speaks about her aspiring medical career and subsequent journey into the legal profession from corporate law to disputes and leans into what nuances are shaping the disputes landscape in the region. Sara also speaks about the importance of diversity in the industry and about the strong females that have helped shape her career. Sara Koleilat-Aranjo leads Morgan Lewis’s international arbitration, dispute resolution, and global investigations practice across the Middle East and Africa. Sara focuses her practice on international arbitration and dispute prevention and resolution, primarily in cases with cross-border elements. She advises and represents the interests of governments, semi-governments, and corporations in proceedings arising out of inbound and outbound investments in the Middle East and Africa across a range of sectors, including energy, real estate, hospitality, construction, banking and finance, distribution, and technology, media, and telecommunications. Sara speaks Arabic, French, and English. https://www.morganlewis.com/bios/saraaranjo

43 min

08/05/2025

Karak Chats Episode 6 - In Conversation with Courtney Rothery

FTI Consulting's Middle East Construction Team continue their podcast series as they are joined by Courtney Rothery, Legal Director at CMS. Courtney dissects her career, what led her to become a lawyer and delves deeper into the impact women are making in the construction industry with our hosts Kate and Nisreen https://cms.law/en/are/people/courtney-rothery

47 min

24/03/2025

Karak Chats Episode 5 - In Conversation with Nesreen Osman

FTI Consulting's Middle East Construction Team continue their podcast series as they are joined by Nesreen Osman of Pinsent Mason's to talk about the importance of diversity, individuality and what led Nesreen to making a career in construction law. Nesreen delves into her views on why there remains a scarcity of women on site on the industry, what impact women are making specifically in the legal field and her role as a mentor and leader and her role models. https://www.pinsentmasons.com/people/nesreen-osman

39 min

14/01/2025

Karak Chats Episode 4 - In Conversation with Alison Eslick

In our fourth episode of Karak Chats, Alison Eslick from Reed Smith joins Natalia and Nisreen to talk about her career as a construction lawyer. Alison is a major promotor of diversity, inclusion and belonging in the region. Alison speaks about her early career , how she found herself in the industry and why she champions female representation in the expert and arbitrator space. Alison is passionate about gender diversity in the construction industry and has been invited to speak as a panelist at the ED&I: Women in Construction Summit in Dubai for the last few years. She is also an active member of the ERA Pledge MENA Committee. Bio Alison is a disputes lawyer with a focus on international arbitration for major infrastructure projects. Practising in Dubai since 2008, she advises local and international clients on complex cross border disputes in the UAE and foreign jurisdictions covering a range of industries, including oil and gas, construction, hospitality, real estate, and renewables. Alison has advised on disputes involving projects (solar, hydrogen, desalination, natural gas, irrigation, sewage treatment, mixed use developments, commercial, residential and entertainment venues) in Qatar, Oman, UAE, South America, Africa and the Caribbean under a range of procedural laws (England & Wales, Swiss, UAE, DIFC) and arbitral rules (ICC, LCIA, DIAC, ADCCAC, LCAM, and UNCITRAL). Alison has also assisted construction industry clients in proceedings before dispute boards and adjudication panels.

40 min

18/11/2024

Karak Chats Episode 3 - In Conversation with Khushboo Shadadpuri

In our latest episode of Karak Chats, Nisreen and Kate are joined by Khushboo Shadadpuri of Al Tamimi and Company. In another candid discussion the FTI Team explore the importance of diversity, Khushboo's career journey into the construction sector. Khushboo provides insights into expert appointments, her personal experiences and what the future holds for women in arbitration and construction in the Middle East Region. Khushboo is a Senior Counsel with Al Tamimi & Company. Ranked in Thomson Reuters ALB MENA Super 50 Lawyers 2024, as a future leader in arbitration by Who’sWhoLegal and as a Rising Star by Legal 500 for her expertise in construction disputes, amongst many others, Khushboo is dual qualified in Singapore and the State of New York. Khushboo’s practice focuses on international dispute resolution.

39 min

14/10/2024

Karak Chats Episode 2 - Construction Insights with Shona McCusker

In this weeks episode FTI Consulting's Women in Construction are joined by Shona McCusker, Senior Legal Counsel at Petrofac to discuss the nuances of the construction industry. The episode explores Shona's private practice background, her current role at Petrofac as an in-house counsel and what young women aspiring for a career in law can do to kick star their legal careers. Shona also discusses the concept of energy transition and and how organizations are contributing to this, as well as the women in construction networks in the Middle East as well as the various lessons learnt throughout her career. FTI Hosts: Natalia Barroso Kate Blotskaya

38 min

02/10/2024

Karak Chats - Episode 1 meet the FTI Consulting Women in Construction Podcast Hosts

In the first episode of Karak Chats, we introduce you to our hosts from FTI Consulting’s Construction, Projects and Assets Team in the Middle East: Natalia Barroso, Senior Director Nisreen Bitar Wall, Senior Director Kate Blotskaya, Director Our hosts introduce themselves, talk about their career paths and how they ended up working in the world of construction. They also discuss the nuances of life in the Middle East and delve into some of the challenges that women in the region face in the industry. Importantly our hosts discuss how they are overcoming the challenges faced through collective action. Karak Chats is a FTI Consulting podcast focusing on women in construction in the Middle East. Each week our hosts from FTI Consulting will be joined by various women from the construction industry in the region, who will all discuss how they are challenging the status quo in the construction industry. Expect career stories, light hearted anecdotes as well as discussion on female empowerment and how they are all building a stronger bridge for other aspiring women in construction to cross from a diversity and equity perspective. Tune in for new episodes on a fortnightly basis.

22 min

Karak Chats

Episodes

Karak Chats Episode 9 - In Conversation with Aarta Alkarimi

Karak Chats Episode 8 - In Conversation with Cheryl Cairns

Karak Chats Episode 7 - In Conversation with Sara Koleilat Aranjo

Karak Chats Episode 6 - In Conversation with Courtney Rothery

Karak Chats Episode 5 - In Conversation with Nesreen Osman

Karak Chats Episode 4 - In Conversation with Alison Eslick

Karak Chats Episode 3 - In Conversation with Khushboo Shadadpuri

Karak Chats Episode 2 - Construction Insights with Shona McCusker

Karak Chats - Episode 1 meet the FTI Consulting Women in Construction Podcast Hosts

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