About Sonya Shaykhoun, Esq.
My name is Sonya Shaykhoun, Esq. I am a native New Yorker, a Member of the New York Bar, an Arabist and “Renaissance
woman” who has been living and working in the GCC since 2004 (Bahrain for seven years and Qatar for five years.) During this time I have had the opportunity to travel extensively as well as work for various companies and get to know people from all over the Middle East and the world. I have also amassed a wealth of knowledge about the Middle East, especially how business is done in the Middle East. I am one of the very few Western experts teaching others how business is done in this region.
As a Technology, Media and Telecommunications (including satellites) lawyer who has nearly twelve years’ MENA legal and corporate experience working for global blue-chip companies like Orbit Communications Company (now OSN) and Charles Russell (now Charles Russell Speechlys) in Bahrain and Al Jazeera Media Network in Qatar, I have unique legal experience and expertise in my area of law as well as what it takes to do business successfully in the Middle East.
I hold a BA in Arabic and Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, an MA Honours Degree in English Language and Literature from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland and an LL.M. in Corporate and Commercial Law from SOAS. I also studied Arabic for a year at Alexandria University, Egypt.
Doing Business in the Middle East is intended for anyone who is interested in what it is really like to live, work and do business in the Middle East. Whether you are a businessman or woman who is looking for information about all aspects of living and working in the Middle East before accepting a job offer or you are company owner or executive who is looking to expand into the Middle East, specifically the GCC, then Doing Business in the Middle East is for you. Doing Business in the Middle East covers both the soft skills and the hard skills you will need to have to excel when doing business in the Middle East.
I am passionate about the history, culture, art, film and literature of the Middle East – while I write about legal issues, I also write about Middle Eastern culture and places that I find interesting. I have been writing this blog in one form or another since 2010. Doing Business in the Middle East started out as a bridge-building exercise between the East and the West and a source of information about the legal, corporate and practical aspects of living and working in the Middle East.
Doing Business in the Middle East is now the platform from which I am launching my own legal consultancy and this is your gateway to reaching me to engage my consultancy services.
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