Zafar is a proven right hand to the CEO and the board, is known as the strategic support and execution capability for the group. She is an experienced chief legal officer, executive board member and is known for her ability to structure and grow billion-dollar development entities, motivate and lead strong teams and provide clear and focused legal, development, corporate and investment support across all industry sectors.

She is passionate about female empowerment, the growing role of women in the Middle East and provides mentorship to the younger generation of female executives. Zafar is also a budding tech entrepreneur and is seeking to redefine the corporate landscape and help professionals monetise their passion.

‘Lawyers will need a network of expertise to stay relevant’ 

Highly experienced chief legal officer Farah Zafar believes the successful lawyers of tomorrow will need to have a deep understanding of technology while respecting old-school values of loyalty and integrity.

What advice would you offer young women considering a career in corporate law at university in 2021 – can you outline a few differences in the profession between when you studied and today?

When I studied law it was a different era, entailing long nights in the library conducting legal research, reading precedent case studies and learning the law.

Advances in legal technology, modern software and AI mean that students can now retrieve information at the click of a button, so my advice would be to spend time developing key skill sets of successful lawyers such as communication, analytical skill development, strategic and commercial skills to legal scenarios.

Technology is disrupting every sector, including legal, so I would advise young women lawyers to adopt and embrace technology and develop understanding of key sectors such as e-commerce, health, education, SaaS, technology and fintech as these are the growing sectors of tomorrow that will require a different type of corporate lawyer.

The lawyers of tomorrow will need to be adaptable in a way that lawyers have never needed to be in the past and so one must build a network of expertise across many functions to be relevant today.

You’re a budding tech entrepreneur – can you tell us a bit about your product, its USP and the key value it offers independent professionals?

I believe the future is technology and I am pursuing various ventures in the tech space, which I believe has exponential growth potential. I have been fortunate enough to work for the region’s most visionary rulers and CEOs and have learnt over the past 22 years how to build successful billion-dollar corporations, how to raise and structure funding, sustainable growth, exits, listings and how to motivate and lead strong teams.

To be able to utilise my skill set with passionate co-founders to build the next unicorn is the next challenge.

Given the recent pandemic, the adoption of tech in every household and global unemployment, we believe the future is not that of large corporations but of the independent professional, who needs to be able to derive an income and presence online. Currently there are 50 million content creators across social media platforms, but only 2 million of those are able to generate real revenue.

My co-founders and I are building a fully integrated platform that will assist content creators, independent professionals and businesses in monetising their skills and passions online. We are developing the first creator-driven platform that elevates both creator and consumer experiences through a revenue-generation platform, so it’s exciting times ahead.

Our vision is to redefine what making a living means to people on a global scale and help people get paid for doing what they love, on their terms.

As a highly experienced chief legal officer who has worked with some of the region’s largest entities, have you noticed any change in representation when it comes to women’s participation in the legal sector over the past couple of decades?

When I moved to Dubai 20 years ago, I was one of the few female professionals and it was a challenge to navigate and succeed in a male-dominated environment.

However, the UAE has made excellent strides in the support and recruitment of women across all sectors and especially in government and quasi-government entities. I have always said that if it wasn’t for the progressive leadership of the UAE and, more recently, Saudi Arabia, I would never had been given the opportunity of working as CLO for these large organisations and be given a seat at the table.

We are seeing the rise of more women across all sectors, including the legal field, and I believe it is the responsibility of successful women everywhere to nurture the talents of the next generation of aspiring female executives.

I have been fortunate enough to witness the rise of Arab women across all sectors. I have watched women in the Middle East conquer the world and step out of the shadows in unique ways in order to pave the way for others.

To be able to see this and be a part of this serves as a constant source of inspiration and I hope to see a future of more female CEOs and female entrepreneurs in the tech space.

What are three professional values you’ve always abided by that have aided your career growth?

I’ve always strived to implement professional values of discipline, respect and integrity into my professional and personal life. Discipline is required if you are to achieve your dreams.

I have always believed that you must be the hardest working person in the room, perform more than is expected of you and learn every day.