Rob Flaws is a Partner and Head of the Tech and Innovation Team at Mishcon de Reya in the MENA region.
He brings more than eighteen years of international experience, fourteen of which have been spent based across the Middle East. Rob works with fast scaling technology, Fintech, blockchain, video gaming and artificial intelligence ventures, as well as both global and regional enterprises at the forefront of digital transformation. His experience includes supporting major organisations such as Emirates Airlines, leading UAE Government entities, regional banks and telcos and market shaping global technology consultancies including Accenture and Amazon on complex commercial, innovation and regulatory projects.
Rob has served as General Counsel/Head of Legal for several of the region’s most prominent technology innovators. These include Tabby which became the first fintech unicorn in the Middle East, Alpheya which is BNY Mellon’s artificial intelligence wealth technology venture and MoMo which remains one of the largest mobile money platforms in Africa. He has built and led legal and compliance functions across the UAE, KSA and wider international markets, guiding companies through fundraising, regulatory engagement and product market entry.
Rob is also an experienced Data Protection Officer with deep expertise in data governance, privacy frameworks and compliance filings. His regulatory background spans working with the CBUAE, SCA, VARA, SAMA and other leading financial authorities on both licensing applications and regulatory development. He maintains strong relationships across the regional innovation ecosystem including with major hubs in the ADGM, DIFC and the DMCC crypto and video gaming community. Rob regularly supports founders, investors and boards on strategic growth, commercial partnering and practical risk management.
Key Experience
- General Counsel - Alpheya: guiding the build of an AI driven wealth technology platform, investor onboarding, regulatory engagement with the SCA and ADGM, and global IP and data protection strategy.
- Head of Legal – Tabby INC: building the legal, compliance and data protection functions across five jurisdictions and supporting the company’s journey to the first fintech unicorn valuation in the Middle East.
- Group General Counsel - Papel: advising on crypto payment licensing in Europe and the UAE and leading global PSP and investor negotiations.
- Global Legal Counsel - MTN/MoMo: supporting the growth of Africa’s largest mobile money platform and advising on commercial technology, joint ventures and regulatory expansion across multiple high growth markets.
- Partner and Head of TMC Middle East – CMS UAE LLP: advising founders, scale ups and multinational enterprises on commercial technology, regulatory frameworks, investor readiness and market expansion across the GCC.
- Emirates Airlines: advising on the creation of a dedicated Emirates data centre and supporting the outsourcing, redevelopment and enhancement of the Emirates booking platform which continues to be one of the most significant commercial technology projects in the region.
- Accenture: advising on the deployment of enterprise technology, digital transformation solutions and artificial intelligence platforms to leading customers across the UAE and KSA.
- Amazon: advising on the merging, upgrading and launch of major Amazon platforms in the UAE and KSA during the group’s market entry phase including support for cloud, marketplace and logistics technology infrastructure.
Career History
Partner, Mishcon de Reya LLP
General Counsel and Head of Compliance, Alpheya
Head of Legal and Compliance, Data Protection Officer and Company Secretary, Tabby Inc
General Counsel, Papel Payment Services
Global Legal Counsel, MTN/MoMo
Partner and Head of TMC Middle East, CMS UAE LLP
Senior Legal Consultant, DLA Piper Middle East LLP
Legal Director, Paramount Pictures Ltd
Senior Associate/Associate, CMS UK
Trainee Solicitor, Eversheds
University of Leeds, BA Hons History
College of Law York, Graduate Diploma in Law
Nottingham Law School, Legal Practice Certificate