Muna Dandan

Muna Dandan joined the DFSA in September 2015 as General Counsel and Head of Legal Affairs.

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.

As Head of Legal Affairs for eight years, Ms Dandan 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. Since December 2023, Ms Dandan has been Acting Managing Director of Policy and Legal.  

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 obtained her law degree in the United Kingdom and is qualified to practice law in England and Wales, as well as in Hong Kong. Prior to returning to her Middle Eastern roots, Ms Dandan spent over ten years working for international law firms in both London and Hong Kong with a focus on advising large financial institutions and global corporates.