Yara Al-Assaf has been acting general manager of the legal department at the Saudi Exports Development Authority since December 2021.

Prior to that she worked at the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha’at), first as a senior legal specialist between October 2019 and November 2020 and then as team leader of the contracts, agreements and legal consultation department.

Between May 2016 and September 2019, Al-Assaf was an associate at the UK-based global law firm Clyde & Co. Her role encompassed advising clients on various legal issues, settling disputes, drafting and preparing trial documentation, and representing clients in court.

She had earlier worked as a compliance specialist at Riyad Bank in 2015, and as a trainee associate at Al-Fallaj law firm in 2014.

In those roles she assisted various corporate and banking groups, advising on commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, as well as Islamic finance, corporate finance and restructuring.

Al-Assaf completed a bachelor’s degree in law at Prince Sultan University in 2014, and earned her attorney license from the Ministry of Justice in 2018.

While at university, Al-Assaf took the opportunity to intern at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center’s legal affairs department in 2013, and at the Human Rights Commission’s international relations department in 2010.

She has honed her academic and professional skills by attending a number of workshops and training programs, including a women’s legal litigation course through the Women’s Rights Foundation, a foreign account tax compliance act regulation course at Riyad Bank, practical training on the new government tender and procurement law at Monsha’at, and legal training sessions on Islamic finance and anti-money laundering at Clyde & Co.