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John L. Habib is the President and Chief Legal Counsel for M.E.N.A. Bridge Advisors. He has practiced law in the M.E.N.A. region since beginning his legal career in 1990, and has advised clients specifically on U.A.E. legal and strategic business issues since his first trip to the region in 2000.

From 2005 to 2011, Mr Habib lived and worked full-time in the United Arab Emirates. During that period, and continuing through the present, he served as an executive advisor to a variety of trade associations and governmental advisory agencies, including the following entities:

•Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development (www.ADCED.ae) - Board Member, 2010 to Present - ADCED, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, acts as an economic policy advisory council to the Abu Dhabi government, and to facilitate economic diversification and growth in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

•AmCham Abu Dhabi (www.AmChamAbuDhabi.org) – Chairman of Board of Directors (2009 through Present), Executive Vice President (2008-2009), Vice President – Legal Affairs (2006-2008) - As the largest western trade association in Abu Dhabi, serving some 400 member companies and entrepreneurs, AmCham Abu Dhabi is a leading voice for US - UAE business relations in region, and is closely associated with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (www.abudhabichamber.ae) and the US-UAE Business Council based in Washington, D.C. (www.usuaebusiness.org);

•AmCham MENA (www.AmChamMENA.org) - Member of Board of Directors and Co-Chair of Arabian Gulf Committee (2010 through Present) – This grouping of 8 Gulf region AmCham chapters was founded to trade and investment relations across the Middle East and North African regions.

•U.S. Chamber of Commerce – International PolicyCommittee (www.uschamber.com/international/default.htm) &ndah Non-Voting Committee Member (2009 through Present) – International trade advisory committee serving the Board of Directors of the world's largest business federation, based in Washington, D.C.

•Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce (www.mecacc.org) – Chairman of Steering Committee (2009 through 2010) – A council comprised of some 5 business councils across the Gulf region.

Mr Habib's other professional and charitable associations have included the following:

•Registered Arbitration Panelist - Commercial Conciliation and Arbitration Centre of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry;

•Chairman, Formation Committee - Gulf Bond and Sukook Association, a U.A.E.-based trade association;

•Volunteer Trainer - Injaz Al Arab (http://www.injazalarab.org) - non-profit mentoring group for Arab youth;

•Steering Committee Member and Volunteer Legal Advisor - Palestine Children's Relief Fund (www.pcrf.net) –U.S.A.- headquartered non-profit charitable organization providing free medical care to Middle Eastern children.

In addition to his legal consulting practice, Mr Habib has spent over a decade within the executive management of private manufacturing and distribution companies. He has held a variety of executive management positions throughout his career, including:

•General Counsel, supervising all legal and regulatory issues impacting business operations and real estate investment portfolios;

•Business Unit President, responsible for all manufacturing, distribution, marketing and sales operations globally;

•Vice President of Sales, managing both domestic and international sales teams, nominating and supervising agents and distributors, implementing sales force training programs and meeting sales and profitability targets; and

•Vice President of Acquisitions and Alliances, responsible for researching and targeting suitable industry partners and assets, conducting negotiations, and structuring the documentation of transactions.

Mr Habib is admitted to practice in four state bar associations in the U.S.: i) Washington, D.C.; ii) New York; iii) Maryland and Arizona. Prior to establishing MBA in July, 2008, Mr Habib served as the Managing Partner of the M.E.N.A. Practice Group of a U.S.-based law firm's branch office in Abu Dhabi. Mr Habib obtained his law degree from Emory University School of Law located in Atlanta, Georgia,where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Emory International Law Review. He obtained a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations and Political Science from Colgate University located in Hamilton, New York.