BEEAH appoints Shaun Johnson as group general counsel

Following its recent transformation into an international holding group, BEEAH has appointed Shaun Johnson as group general counsel, building on its plans for growth in the UAE, across the Middle East and entry into new international markets.

As group general counsel, Johnson will oversee BEEAH’s legal team and extensive roster of external counsel to ensure world’s best practices are implemented within the organization and across the Group’s multiple businesses and joint ventures. He will also provide legal guidance to ensure compliance with all relevant policies, including those relating to governance and ethics, as well as applicable local, regional and international laws.

Johnson reports to the group CEO of BEEAH, Khaled Al Huraimel, who highlighted how the role of group general counsel will be critical in shaping the organisation’s plans to grow across industries and expand into new territories. “It is an exciting time for our company. Our businesses continue to scale up their operations while our ventures emerge into new sectors and territories, pursuing our ambitions to shape tomorrow’s smart, sustainable cities. As Group General Counsel, Johnson’s experience and expertise will be key in ensuring that BEEAH continues to follow ‘best in-class’ legal practices while working towards the Group’s objectives, within our existing structure, as well as within the context of our new areas of growth,” Al Huraimel said.

As an organisation formed through a public-private partnership, BEEAH has already aligned with the UAE’s sustainability agenda, regional sustainability priorities and the UNSDGs, launching several ground-breaking projects on its own and through strategic collaborations. Johnson will act as counsel to the BEEAH Group CEO and the CEOs of all its subsidiaries and ventures to enable sustainable and profitable operations while mitigating risk across the BEEAH Group. Part of Johnson’s remit is to navigate partnerships which facilitate the effective realisation of projects across waste management, recycling, renewable energy, environmental consulting, digital technology, healthcare, education and sustainable transportation.

BEEAH Group currently operates in the UAE, KSA and Egypt. In order to fulfil his responsibilities at scale and across geographies, Johnson will develop and enhance the structure of the internal legal function and its extensive roster of external counsel, from selection to management and retention.

Johnson qualified in Australia in the late 1990s and began his career at various reputed international law firms, including Ashurst in Melbourne and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London. In 2005, he began serving as an in-house counsel for entities in the public and private sectors. Prior to his appointment at BEEAH, Johnson spent six years in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, one of the key markets for BEEAH. During his time in Riyadh, Johnson was general counsel for the Vision Invest PPP Unit (formerly ACWA Holding) and subsequently served as vice president of Miahona, the group’s water utilities subsidiary.

Speaking about his new role, Johnson said, “I am thrilled to be part of BEEAH Group in the next stage of its evolution, which is truly a transformative time for the organisation. Just like BEEAH’S innovative and pioneering new headquarters with fully integrated AI, I plan to do the same by creating a ‘state of the art’ AI based legal function, that supports, enables and protects the BEEAH Group across all its operations and jurisdictions.”