Highly commended: General Electric
Finalists: Foulath Holding BSC (closed) • Nakheel • SEDCO • Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa

The Emirates Group legal department, which is led by Rick Ward, was praised by the judges for operating at the forefront of its field and for the amount of complex legal work it handles in house. "Their commitment to CSR, diversity and support to female employees is outstanding," added one of the judges.

The team, which is made up of 21 lawyers, legal executives and administrators, has been undertaking a series of initiatives to improve its team culture and hone its focus on common strategic goals. These have included a team away day coordinated with the group's psychology department, which presented an analysis of the team culture exploring how to improve its performance. The team has now signed up to the first phase of a performance management system being implemented by the group.

Meanwhile, a series of high-profile deals have kept the department's lawyers busy. These included the legal work supporting the delivery of 30 new aircraft and the launch of an export credit agency-backed sukuk for the financing of A380s.

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