Akin grows investment management practice in Abu Dhabi with addition of Skye Smith
Dallas and Abu Dhabi – Akin announced today that Skye Smith has joined the firm as a partner in its investment management practice. Smith will begin in the Dallas office and relocate to Abu Dhabi in the coming months. Smith's addition reinforces the firm's commitment to growth in the Middle East and strengthens its position as a leading investment management advisor in the Abu Dhabi global market, where sovereign wealth funds manage approximately $1.7 trillion.
Smith advises institutional investors, with a strong focus on sovereign wealth funds, on complex investments across private equity, venture capital, infrastructure, real estate and hedge funds. She regularly counsels these clients on primary commitments, co-investments, continuation vehicles, funds-of-one, GP stakes and other customized arrangements. Her practice also includes advising public and private pension plans, university endowments, funds of funds and multifamily offices.
'We are continuing to expand our investment management offerings in Abu Dhabi. The Middle East is a growing asset management market and an area of intense focus for Akin, serving our clients in their most sophisticated transactions,' said Akin co-chair Abid Qureshi. 'Skye brings significant experience working with sovereign wealth funds in Abu Dhabi, and we're pleased to welcome her to our team.'
'Skye is a highly regarded investment management lawyer with a longstanding client network in Abu Dhabi,' said Barbara Niederkofler, co-leader of Akin's investment management practice.
Robert Griffin, an Akin investment management partner based in Abu Dhabi added, 'Skye brings deep knowledge of the fundraising opportunities and challenges in the UAE and she is a phenomenal addition to our investment management practice in the Abu Dhabi global market.'
'I am thrilled to join Akin and its premier investment management team,' said Smith. 'The firm has a growing platform in the UAE and Abu Dhabi in particular, advising some of the most prominent sovereign wealth funds, making this the ideal setting for my practice,' she added.
Smith joins Akin from DLA Piper.
Earlier this year, Akin announced that corporate partner Alexander Malahias and project finance partner Jennifer Riddle have joined the firm and will be based in Akin's Abu Dhabi office until the firm opens its new office in Riyadh later this year. The firm has also recently added investment management partner Wendy Dodson Gallegos in Chicago.
About Akin's Investment Management Practice
Akin's investment management practice, comprising over 100 lawyers, is a recognized leader in the representation of large institutional and entrepreneurial fund sponsors and managers in the formation across the private funds industry. The firm also serves as lead counsel to some of the world's premier investors and has helped them access opportunities in markets around the world. Through its representation of a broad range of investment managers and institutional investors, Akin has unique insight on emerging trends in the private equity, credit and hedge fund industries. This knowledge and experience are particularly valuable to clients as convergence across asset classes continues to play out in the marketplace.
Akin is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
38 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Ministry of Economy awards second collective music management licence to Music Nation
The UAE Ministry of Economy granted its second collective music management licence to 'Music Nation' during a ceremony held at its headquarters in Dubai. The licence authorises the organisation to manage the distribution of rights on behalf of music creators and performers, while also ensuring nationwide compliance among music platforms. The announcement was made during an event attended by Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, and Dr. Abdulrahman Hassan Al Muaini, Assistant Under-Secretary for Intellectual Property. The Ministry confirmed that the licence was issued in accordance with Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2021 concerning copyright and related rights. It marks the continuation of the Ministry's efforts to strengthen intellectual property frameworks in the UAE, following the first collective management licence awarded to the Emirates Music Rights Association in April 2025. Al Saleh said, 'Under the vision of our wise leadership, the UAE has placed strategic emphasis on enhancing the competitiveness of its cultural and creative industries, driving their growth both regionally and globally. Recognising their vital role in national economic growth, we are committed to fostering public-private collaboration to cultivate an enabling environment for talent and innovation. By elevating the creative economy's legislative framework to world-class standards, we aim to expand the private sector's participation in it, in line with the National Strategy for Cultural and Creative Industries 2031.' The Under-Secretary said in his speech, 'The Ministry remains committed to establishing a world-class copyright governance system, drawing on international best practices. We are achieving this through strengthening legal and regulatory frameworks, fostering investment in creative sectors, and implementing robust collective management systems. These measures safeguard intellectual property rights while building creators' trust in the nation's creative ecosystem.' 'The collective music management licence serves as a catalyst for cultural innovation while safeguarding artists' intellectual property rights. Through establishing transparent revenue distribution systems and fair compensation mechanisms, it elevates the UAE's music industry - enhancing its global competitiveness and positioning our nation as a premier hub for creative enterprises,' he added. Al Saleh emphasised that awarding the licence to 'Music Nation' marks a strategic milestone in the UAE's commitment to fostering creativity. The initiative unlocks new opportunities for artists, writers, and producers while strengthening rights protection and leveraging creative-economy tools - ultimately positioning the sector as a key driver of national economic growth. Dr. Abdulrahman Hassan Al Muaini said, 'Our music industry is witnessing remarkable growth, fuelled by an expanding ecosystem of creative enterprises and world-class events. Dubai alone boasts 350 live music venues, while the national streaming market generated US$841.9 million in 2024 - projected to nearly triple to $2.3 billion by 2030. To sustain this momentum, the Ministry of Economy is prioritising robust legislative frameworks that will further catalyse the creative economy and foster artistic innovation.' He added, 'Building on last month's inaugural licence granted to the Emirates Music Rights Association, today marks another significant milestone with the official authorisation of Music Nation. We are actively collaborating with local and global partners, including industry associations and legal experts, to share best practices that drive sector growth. In tandem, we're expanding awareness initiatives to ensure artists, composers, and producers fully leverage these licences to protect both their creative works and financial interests.' 'Today marks a pivotal moment for the UAE and Music Nation,' said Rasha Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors for Music Nation. 'After years of careful planning, Music Nation is positioned to become a cornerstone of music licensing, empowering the Emirates' vibrant creative industry. As an Emarati, I am honoured to establish a world-class music rights infrastructure that not only elevates local artists to greater heights, but also showcases our rich musical heritage and cultural traditions to the world. In partnership with industry leaders BMI and SoundExchange, our cutting-edge technology and services will protect music rights holders and propel the UAE's music economy to new frontiers.'
Khaleej Times
38 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Reportage Group partners with Forbes Middle East at the Building the Future summit
Reportage Group partnered with Forbes Middle East for the Building the Future summit, held in Abu Dhabi. This gathering brought together the region's top government figures, industry leaders, and changemakers to explore how innovation, sustainability, and purpose-driven strategies are shaping the cities and economies of tomorrow. Among the speakers were Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, the Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, Eng. Maysarah Mahmoud Eid, the Director General of ADPIC, and top executives from some of the region's most influential entities. The event served as a high-level platform for discussing the future of development, infrastructure, technology, and investment in the Middle East. A major highlight of the summit was a fireside chat with Andrea Nucera, CEO and Managing Director of Reportage Group, who shared bold insights on reshaping real estate through purposeful development. Nucera highlighted several key milestones in Reportage's journey, including surpassing $1.5 billion in sales by 2025, a testament to the Group's strategic growth and expanding footprint. But the conversation quickly moved beyond figures. He emphasized that sustainability is not just about the environment, it's also about social sustainability. For Reportage Group, that means designing communities that are not only eco-conscious but also inclusive, accessible, and attuned to the needs of modern life. When asked, 'In markets that are rapidly evolving, how does Reportage provide accessibility, particularly in terms of pricing and location, for the new generation of buyers?'Nucera underscored the brand's mission to make homeownership attainable for everyone, not just the privileged few. Through flexible payment plans, and a strong presence in prime locations, Reportage is redefining the real estate landscape. It has become the only developer in the UAE challenging traditional norms by offering investment opportunities to all segments of society, especially younger buyers entering the market for the first time.
Khaleej Times
38 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Three reasons why AIOps is fast becoming a strategic priority for CIOs in Qatar
As Qatar accelerates its digital transformation in line with National Vision 2030, local CIOs are under pressure to manage increasingly complex IT infrastructures while also delivering on bold innovation mandates. From enabling smart cities and digital government services to supporting AI-powered public and private sector initiatives, the role of the CIO is becoming more strategic—and more challenging—than ever before. In this environment, technology leaders must navigate a demanding balancing act: how to modernise and scale IT operations, unlock value from data, and deliver seamless digital experiences without compromising on performance or resilience. AIOps (Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations) is emerging as a vital tool in this equation—one that can help CIOs in Qatar not only stay ahead of operational risk but actively drive transformation across their organisations. Organisations need tools that provide proactive incident management and faster issue resolution for increasingly complex IT infrastructure. AIOps uses machine learning and advanced analytics to monitor IT environments in real-time, allowing for quicker detection of potential issues, anomalies, and system performance degradation. AIOps tools can automatically analyze and identify the root causes of issues, reducing the human time spent on troubleshooting and accelerating incident resolution. This significantly improves system uptime and reduces downtime, which is crucial for maintaining smooth business operations. Most importantly, AIOps can provide reduced mean time to resolution (MTTR) as CIOs can drastically shorten the time it takes to identify and resolve incidents, ensuring minimal disruption to users and business processes. Use of AIOps offers organisations enhanced IT efficiency and automation to lessen the stress and pressures of IT management. AIOps automates routine and time-consuming tasks, such as log aggregation, event correlation, and alert management. This frees up IT teams to focus on more strategic projects and helps reduce manual errors and inefficiencies. AIOps platforms can also dynamically allocate resources based on real-time usage data, ensuring optimal performance and reducing the risk of over, or worse, under-provisioning IT resources. This results in cost savings and improved system performance. By leveraging AI to automate various aspects of IT operations, organisations can manage their infrastructure more efficiently, enabling IT teams to scale operations without significantly increasing resource requirements. Organisations are able to improve predictive capabilities and risk mitigation. There is tremendous value in using AIOps to predict potential failures or performance bottlenecks based on historical data and trends, enabling proactive measures to be taken before issues make costly impacts to the business. Predictive capabilities help CIOs plan for capacity, resource needs, and system upgrades more effectively. By identifying and addressing potential issues before they escalate, AIOps minimizes the risks associated with system downtime, security breaches, and poor performance. This helps safeguard business continuity and customer satisfaction. Further, AIOps helps maintain system reliability by proactively managing risks, ensuring IT operations stay aligned with business goals, and supporting a seamless user experience. Qatar's vision of becoming a digital-first, knowledge-based economy relies on high-performing technology infrastructure—and AIOps is key to making this vision a reality. According to Riverbed's 2024 Global AI & Digital Experience Survey, top-performing organisations are far more likely to be investing in AI than their peers (74% vs 54%), underlining the competitive advantage it can deliver. For CIOs in Qatar, this is not just about modernisation—it's about relevance, resilience, and readiness in a rapidly changing regional and global market. Beyond operational benefits, AIOps also helps attract and retain younger tech talent—an important consideration in a growing economy like Qatar's. The same survey found that younger generations, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, are the most optimistic about AI's role in the workplace. By adopting AIOps, CIOs send a powerful signal that their organisation is future-focused and committed to empowering its workforce. In a region where technology leadership is fast becoming a national imperative, Qatari CIOs who fail to act may find themselves facing growing inefficiencies, mounting risks, and declining stakeholder confidence. In contrast, those who embrace AIOps are setting themselves—and their organisations—on a path toward stronger performance, deeper insight, and sustainable success in the years ahead. The writer is Global CIO at Riverbed Technology.
