Sonia Grabska CIPP/E
Dubai
Summary
Sonia an in-house lawyer with 10 + years of international experience, has navigated roles in a major Middle East banking group and diverse global publicly listed companies. Accomplished Legal Advisor specializing in corporate, employment laws, intellectual property, and new technologies with a focus on data protection. Proficient in GDPR, holds the Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E) certificate. Demonstrates extensive experience in managing data privacy involving processing sensitive personal data, including biometric data. Recognized for a Gen AI idea selected as a killer use case by a leading bank. Strong in contract management, corporate governance, and international regulatory compliance. Meticulous in risk assessment, ensuring well-managed contract risks.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Legal Counsel - Corporate & Technology
Emirates NBD Bank PJSC
05.2021 - Current
- Providing legal services for the Group's corporate and commercial activities, including Operations (IT, Procurement, Digital Office, Real Estate), HR, and regulatory affairs for overseas branches and subsidiaries
- Navigating legal aspects concerning the implementation of cutting-edge technologies such as APIs, Cloud Computing, Biometrics, Big Data Analytics, AI, and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)
- Drafting and reviewing a spectrum of contracts including commercial, technology, RFP, intellectual property, data protection, outsourcing, real estate, MOUs, and HR
- Supporting the DPO from a legal perspective in implementing a data privacy program, including Privacy by Design (PbD), DPIA, drafting the policies, and creation of DPA templates
- Advising on legal requirements for ESG in different jurisdictions
- Offering legal insights into virtual assets and blockchain initiatives within the banking sector.
Corporate Lawyer / Board Secretary
Brooge Energy Limited (NASDAQ: BROG)
05.2020 - 05.2021
- Advising the Management and the Board on corporate, legal and compliance matters
- Overseeing Corporate Compliance worldwide including SEC and NASDAQ requirements
- Organizing meetings of the Board of Directors and the Audit and Compensation Committees.
Senior Manager - Legal and Data Privacy
VFS GLOBAL DMCC
08.2014 - 05.2020
- Preparation of the group for GDPR implementation and managing privacy laws across 150 jurisdictions
- Drafted legal documents related to data privacy incl
- Agreements (DPAs), policies, SOPs, consent forms, privacy notices etc
- Developed Data Protection and Privacy Framework, monitored compliance and providing legal guidance of various DP matters
- Supported stakeholders across departments in identifying and mitigating data protection risks, analyzing roles (controller/processor/joint controller) and advising on controls
- Conducted data protection impact assessments (DPIA), maintained records of processing activities (ROPA), data breach reports
- Managed Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR) and designed specific SOP for handling DSARs by the staff along with the manual guide
- Conducted data privacy due diligence for public tenders
- Collaborating with the audit team on data protection audits
- Handled data protection training awareness campaigns and cooperated with Data Protection authorities globally
- Compliance - managing Statutory and Regulatory Compliance within the Group with periodic filings
- Advising on various legal matters worldwide
- Contract management including handling contract execution process
- Drafting, reviewing contracts, policies, terms and conditions, legal documents available on the websites, consent forms, disclaimers, cease and desist notices
- Corporate Records - maintenance of legal corporate records and books of entities worldwide.
Lawyer
POLNORD S.A. - Real Estate (GPW: PND)
08.2011 - 09.2013
- Merger and Acquisition (M&A) - Legal preparation of the merger of five companies, including a publicly listed entity
- Intellectual Property - registering trademarks, licensing agreements, managing trademark infringements related matters
- Drafting, analyzing, advising on, reviewing, and negotiating all kinds of legal documents relevant to real estate matters
- Corporate Governance - handling matters of approximately 50 group entities
- Adjusting business processes and legal documentation to comply with the Homebuyer's Bill of Rights.
Education
Master of Law, LLM - Civil Law/Corporate Law/ Intellectual Property Law
European School of Law and Administration
Warsaw, Poland07.2011
Skills
Certification
CIPP/E Certification, Privacy's Premier European Data Protection Certification, 02/2020
Accomplishments
- Master of Law thesis topic: "Copyright and patent protection for computer software" (Jul 2011)
- Completed a 4-year high school program in 3 years (May 1999)
- Prime Minister's Scholarship for the Best High School Student (Oct 1998)
- Awarded 3rd place in the Philosophy Competition, earning free entry to Silesian University (Mar 1997)
Languages
Polish
English
Personal Information
Nationality: Poland
Timeline
Legal Counsel - Corporate & Technology
Emirates NBD Bank PJSC
05.2021 - Current
Corporate Lawyer / Board Secretary
Brooge Energy Limited (NASDAQ: BROG)
05.2020 - 05.2021
Senior Manager - Legal and Data Privacy
VFS GLOBAL DMCC
08.2014 - 05.2020
Lawyer
POLNORD S.A. - Real Estate (GPW: PND)
08.2011 - 09.2013
Master of Law, LLM - Civil Law/Corporate Law/ Intellectual Property Law
European School of Law and Administration
CIPP/E Certification, Privacy's Premier European Data Protection Certification, 02/2020
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