Biography

Melody is an Associate of the Transport and Insurance practice in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She has over 10 years’ experience in handling both contentious and non-contentious insurance matters, across Australasia and the Middle East. She is also a member of the China Group at Al Tamimi & Company.

Melody started her career in New Zealand and Australia, during which time she worked in-house with an international insurer in financial and casualty lines of liability claims business.

In her current role, she specialises in coverage dispute and claims resolution for professional indemnity, directors and officers, medical malpractice, general liability and property insurance products, with expertise in civil claims, professional investigations, and disciplinary proceedings. Melody also frequently handles regulatory advisory work for international and local insurers, reinsurers, insurance intermediaries as well as the regulators.

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Recent Experience

  • Advised many clients including insurers on health insurance requirements under the KSA health insurance law and regulations.
  • Advised a large retail group in business interruption insurance claims arising from COVID-19 in the Middle East region.
  • Provided strategy and coverage advice to a large KSA-based insurer in relation to property damage and business interruption claims following a fire incident at one of the largest shopping malls in KSA.
  • Advised a major luxury car dealership in the UAE for an AED 40m indemnity dispute with its insurer under the comprehensive general liability and all risk property policies, following a significant adverse weather event in Dubai.
  • Provided advice to a prominent regional insurer in a contractual dispute with a reinsurance broker over inflated commission for placement of political violence risk reinsurance policies.
  • Advised a large international reinsurer in an AED 3m contractual dispute with a GCC based cedent over payment of outstanding reinsurance claims.
  • Advised the UAE regulators on resolution powers, in line with the Financial Stability Board’s Key Attributes and other international standards.
  • Advised Department of International Trade of an overseas government on market access and national treatment of the regulatory environment of insurance sectors in the Middle East region.
  • Carried out policy standardisation exercises as per the regulatory requirements for various international insurers, across multiple GCC jurisdictions.
  • Advised many overseas entities on market entry and regulatory compliance with cross border transactions in various GCC jurisdictions..

Language(s)

  • English
  • Chinese

Education

  • 2013 – BCom Bachelors of Commerce (Honours) (Finance), University of Auckland
  • 2012 – LLB Bachelors of Laws, University of Auckland
  • 2012 – BCom Bachelors of Commerce, University of Auckland

Admission

  • 2014 – Barrister & Solicitor, New Zealand
  • 2017 – Solicitor, New South Wales, Australia