Ali Alhadithi is a principal in Heidrick & Struggles' Dubai office and the lead consultant in the Cairo market. He is a member of the global Financial Services Practice, focusing on investment and portfolio management. He works with a variety of clients such as sovereign wealth funds, diversified government or privately owned investment holdings and private equity-backed portfolio businesses. Ali leads the Legal, Risk, Compliance & Government Affairs functional practice in the Middle East, due to his prior experience in those domains before joining Heidrick & Struggles. Ali has previously lived in Saudi Arabia and completed several executive placements in the Kingdom across a range of functions and industries. He has ample experience in supporting the nationalization efforts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates at the top level. Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles, he gained six years of experience executing senior legal and compliance placements within the Middle East’s legal, financial services, and real estate and construction industries. During this time, Ali advised and supported leading clients and candidates across various middle East markets and has a proven track record of high-profile placements within the region. Ali has 15 years of professional experience. After graduating, he began his career in the public and social services sector in the United Kingdom. Ali is a native Arabic speaker who communicates fluently in English. He grew up in the UK and lived in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for 18 years, between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. This equips him with a thorough understanding of the Middle East’s social and business customs, complemented by a real sense of cultural conformity and long-term commitment to the region.