Bassam Oweidat
Sr. Managing Legal Counsel
Riyadh
Meet Bassam Oweidat
Bassam, a member of BCG’s first senior legal team in the region, shares how his role allows him to combine knowledge, process and curiosity into solutions that facilitate all BCG functions.
Destined for law
I’ve always been drawn to a legal career, to help people and make a difference. In my native Lebanon, I had wanted to become a judge. We have a history of judges in our family.
While I couldn’t pursue that initial ambition, a career in law was always on the cards. I studied law at the Lebanese University, and then earned a Master of Laws, with a focus on Intellectual Property, from the Université La Sagesse. I have worked with corporate entities in specialized fields and practiced at law firms for most of my career.
Joining BCG
I’d been in Saudi Arabia for over a decade and the BCG name kept popping up — what they were doing in terms of strategizing for the public sector, giving back to the community, and supporting the Saudi Vision 2030. They were known for their people-centric culture.
When I was approached by BCG, I was very interested to see how I could fit in. I was drawn to the BCG Global legal team’s vision, and wanted to be part of a company that is giving back to Saudi Arabia — a country that has offered me so much. The stories I’d heard about the people culture at BCG turned out to be true. Everyone I interviewed with was approachable and genuine.
A seat at the table
I became part of the first BCG senior legal team on the ground in the region. And immediately, we set about engaging with business teams and departments within BCG to figure out their challenges and understand how we could support them. We managed to get ourselves a seat at the table across multiple functions, and then started identifying issues and finding solutions. My role has expanded from a regional to a global perspective. Today, we’re heavily involved in every BCG project, keeping an eye on risks, and ensuring that we’re in line with our global policies and local regulations.
An open mind
The legal profession is process-driven. But even here, you need an open mind and flexible thought focused on creating solutions. Rigidity is never the answer, because that way you’ll miss out on learning, growing, and adapting. My motto is that nothing is impossible, that a solution can always be found. And I really enjoy working with our local and global teams to find these solutions and create value.
High ethical standards
Most firms have ethical codes. But what I admire about BCG is how ingrained these are in our fundamental culture. Our frontline customer-facing teams say no to anything they feel isn’t in line with BCG values and policies. They automatically exclude potential projects they believe won’t add value to our communities and clients. That takes courage and commitment. We call it our “No-Fly-Zone” policy, and I’m very proud of it.
