Career
Lamyaa Gadelhak is the Chair of the Global Project Finance Group based in the Cairo office of Baker McKenzie (Helmy, Hamza & Partners) where she also co-heads the Banking & Projects Practice Group. She has 20 years of experience working on the project development and finance in various industries including energy, infrastructure, oil & gas, manufacturing and climate change, as well as, covers a wide spectrum of banking and finance products delivering award winning transactions and projects. Lamyaa currently also serves as a member of the Firm's Africa Steering Committee.
Lamyaa's exceptional accomplishments have garnered her widespread acclaim and accolades in the legal industry. This includes being recognized as a "Market Leader" and "Leading Individual" and being ranked in Band 1 in publications such as IFLR, The Legal 500 and Chambers Global. Additionally, she was named "Egypt Lawyer of the Year" in The Legal 500 MENA Awards 2025 and was shortlisted for last year's IFLR Middle East Awards in the esteemed category of "Women Dealmaker Hall of Fame" and "LexisNexis Women in Law Award for Banking and Finance in 2024." Lamyaa received a bachelor's degree in 2004 from Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne and another from the Cairo University's Faculty of Law. She then received her master's in international and European business law in 2007 from Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. She was admitted to the Egyptian Bar Association in 2005.
Work Highlights
• Advised Banque du Caire S.A.E. in its capacity as agent on behalf of the lenders on a syndicated concessional project finance facility, valued at USD 75 million to Cheiron Egypt Limited to finance 45.5% of the total investment—up to USD 165 million—in the West El Burullus gas concession. As the first of its kind in the Egyptian market, this transaction plays a key role in supporting natural gas production and reducing Egypt’s import costs.
• Advised Commercial International Bank (CIB) on a USD 150 million subordinated loan to strengthen its Tier II capital, optimize its capital structure, and enhance its ability to weather economic shocks. This loan reinforces CIB’s capital base, supports its growth prospects, and aligns with EBRD's investment strategy in Egypt, particularly in the green economy sector.
• Acted as local legal advisors to the African Export-Import Bank ("Afreximbank") in connection with a USD 200 million facility agreement with Hassan Allam Holding ("HAH") to enhance the capabilities of the group's construction arm, Hassan Allam Construction ("HAC") and other subsidiaries across the Middle East and Africa. The facility is geared towards supporting HAC's current and future construction plans, as well as facilitating the execution of approved projects.
• Acted for the Government of Egypt, acting through Ministry of Finance in connection with USD 3 billion syndicated financing. The transaction represents the first green financing for the Government from commercial lenders. (Won Islamic Syndication Deal Award of the Year 2022 by Bonds, Loans & Sukuk Middle East Awards and Banking & Finance Team of the Year" at the Middle East Legal Awards 2022, off the back of our work on the Egypt MoF sustainable financing).
• Acted for the Egyptian Government, acting through the Ministry of Finance, on the signing of a USD 2 billion syndicated financing transaction, which was the first sovereign debt that Egypt has raised from commercial lenders ("Debt Market Deal of the Year 2021 by Asian Legal Business (ALB) Middle East Law Awards, and Commodity Murabahah/ Tawarruq Deal of the Year 2020 by Islamic Finance News (IFN) Awards").
