Career
Mohamed Ghannam is the Managing Partner of the Firm's Cairo office, Helmy, Hamza & Partners, and Baker McKenzie Cairo. He heads the Banking, Projects, and Capital Markets Practice Groups. For over four decades (since 1999), he has acted as counsel to many of the world's leading multinational companies in various industries — including oil and gas, renewable energy, finance, real estate, telecommunications, and healthcare, as well as high-value governmental bodies — helping them carry out high-value, first-in-kind, and precedent-setting transactions. He also worked in the Chicago and Riyadh offices, bringing the best practices to Egypt's office. Mohamed has maintained a leading position in the "Hall of Fame" across several categories within the Legal 500 directory, including Commercial, Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, as well as Banking and Finance, and Energy sectors. He obtained his bachelor's degree with high honors from Cairo University's Faculty of Law in 1985 and graduated among the top 1%. He then went on to earn two master's degrees in law, from Harvard Law School in 1987 and from Chicago-Kent Law School in 1993 (Dean's List). Mohamed was admitted to the Egyptian Bar Association in 1985 and to the Court of Cassation (Supreme Court) in 2004.
Work Highlights
• Advised on the IPO of The United Bank of Egypt on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX), marking Egypt's first banking institution IPO on EGX since the early 2000s. The private placement was oversubscribed 6x and the public tranche 59x, reflecting strong investor confidence. With an IPO offer price of EGP 13.85 per share, the Bank's market capitalization is EGP 15.235 billion (approximately USD 299 million), making it Egypt's largest IPO since 2021.
• Advised on the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) deal in Egypt's history on behalf of the Egyptian Government. This deal involves a significant real estate investment agreement with Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company (ADQ). ADQ will obtain the development rights for Ras El-Hekma for USD 24 billion and transfer USD 11 billion of deposits to fund major projects across Egypt, supporting its economy and addressing the hard currency crisis.
• Advised The Sovereign Fund of Egypt on the acquisition of shares by Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company PJSC, through an SPV, in three state-owned companies: ELAB, ETHYDCO, and EDC. This mandate is significant due to its role in the Government of Egypt Privatization Programme, its high value, sensitive timing, and complex legal and economic structures.
• Advised International Finance Corporation as Lender's Counsel in a USD 234 million facilities agreement with Banque Misr SAE to enhance lending capacity to qualified sub-borrowers. This is part of the Global SME Finance Facility, with contributions from the UK and the Netherlands. The initiative aims to improve financial access for SMEs, with 50% of funds allocated to women-owned MSMEs.
• Advised MEDLOG Transport & Logistics –the global logistics and supply chain provider owned by global shipping company MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company– on entering into a public private partnership with the General Authority of Land and Dry Ports (GALDP) to develop a cutting-edge dry port and logistics center in 10th of Ramadan City, Egypt.
• Advised AMEA Power on its partnership with the Sovereign Fund of Egypt and other entities to develop a 1,000MW green hydrogen project for producing 800,000 tonnes of green ammonia annually, focused on exports. This project supports Egypt's vision to become a green hydrogen hub and aligns with the Integrated Sustainable Energy Strategy (ISES) to reach 42% renewable energy by 2035.
• Advised the Sovereign Fund of Egypt in connection with the PIF- owned the Saudi Egyptian Investment Company (SEIC)'s investment in 4 leading Egyptian companies listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange, at a value of USD 1.3 billion. The 4 companies are: Abu Qir Fertilizers and Chemicals Industries Co., Misr Fertilizers Production Co., Alexandria Container and Cargo Handling Co. and E-Finance for Digital and Financial Investments SAE.
• Advised The Sovereign Fund of Egypt on the divestment of shares in five publicly-listed Egyptian companies across various sectors from FinTech to logistic to ADQ, as part of a USD 2 billion investment package.
• Advised the National Service Projects Organization on a strategic joint venture with Grifols, one of the world's leading producers of plasma-derived medicines. The collaboration is the first of its kind and is a significant opportunity to develop the plasma-derivatives program under the president's patronage to reach self-sufficiency.
• Advised the Arab Republic of Egypt as legal counsel, acting through the Ministry of Finance, on a landmark USD 3 billion syndicated financing transaction. The financing was multisourced and involved both conventional (USD 1.5 billion) and Islamic finance (USD 1.5 billion) tranches which makes it Egypt's first green financing.
• Advised the Egyptian government, through the Ministry of Finance, on the signing of a USD 2 billion syndicated financing transaction, marking the first sovereign debt Egypt has raised from commercial lenders.
• Advised a consortium of banks on financing and developing Canal Sugar's project, the first of its kind in Egypt and the world. This project includes the world's largest beet sugar factory on a 188,000-acre farm in Minya, Egypt, with a processing plant capacity of 937,000 metric tons of refined white sugar and additional by-products like molasses and beet pulp.
