Speaker details

Biography

I am a partner with Matouk Bassiouny, a leading Egyptian full-service law firm with offices in Algeria, Sudan and the UAE in the Finance and Projects team, and I lead on business and client development. I grew up in Cairo and London where I trained, qualified as a solicitor and remained with Linklaters for nine years. My strong ties and deep connection with both Egypt and the UK continue to grow as does my understanding of these very different cultural and business landscapes. I have over 20 years of experience in advising on cross-border project finance and infrastructure transactions in multiple sectors in the EMEA region. I am result oriented, multilingual, and multicultural, solution driven with experience in origination, asset creation and execution as legal adviser, investor, and developer. Having spent several years as a project finance Lawyer predominantly with Linklaters in London and Paris, I have been involved in a range of projects advising sponsors, lenders and Governments. From the law, I transitioned successfully as senior commercial lead to an investment bank, Babcock & Brown, in UK PFI and Public Private Partnerships more generally. This role involved bidding, managing, and closing large social infrastructure projects with complicated contractual structures and interface issues. It included bidding for the early phase of the PPP pipeline in Egypt both with Babcock & Brown and with the Hassan Allam Holdings group. Recent experience includes work in the desalination, renewables, ports, airports and oil & gas sectors and the budding green hydrogen pipeline. I am regularly asked by international law firms and business forums to contribute to panels with a focus on law firm management (in particular talent retention, the impact of AI and DEI) and the business landscape in Egypt (including the green transition). I am the current Arab Regional Forum Liaison Officer to the IBA Law Firm Management Committee.