Egyptian lawyer Mohamed Ghannam honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award

Throughout his more than three decades in legal practice and across three jurisdictions, each chapter has shaped his perspective and represented a chance to learn more, said leading Egyptian lawyer Mohamed Ghannam as he accepted the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at last week’s IFLR Middle East Awards.

Ghannam, Senior Counsel at Baker McKenzie Cairo - Helmy, Hamza & Partners, also expressed gratitude to his legal peers for their dedication and collective impact.

More than 350 leading lawyers and dealmakers gathered at the Mandarin Oriental in Dubai on 22 October for a glittering evening dedicated to recognising the Middle East region’s most innovative legal work. More than 60 awards were presented to law firms, in-house counsel, and individual lawyers across a variety of categories.

The winners were selected from IFLR’s accreditation title, IFLR1000, following an extensive research process that reviewed hundreds of submissions from across the Middle East, highlighting the depth and breadth of legal expertise in the region.

The IFLR Middle East Lifetime Achievement Award is given to highly esteemed lawyers in recognition of their impact on the Middle East landscape and who have helped drive deal innovation, shape standards in practice and influence the legal infrastructure, Ghannam was honoured for his pioneering role in cross-border dealmaking and his contributions to Egypt’s legal and regulatory evolution.

“This honor is not only a celebration of Mohamed Ghannam's remarkable legacy, but also a deeply meaningful moment for our office,” said Baker McKenzie Cairo. “His leadership, wisdom, and unwavering commitment have inspired us all.”

Ghannam heads the Banking, Projects, and Capital Markets Practice Groups at Baker McKenzie Cairo. A law graduate of Cairo University who earned LLMs from Harvard in 1987 and Chicago-Kent Law School in 1993, Ghannam 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, telecoms, and healthcare) helping them carry out high-value, first-in-kind and precedent-setting transactions, including the first project finance undertaking in Egypt more than two decades ago, the first sovereign bond in Egypt, and the first sukuk deal in Egypt.

Accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award last Wednesday night, Ghannam said “Receiving this award is a great honour, particularly in the company of so many esteemed colleagues and friends”. He expressed gratitude to and credited his peers in the legal community for their dedication, impact, and helping build and shape the frameworks that support business and governance across Egypt, and beyond.

Other African winners at the IFLR Middle East Awards 2025 evening were leading full-service MENA law firm Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy, which scooped National Firm of the Year - Egypt, and leading banking and finance lawyer Ragia Omran of Zaki Hashem & Partners, who was named Egypt Lawyer of the Year.

“This prestigious recognition celebrates Ragia’s outstanding contributions to the legal profession and reflects her leadership, expertise, and commitment to advancing the practice of law in Egypt and beyond,” said Zaki Hashem. “We take great pride in seeing one of our own recognized for such a distinguished honor - a testament to Ragia’s standing as one of Egypt’s leading legal practitioners.”