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Lamyaa Gadelhak

Lamyaa Gadelhak

Partner
Helmy, Hamza and Partners

Biography

Lamyaa is the Chair of the Global Project Finance Group based in the Cairo office of Baker McKenzie (Helmy, Hamza & Partners). She has more than 20 years of experience working on the entire spectrum of banking and finance and developing critical projects in energy, mining, infrastructure, environmental markets, and climate change. Lamyaa advises on project development and financing, as well as on regulatory and corporate matters and various of these transactions were award winning. Lamyaa has in the past also served as a member of the Firm's Africa Steering Committee and the EMEA Banking & Finance 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, Legal 500 and Chambers Global. Additionally, she was named "Egypt Lawyer of the Year" in The Legal 500 MENA Awards 2025 and was named by Thomson Reuters “Stand-out Lawyer of the Year” in 2026.

Lamyaa received a bachelor’s degree in 2004 from Universite 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 Universite Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. She was admitted to the Egyptian Bar Association in 2005.

Practice Focus

Lamyaa advises on project development and financing, as well as regulatory and corporate matters. 

Representative Legal Matters

Banking & Finance/Energy, Mining and Infrastructure

  • Represented the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) in connection with 200 MW Kom Ombo solar PV project.

  • Acted as a sponsor counsel for ACWA Power in connection with three solar PV power plant projects under the second round of the feed-in tariff program. The three projects have a total capacity of 165.5 MW at a total investment value of USD 190 million 75% of the project cost is financed through a non-recourse project debt from European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. The remaining 25% will be coming through equity capital from the sponsors.

  • Represented the project companies sponsored by Acciona Energia S.A, Swicorp and TBEA Xinjiang Sunoasis Co., Ltd. in connection with three solar energy projects each of 50MW participating in the Second Round of the Egyptian feed-in tariff scheme. Global Multilateral Deal of the Year Award: Egypt Solar 2017 – Project Finance International Magazine.

  • Acting as local counsel to Carbon Holdings in relation to its USD 10 billion mega petrochemical complex by Tahrir Petrochemical Corporation in the North West Gulf of Suez Special Economic Zone to be financed by the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Export-Import Bank of Korea and the Korea Insurance Corporation.

  • Represented African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in a USD 150 million Revolving Facility Agreement dated 15 March 2019 and made amongst El Sewedy Electric S.A.E as Borrower.

  • Acted as local counsel to the Standard Charted Bank (as original lender and mandated lead arranger) in connection with USD 100 million term loan facility to African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).

  • Acted as local counsel for Standard Chartered Bank (as agent, mandated lead arranger and original lender) in connection with USD 300 million short term facility to African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).

Environmental and Climate Change

  • Working with other lawyers of the Firm in the climate change practice group discussing Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) opportunities in Egypt. Also, assisting Partner from Sidney Office in accessing potential CDM project for a client in Egypt (confidential).

  • Represented Egypt hydrocarbon Corporation in connection with the Service Agreement on the reduction of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions under the CDM.

  • Represented TriOcean Carbon & Renewable Energy S.A.E. as potential project developer in connection with various solar concentration plant projects in Egypt.

Professional Honors

  • Stand-out Lawyer of the Year by Thomson Reuters in 2026
  • Egypt Lawyer of the Year by Legal 500 Middle East and North Africa 2025
  • Leading Individual by Legal 500 EMEA in Banking and Finance, Energy and Projects and Infrastructure 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020
  • Band 1 by Chambers Global in Banking and Finance and Projects and Energy, 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021
  • Market Leader by IFLR1000 in Banking and Project Finance in 2024, and 2025, as well as IFLR1000 Women Leader

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Institute for Energy Law of the Center for American and International Law - Member

Admissions

  • Egypt (2005)

Education

  • University of Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne) (LLM International and European Business Law) (2007)
  • Cairo University (Bachelor of Law) (2004)
  • University of Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne) (Maitrise in Business Law) (2004)

Languages

  • Arabic
  • English
  • French

Publications & Presentations

  • Speaker, "Law Talks '18 Raising the Bar," The Law Magazine, November 2018

  • Co-author, "A Legal Perspective on Egypt's Energy Sector", Law Today Magazine, Q3 2017

  • Speaker, "Women in the Legal Profession," Legal Web II conference, March 2017

  • Interview in "Law Vibes Section of Legal Web II," Post Conference Report, March 2017

  • Speaker, "Renewable energy panel," Euromoney Conference, 2010

Firm Committee Memberships

  • Professional Development Committee - Member, Cairo office
  • EMEA Banking & Finance Steering Committee - Member
Helmy Hamza & Partners is a member of Baker & McKenzie International, a Swiss Verein.