‘One of the most professional lawyers in Egypt’, Mahmoud Shaarawy built Elsewedy Electric’s legal function from scratch. Now heading a 14-lawyer team supporting operations across 74 national and international companies, Shaarawy negotiates contracts in English, French and Arabic.

He has also worked closely with the company’s executive board to ensure compliance with corporate governance and Egyptian Stock Exchange rules. It is the broad international exposure of the work, he says, which gives him most satisfaction.