During a relatively finite in-house legal career, Achadu Attah has already proven his ability to successfully implement comprehensive legal systems in diverse industries. As ‘the pioneer legal head’ for leading...

‘A guru in telecoms law’, Adebayo Azeez has rare insight into the regional market, having previously worked at Globacom and Mobitel. In just two years as general counsel, he has...

‘A consummate professional’ and ‘creative personality’, Adewonuola Adeniran has covered legal operations across Western and Sub-Saharan Africa during her time at Baker Hughes. Formerly at Honeywell, Adeniran has won the...

Akinfela Akoni was already a respected telecommunications lawyer when he took up his first in-house role at Airtel Africa in 2006. Since then he has supported the Indian telecommunications giant’s...

Heading a ten-lawyer team, supporting Barclays’ award-winning Egyptian business, Amal Moussa has been acclaimed for her handling of major transactions during Egypt’s political upheavals. She is also credited with transforming...

Annemarie Mecca’s deep public finance experience spans energy, infrastructure, financial services and trade. She is particularly known for her work on significant international transactions involving multi-jurisdictional governments and state parties....

Supporting Coca-Cola’s African business across 20 geographies, Antoinette Absaloms handled the launch of “Coke Studio” across five African countries, including all media and digital marketing components. During her previous role...

Awuraa Abena Asafo-Boakye is widely respected for her role in Ecobank Ghana’s high profile merger with The Trust Bank, which included chairing the branding and communication committee. Heading in a...

As legal director of Orange subsidiary Mobinil, one of Egypt’s three mobile phone operators, Ayman has supported some of the business’s most significant transactions of recent times. Having previously spent...

‘It is always refreshing to be associated with award-winning transactions’, Beatrice Njeru says. An influential figure in Kenya’s banking industry with wide-reaching specialisms, Njeru is among East Africa’s most technically...

Barclay’s national legal head for 11 years, Bonaventure Mbewe’s full tenure with the leading global institution spans almost 20. Leading a 17-strong team split across legal and compliance, he has...

Throughout her legal career, one of Brenda Akinyi Aluoch’s driving motivations has been playing a role in the region’s development. ‘I was very clear in my mind I wanted to...

One of South Africa’s most respected and high profile corporate counsel, Bruce Campbell is increasingly looked to as a thought leader across the Sub-Saharan region. Campbell heads a 15-strong team...

During her five years as Omnia’s legal head, Celeste Appollis has driven forward its transformation from a non-compliant level to reaching at the third-highest achievable. The company was ranked fifth...

With diverse sector experience, Christopher Akiwumi has ‘exceptional leadership skills’ and ‘out-of-the-box thinking’, according to sources. He has handled game-changing transactions for the companies he works for, and taken a...

Heading all legal and company secretarial functions at Tanzania’s Competition Commission, Crispin Bebwa Mwebesa has focused on revamping processes and procedures to optimise risk management and strategic direction. ‘In a...

‘A very smart switch-on guy’, Dapo Otunla heads a lean three-strong team, supporting Notore Chemical Industries’ entire business operations. Otunla has made considerable changes to the company’s legal function since...

Doing business in Angola is never easy, but David Baggs navigates the legal, commercial and regulatory landscapes ‘with aplomb’, according to one local source. One of the world’s largest companies,...

Managing the legal division of health and beauty specialist Clicks Group, David Janks is praised for his ability to navigate both industries’ complex regulatory landscapes. Negotiating with the relevant authorities...

Formerly Templars’ youngest partner, Dayo Okusami was not only Atlantic Energy’s first group general counsel but its first employee. As such, he was tasked with building the entire legal function...

Defolu Olufon has led First Exploration and Petroleum in some of the largest recent upstream acquisitions happening in the region. Managing a small team of legal, compliance and commercial staff,...

Stanbic Bank invested more than $350m in developing Zambia’s energy infrastructure in 2014, following a series of ground-breaking transactions in the sector. These included its financing of ZESCO’s project to...

As the Tanzania Bankers’ Association legal committee chairperson, Citibank’s Tanzanian general counsel Doxa Mbapila is active in driving forward industry dialogue. She has sterling credentials in the financial services sector,...

One of Nigeria’s most famous in-house lawyers, Dr Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu is an accomplished scholar and thought leader. As Exxon Mobil’s Nigerian general counsel, he is responsible for its upstream...

As managing director and general counsel at leading financial services institution Swicorp, Edouard takes a guiding role in the business’s strategic direction. Leading a small team, Pontet was singled out...

As SWAP Technologies and Telecomms’ chief legal officer, Ehize Ilozavbie supports all strategic business units across engineering, network sharing and international operations. A homegrown Nigerian business, the award-winning telecom infrastructure...

After 13 years at listed agricultural company Senwes, and a past career as a Department of Agriculture economist, Elmarie Joynt has exceptional industry experience. She has received many accolades for...

Ghana National Gas’ takeover by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) was approved in 2014, with the aim of building a more integrated approach to financing national oil and gas...

With prestigious in-house experience spanning multiple industries, Fiona Gumede served on Coca-Cola’s 2010 World Cup project team and established current employer Engen’s group-level legal function. Gumede also sits on Engen’s...

Cadbury’s West African legal head and company secretary since 2012, Fola Akande has strong credentials, having previously worked at Standard Chartered Bank, since its inception in Nigeria. Akande is well...

George Klopper project managed the world’s largest thermal power systems merger, between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Hitachi of Japan. ‘The amounts of money involved are staggering and any mistakes (legally...

Throughout his five years at African Export-Import Bank, Gerald Chihota has supported the institution through periods of extreme political unrest. As well as handling of the myriad regulatory challenges this...

‘In Africa we’re still in a position to grow – five to ten years ago, we didn’t even have mobile phones – we’ve leapfrogged from nothing’, Helen Anatogu says. ‘Unfortunately...

With over 20 years’ in-house banking experience, Henk Crouse first joined HSBC to establish its South African presence; a significant development in the jurisdiction’s financial services sector. ‘It was a...

In the two years since it was established, MINUSMA’s efforts to stabilise relations in Mali have focused on maximising security, monitoring human rights and humanitarian assistance. Hervé Ntege wins respect...

A defining moment in Hesham Fayez’s in-house career was his role in crisis management during Egypt’s 2011 political uprising, when he led billion-dollar transactions with significantly reduced headcounts. He also...

Inviolata Oriwo has distinguished herself in a number of areas during her time as general counsel and company secretary for Unilever’s Kenyan operations. The organisation has been singled out for...

As investment banking and asset management specialist FBN Capital’s general counsel, Irene Otike-Odibi is ‘one of the best’, according to sources. She draws particular mention for her contribution to corporate...

Heading a team that works across ten jurisdictions, Irene Wamakau excels in multiple aspects of her role, according to sources. During her time leading the dual-function legal and compliance department,...

Not-for-profit Zimbabwe Women Lawyers’ Association provides free legal advice and education, and has led high-profile regional campaigns in efforts to create dialogue on women and children’s rights. Credited with ‘courage’...

With sterling credentials in North Africa’s financial services sector, Ismail Hegazy has built a reputation for his handling of major and diverse transactions within the region. He has also made...

Ivy Ngana has impressive credentials in both telecommunications and insurance, with past roles including Jubilee Holdings’ legal head and Airtel Networks Kenya’s legal manager. Currently heading all legal, regulatory and...

In just five years at the leading South African underwriter, Janine Janse van Vuuren has successfully driven legal and compliance into the forefront of business decision-making. She built the entire...

As well as supporting Nokia’s Sub-Saharan African sales and marketing team, John Edokpolo heads all engagement with government and corporate social investment across West and Central Africa. Sitting on the...

John Njenga, a former Njenga Mbugua & Nyanjua founding partner, was praised for his role in Equity Bank’s incorporation of subsidiary Equity Bank Kenya in 2014. Njenga was previously Institute...

JP Meintjes, Sasol’s acclaimed legal vice president, is recognised for his superior industry knowledge and leadership during a defining period for the company. He is particularly praised for his role...

Heading ‘the best in-house legal team in Angola’, Karin Sinniger has been nominated for her outstanding contribution to the jurisdiction. Sinniger has made it a focus to train local lawyers,...

One of South Africa’s most visible corporate counsel, Kevin Lester received among the largest numbers of endorsements during the course of our research. He is praised widely for his innovative...

Managing legal and external communications for the Nigerian exploration company, Lara Coker is praised for her strong business acumen. For some, one of her greatest achievements at Shoreline has been...

NMB, Tanzania’s largest financial institution, continues its rapid growth in the region. Supporting over 140 branches, efficiency is key for Lilian Komwihangiro’s lean, ten-strong team. Among other measures, she has...

‘Being a female makes my job more challenging’, Lynda Ait Kaci says of her role supporting General Electric’s North African business. ‘Most of our customers are from the energy and...

An increasingly respected voice in the industry, the ‘very dynamic’ Lynelle Bagwandeen is particularly praised for her approach to corporate governance, and her effective integration of its needs into the...

Award-winning legal head and general counsel Madeleine Truter is a well-known figure in South Africa’s in-house legal community. She has played a pivotal role in Growthpoint’s ambitious expansion plans, most...

‘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,...

Since his arrival eight years ago, Mahomed Ebrahim Essof has played a pivotal role Ericsson’s rapid growth across the region. ‘There’s always a diverse range of matters we deal with...

One of South Africa’s largest listed companies, Life Healthcare Group owns and manages more than 60 hospitals across South Africa, and has extensive international investments. Mark Stafford’s five-strong team supports...

‘The excitement lives on day in-day out and the people you work with are so passionate about what they do that you immediately fall in love with the job’, Mateboho...

Present across 36 African countries, Ecobank invested $60m into expanding its Zambian presence in 2014. Joining as legal head and company secretary in 2012, Matembo Lisimba has been with Ecobank...

Following a successful international private practice career in project finance, Matthew Burchell has made it a core focus at Investec to achieve closer integration with the business. ‘We’ve tried to...

Balancing legal and company secretarial functions at one of Nigeria’s leading commercial banks, Michael Agamah has a sterling reputation in the nation’s financial services industry. Previously general counsel at Bank...

When Michael Akafia joined Gold Fields four years ago, he built up its entire West African legal function from scratch. As Ghana’s biggest taxpayer and one of its largest employers,...

‘An enthusiastic leader with excellent creative, strategic thinking’, the ‘charismatic’ Michael Spivey is commended by sources for his handling of the integration process, following the Massmart/Walmart merger, two years ago....

Mirian Kene Kachikwu is a veteran within the oil and gas industry and one of Nigeria’s most respected in-house lawyers. She is consistently praised by her contemporaries for her rounded...

In 2014, Novartis established a group-wide task force in response to the Ebola virus, bringing together expertise and resources from across the business. A ‘dedicated’, ‘mature’ and ‘motivated’ professional, Mohamed...

Heading legal, company secretarial and compliance issues at one of Nigeria’s leading share registration providers, Musa Bello is pivotal to strategic decision-making at board level, and negotiations with regulators. He...

A mainstay of Total’s downstream Africa business, Total Maroc’s business model was revolutionised in 2014, when Zahid Group’s 30% share acquisition meant Total was no longer the sole shareholder. Legal...

Award-winning in-house counsel Ned Mojuetan’s landmark moments at the world-leading oil and gas company have included negotiating Chevron’s first deepwater block, the West African Gas Pipeline and the Gorgon Project....

A longstanding Tanzanian resident, Brazilian oil company Petrobras farmed out offshore blocks to Shell Deepwater Tanzanian and Norwegian multinational Stateoil in 2011 and 2013 respectively. Formerly responsible for MOGAS International’s...

Nezrha Lazrak was praised highly for her ‘faultless’ legal and strategic support to Holcim’s planned merger with Lafarge, which was formally approved in 2014. Since becoming the world-leading cement provider’s...

Ngozi Okonkwo led the ConocoPhillips purchase – Nigeria’s biggest upstream acquisition of 2014. Managing a 15-strong team, Okonkwo overseas all upstream, midstream and downstream operations. Her wide-reaching changes to the...

Supporting Nestlé’s North African food production business, Nidal El Hassani has taken wide-reaching initiatives to educate the business on legal risk, and to raise the function’s profile. Among her greatest...

During his time at Accenture, Niel Haupt has, according to sources, played a pivotal role in establishing processes and ‘transforming’ legal into a frontline function. The global management consultancy, now...

‘I think I’m a lot more relaxed than when I started two years ago’, Nthabiseng Ntsele says of her role at the National Empowerment Fund. ‘Now it’s just keeping the...

‘The dynamism of the telecommunication sector and the need to be constantly alert to new regulatory changes is something not to be taken lightly’, Olaf Mumburi says. During his time...

Olatowun Candide-Johnson is praised highly by colleagues and external counsel for her ability to balance an exceptionally broad remit of responsibility. In addition to legal and compliance, her role covers...

‘Efficient’ and ‘dedicated’, Patricia Mbugua built the credit division of Bank of Africa Kenya’s well-regarded legal function from scratch and remained their legal head until her move to East Africa...

‘An excellent team player’, Paul Ndungi has over a decade’s financial experience, joining Barclays Bank of Kenya in July 2015. In his previous role as Ecobank Kenya’s legal head, Ndungi...

‘One of the things I’ve always felt is it shouldn’t just be a reactive backroom role’, Peter Balfour says. ‘My view – supported by the General Manager – is that...

Heading a multi-award-winning team, ‘truly gifted lawyer’ Pieter Badenhorst is one of South Africa’s most respected in-house counsel, known for his innovative approach. One of the best examples of this...

‘As part of the leadership team of the Southern African markets, I am a South African-qualified lawyer, but what I’m bringing is strategic value to the team’, Priyan Pillay says....

‘Resourceful’, ‘caring’ and ‘giving’, William Kosar has built a reputation as a world-leading advisor and academic in public law and international relations. He has wide-reaching experience supporting governments and private...

Operating across Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa, Africinvest is one of the most experienced private equity investors in the region. As chief legal officer, Rafik Mzah has drawn notice for his...

‘No one day is the same’, Rebotile Bopape says of her corporate counsel role. ‘We get involved in every single element of the business, so we have a helicopter view...

‘I enjoy the challenges of working in a multinational that operates across many countries and cultures in Africa’. Reena Shah is praised widely for her outstanding commercial acumen and lateral...

As head of legal and company secretarial functions at one of East Africa’s leading mortgage providers, Regina Anyika has faced a range of legal, commercial and strategic challenges. She has...

Co-operative Bank of Kenya commenced a program of wide scale redundancies in preparation for a full restructuring to promote customer focus and profitability in 2014. A ‘diligent intelligent team player’,...

Supporting a global brand in Nigeria’s complex and evolving telecommunications industry, ‘deep thinker’ Senibo Bara-Hart faces a range of tactical and legal challenges. For some sources, Bara-Hart’s real added value...

A ‘national derivatives expert’, Shawn Barnett has built up two in-house legal departments from scratch, and been involved in some of the jurisdiction’s most significant transactions. ‘I helped launch probably...

During her decade-plus service at Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, Sheilla Mugugu has been praised for her handling of significant high profile transactions and major disputes. Mugugu previously led ExxonMobil’s Southern African...

With over a decade of United Nations experience spanning Kosovo, Sudan, South Africa and now Ethiopia, Sibangilizwe Ndlovu has an intricate understanding of international law. During his time at Darfur’s...

Starting his in-house career at Deutsche Bank in London 15 years ago, Simon Bugingo has covered financial services markets across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Tasked with establishing Standard...

A Shell veteran, Stephanie Brown is praised for her ‘flawless’ management of the challenges faced by a global brand doing business in an emerging, and sometimes turbulent, market. ‘I had...

A highly experienced telecommunications lawyer, Thomas Eshun is a respected voice within the industry. During his five years as Millicom’s Ghanaian legal head, he has supported some of its most...

Africa’s leading independent oil and gas exploration company, Tullow Oil has led some of the most significant and high profile projects across the continent and beyond. As general counsel, Tony...

Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria rebranded to Lafarge Africa in 2014, following a series of strategic transactions across Nigeria and South Africa. Previously Nigerian legal head, Uzoma Uja remains company secretary...

Previously chaired by former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan, AGRA works towards a vision of self-sufficiency in Africa. Helping millions of small-scale farmers stave off poverty across the continent,...

Barclays Bank of Kenya had an 11% net profit raise during 2014 and sought approval to establish an insurance business in the jurisdiction. The Bank announced a deal with Samsung...

Zukiswa Sithole has been praised highly for her role in South Africa’s Renewable Energy IPP Procurement Programme (REIPPP), one of 2012’s leading developments in the region. ‘The biggest challenge has...

Zwide Mhlongo has led some of Liberty Financial’s biggest South African transactions of recent times, and is praised by sources for his methodical approach. ‘Part of the in-house legal function...