May El Shaarawy

May El Shaarawy is a Partner at Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy and a member of the Corporate and M&A practice group. She heads the firm's non-banking financial institutions sector and is a Law Professor at Cairo University. She joined the firm in November 2018 after completing her LL.M. at Harvard Law School. Her legal practice began in 2007 after graduating top of her class from Cairo University, Faculty of Law. Throughout her career, she has worked at leading law firms in Egypt and has advised on a number of notable transactions across her areas of expertise. She assists clients in understanding and meeting their legal obligations while engaging effectively with relevant regulatory authorities.

• Assisted Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company PJSC (ADQ) in conducting a comparative analysis of Egyptian investment and exemption laws to support the development of a legislative proposal.
• Acted as a commentator at the UNIDROIT Middle East and North Africa Transnational Law Academic Symposium, addressing the economic evaluation of commercial and investment law reforms.
• Represented AXA Egypt in its strategic partnership agreement with Post for Investment to establish Egypt’s first microinsurance company under the new unified insurance law.
• Represented First Abu Dhabi Bank P.J.S.C. (FAB UAE) in the merger of FAB Egypt and Bank Audi Egypt.
• Represented Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company PJSC (ADQ) in its acquisition of Amoun Pharmaceuticals Company from Bausch Health Companies through a mandatory tender offer under the Egyptian Capital Markets Law, valued at approximately USD 650 million.

• Capital Markets: Debt
• Capital Markets: Equity
• Financial Services Regulatory
• M&A
• PPP/PFI
• Private Equity Funds
• Restructuring and Insolvency

• Consumer Goods and Services
• Healthcare
• Investment Management
• Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences
• Real Estate

• PhD in Law, Cairo University (2025)
• LLM, Corporations and Securities Regulations, Harvard Law School (2018)
• LLM, International and Comparative Law, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (2011)
• DES, Criminal Law, Cairo University (2009)
• LLB, (English Section), Cairo University (2007)

• Professor of Law, Faculty of Law, Cairo University

• Egyptian Bar Association