Mona Zulficar

Ms. Zulficar has served as Non-Executive Chairperson of EFG Hermes since 2008. She is one of the founding partners of Zulficar & Partners Law Firm, a specialized law firm of 10 partners and more than 50 associates, which was established in June 2009 and grew into one of the best ranked law firms in Egypt. She was previously senior partner at Shalakany Law Firm and Chair of its Executive Committee for many years.

Ms. Zulficar is recognized in local and international legal circles as the precedents maker and one of Egypt’s most prominent corporate, banking and project finance attorneys. As an M&A and capital markets transactions specialist, she has led negotiations on some of Egypt’s and the Middle East’s largest and most complex successful transactions over the past three decades.

Ms. Zulficar has also played an instrumental role in modernizing and reforming economic and banking laws and regulations as a former member of the board of the Central Bank of Egypt and as a prominent member of national drafting committees. She is also a leading human rights activist recognized locally and internationally and has initiated several successful campaigns for new legislation including women’s rights, freedom of opinion and family courts. She served as VP of the Constitutional Committee of 50 and played a key role in drafting the 2014 Egyptian Constitution, and is currently member of the National Council for Human Rights.

She has recently been elected President of the Egyptian Microfinance Federation and has been chairing several NGOs active in social development and microfinance to poor women. Internationally she served as elected member of the international Advisory Committee of the United Nations Human Rights Council for two terms ending 2011. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Political Science from Cairo University and an LLM from Mansoura University as well as an honorary doctorate degree in law from the University of Zurich.