Abdelhamid Mamdouh (Hamid)

Hamid Mamdouh is a Senior Counsel at King & Spalding LLP and former Director of the Trade in Services and Investment Division of the WTO. Prior to that he was a Senior Counsellor in the Services Division and was the Secretary of the WTO Council for Trade in Services since the establishment of the WTO in 1995.  During that time, he was also responsible for legal affairs in the area of Trade in Services.  During the Uruguay Round negotiations his responsibilities included legal matters relating to the negotiation and the drafting of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). His previous positions in the GATT include:  Assistant to the Deputy Director-General of the GATT and legal advisor on GATT dispute settlement.  Prior to that he was a trade negotiator with the diplomatic service of Egypt.

Deep knowledge of, and long experience in trade policy formulation and implementation, including development-related policy challenges and responses.

• Extensive legal expertise based on long career in public international law (trade law) and international trade negotiations.
   
• Profound experience in trade negotiations both as a negotiator, as well as a senior international official, providing guidance to inter-governmental trade negotiations in the WTO.
   
• Extensive experience with the implementation of the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and its related instruments, including:
   
  Providing advice to dispute panels relating to Trade in Services.
  Providing advice to member governments of the WTO, developed as well as developing countries regarding their treaty obligations.
  Delivering technical assistance to developing countries at governmental, non-government and academic levels.
  Outreach to the private sector and civil society, in countries members of the WTO, on issues relating to the interface between domestic services regulation and treaty obligations under the GATS.
  Frequently solicited for advice and guidance to governments of developed and developing countries on legal and policy matters relating to WTO negotiations.

• Proven track record of outreach at senior levels in governments and private sector, including guidance on key negotiating issues.
   
• High degree of credibility with both developing and developed country governments.
   
• Egyptian/Swiss national - Arabic mother-tongue, excellent English and fluent French.