A Conversation Professor Dr. Mohamed Abdel Wahab, interviewed by Professor Dr. Crina Baltag

This interview is a part of a series organized by the ITA Academic Council to record the evolution of modern international arbitration in the words of those who have led it.

The interview was recorded in Lisbon on April 13, 2023, on the occasion of the IBA Arbitration Day, and generously hosted by PLMJ.

Professor Mohamed Abdel Wahab is Professor of International Arbitration, Private International Law and English Contract Law at Cairo University. Professor Wahab is Founding Partner and Head of International Arbitration, Construction and Energy Groups at Zulficar & Partners Law Firm in Egypt. Professor Wahab is Member of the Governing Board of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration – ICCA; the Dean of the Africa Arbitration Academy; Vice-Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce - ICC Governing Body for Dispute Resolution Services; Vice President Global of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators - CIArb; President Elect of the CIArb (2025); Co-Chair of the International Bar Association Arab Regional Forum; Member of the Academic Council of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration, among others. Professor Wahab has served as ‘Arbitrator’, ‘Legal Expert’ and ‘Counsel’ in more than 250 cases, involving parties from the Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the United States, in ad-hoc and institutional arbitration, commercial and investment arbitrations. He is listed as a world leading international arbitration thought leader and practitioner in all leading directories, including Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration, Who’s Who Legal: Construction, Legal500, Chambers & Partners Global, etc. Who’s Who Legal says about Professor Wahab:”His sharp mind never ceases to amaze”, “‘He is one of a kind!”, “His intellectual rigour and well-rounded experience make him a natural choice as an arbitrator”, “He is academically brilliant”, “One of the best minds on arbitration issues” and “Extremely impressive”. Chambers & Partners Global says: “Mohamed is a very well-known arbitrator who is very much involved in African work. He’s a very impressive guy.” Legal 500 says: ‘Mohamed Abdel Wahab is a brilliant practitioner who is at the top of the international arbitration field globally.

Dr Crina Baltag is Associate Professor (Docent) in International Arbitration at Stockholm University and qualified attorney-at-law, with over twenty years of extensive practice in various aspects on international dispute resolution, private and public international law. Crina is the academic director of the LL.M. in International Commercial Arbitration Law at Stockholm University and member of the Board of the SCC Arbitration Institute. Crina is the managing editor of Kluwer Arbitration Blog, co-managing editor of ITA Arbitration Report and member of editorial boards of prestigious journals and book series in the field, including of the Journal of International Arbitration. Crina is vice-chair of the ITA Academic Council and the chair of the ITA Academic Council Project ‘Preserving Perspectives: International Arbitrators in Their Own Words’. Crina has been appointed as arbitrator in numerous arbitrations under the rules of the ICC, LCIA, SIAC, SCC, FAI, VIAC etc., and has acted as expert and counsel in various international commercial and investment arbitrations. Crina holds a PhD degree in International Arbitration from Queen Mary University of London (UK), LL.M in International Commercial Arbitration Law from Stockholm University (Sweden), M.Sc. in International Business from Academy of Economic Studies (Romania), LL.B. from University of Bucharest (Romania). Crina publishes extensively on commercial and investment arbitration topics.