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A journey from Ghent to global – Hanif Mohamed, Group GC, Bank Degroof Petercam
Like Cleopatra, Thomas Jefferson, Karl Marx and Pope Leo XIV, Hanif Mohamed is a polyglot. Hanif speaks Dutch, French, English, Gujarati, Hindi and one other Indian dialect. Arguably, he also speaks the global language of corporate law given his extensive multi-jurisdictional experience gained in private practice, as well as several in-house roles.
Growing up in Flanders
Hanif, who was born in Uganda to Indian parents, grew up in the Flemish Region of Belgium after his family fled Idi Amin’s regime.
After leaving school, Hanif went to Ghent University, where he originally studied Sanskrit and Hindi as part of a bachelor’s degree in Oriental Linguistics. "There were four students on my course and within two weeks I knew I was in the wrong place," recalled Hanif. However, as he didn’t want to admit to his mother that he’d made a mistake, he stuck it out. Two years later, he plucked up the courage to tell her he wanted to change direction. According to Hanif, she was happy to support him "as long as I studied something that led to a job". Despite being tempted to pursue his interest in history, he decided it would be prudent to study law instead. He was delighted to discover this would involve history of law and has since enjoyed learning about the long histories of the various banks he has worked at.
After spending seven years at university, Hanif completed both his bachelor's degree and his master’s degree in law. He decided it was time to get a job. Through a professor's network, he heard about a small firm in Ghent, where he secured a position as an avocat.
The large law firm years
In 1998, Hanif moved to London for six months after successfully applying for a European Young Lawyers scholarship through the British Council. In London, he completed a Diploma in English Commercial Law. "That was a turning point of my career and an amazing experience," said Hanif. "About 1,200 lawyers from across Europe have had that opportunity over the years and many of us still catch up annually. In fact, when the programme stopped in 2005, the alumni felt so passionate about it we kept it running under a different format – until Brexit," he added.
With his new qualification in English law, Hanif secured a role in Allen & Overy’s Corporate department when he returned to Belgium. While he enjoyed his time with the firm, he was keen to get back to London where his family now lived.
In January 2001, Hanif got his chance when he accepted a position as an associate in Holme Roberts & Owen’s (now part of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner) Corporate and Securities group. Unfortunately, he was made redundant in 2002 after the dot-com crash.
Hanif returned to Brussels, this time joining Ashurst’s growing Corporate and Finance team in 2003. Between 2005 and 2007, he was seconded to the London office to work with the Corporate and Private Equity team. He enjoyed the larger, more diverse environment of the London office. He also had the opportunity to work closely with teams in Paris and Frankfurt on cross-border deals and he remains in contact with many of his colleagues from that time. When his secondment ended, Hanif again returned to Brussels. He stayed for a year before relocating to Ashurst's new office in Abu Dhabi in September 2008, where he helped set up the Corporate department.
After spending 6.5 years with Ashurst, Hanif found himself back in Brussels. There he took on an in-house role at the Franco-Belgian-listed Dexia banking group, after being introduced by a friend from his alumni network. Within six months, Hanif had been promoted to Head of Division, M&A and Restructuring. He worked with a highly skilled team on Dexia's post-GFC cross-border divestment of its businesses in e.g. Turkey, Slovakia, France, Monaco, the UK and Luxembourg. "Working in-house was an eye-opener. I loved being able to work closely with the business and see the impact of my efforts," said Hanif. "Also, it was a different experience working with a business in distress: I learnt a lot about how to manage complex situations and stakeholders, including the Belgian, French and Luxembourg Governments," he added.
Another alumni-linked opportunity led to Hanif becoming Group Head of Legal at Quintet Private Bank. At that time, the Luxembourg-based bank was experiencing rapid growth and today it operates in more than 30 cities across Europe.
Quintet's legal team grew and became more dynamic under Hanif's leadership. As he explained, "Banks operate in complex regulatory and legislative environments where they're facing heightened scrutiny on issues like consumer protection and AML. I felt it was critical to boost our ability to enable the business – not just support it."
In 2016, Hanif left the bank and Luxembourg to become General Counsel at Mitiska REIM, a real estate investment fund specialising in value-add investments in retail parks with a focus on Central and Eastern European countries. Although he loved working with his new team and being back in Brussels, he missed the scale and sophistication of banking.
Then, in 2017, a headhunter persuaded Hanif to become Group Head of Legal at Bank Degroof Petercam, which offers a distinctive combination of private banking, institutional asset management, investment banking and asset services. With the support of senior management, Hanif has strengthened the legal team’s capacity and capability. "Banks today are not just financial institutions; they are custodians of vast amounts of sensitive data and, in many ways, operate like technology companies. This reality means legal departments must embrace the right IT tools to stay agile and effective. Although generative AI is expected to further optimise performance, it will not be a substitute for human judgement. The role of legal in the banking sector will still require lawyers who combine commercial insight with ethical reasoning and nuanced decision-making. Technology will amplify our capabilities, but lawyers will remain irreplaceable," said Hanif.
Hanif also hopes the next generation of lawyers will strive to use their skills in the service of others, while advancing their own careers and the businesses they work for. He said, "I remember when Kim Clijsters became the world's number one tennis player. Tennis took off in Belgium because people saw the possibilities. It’s the same for lawyers. For example, when I started working in large law firms, I was the only person of colour in the Brussels office. Today, that has changed, but in terms of diversity – and many other issues – challenges remain. By having the courage to voice their concerns and to make suggestions about better ways of doing things, lawyers can make a difference."
In 2019, Hanif joined the bank’s executive team and became responsible for the real estate and facility management team and the corporate communications team. "Though it is uncommon for general counsel to sit on the ExCos of Belgian banks, adding a legal perspective to discussions at that level can improve decision making and help safeguard the bank." Hanif’s senior role continues to evolve following the bank’s acquisition by Indosuez Wealth Management in 2024.
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