Ahmed Baladi is a partner in the Paris office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and the co-chair of the firm’s Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation Practice Group. He specializes in information technology & digital transactions, outsourcing, data privacy and cybersecurity.

Ahmed has developed renowned experience in a wide range of technological and digital matters. His practice covers complex technology transactions and outsourcing projects, particularly within the financial institutions sector; strategic digital transformation, such as acquisition or development of innovative solutions (lnternet of Things [IoT], Artificial Intelligence [AI], Fintech, big data and cloud based solutions); data privacy and cybersecurity, including compliance and governance projects in light of the GDPR, cross-border litigation requiring data transfer and Binding Corporate Rules and complex commercial transactions, particularly in the technology, energy, aerospace and pharmaceutical industries.

Chambers Europe recommends Ahmed in the Spotlight Table for TMT: Data Protection. The directory also ranks him Band 1 in its TMT: Information Technology category. Clients assess : “In my view, Ahmed is brilliant. He does a fantastic job explaining the law to clients and always leaves a positive impression” ; “I know I can trust him to be responsive, efficient and business-oriented” ; “Ahmed is very business-oriented and he can be creative. I have worked with him on difficult projects in the past and it is very comfortable working with him because he is organized” ; “Ahmed is incredibly quick, articulate and easy to work with. He can distil down complex or messy issues to simple elements and address them in a straightforward manner.”

Previous editions described him as “on top of his game and a pleasure to work with” ; “a super business partner who finds excellent solutions” ; “efficient and reactive” and with “an excellent grasp of the sector”; “very smart and bright ”. Other sources praise his negotiation skills, saying: “He is patient and always tries to find intelligent compromises” underlining his “reactivity and availability”, his “great judgement […] source of clear, calm advice under pressure” and the fact that he is “very patient, reactive, calm and balanced, especially in negotiations ”. Sources consistently brand him as an “adept negotiator, pragmatic and practical ”, who possesses “strong commercial and technical skills ”. Many also note his ability to “understand complex and innovative projects very quickly, and to build a proposal that explores different legal areas but remains simple and clear ”.

The Legal 500 EMEA has once more named Ahmed a Leading Individual for both Data Protection (Tier 1) and IT and internet (Tier 2) categories, with clients reacting “Ahmed is the market leader when it comes to advising on data protection issues as they apply to novel technologies.’”

Previous editions noticed “Ahmed gives you great comfort when dealing with complex legal topics (whether at national level or on cross-border issues) or difficult business situations, and when having to navigate in grey areas. These are situations where you need to challenge yourself, share views and take decisions taking into account the regulations, but also, and equally importantly for a business, matching with the business interests. Ahmed’s legal expertise, deep business experience, hard-working capacity and humility at work make him a highly valued asset for our legal team ”. Other sources referred to him as “the senior name to note at Gibson Dunn”.

Best Lawyers in France named Gibson Dunn Paris its single top 2022 Privacy and Data Security Law Firm of the Year and has consistently recommended Ahmed for Technology Law, Information Technology Law, Privacy, Data Security Law as well as Telecommunications Law. This directory also named him its 2019 Information Technology Lawyer of the Year. Who’s Who Legal: Data 2021-2022 has also selected Ahmed as being a leading figure in Data.

Admitted to the Paris Bar in 2001, Ahmed graduated in 1998 from University of Lyon III Jean Moulin, where he received a DJCE (Legal counsel diploma) in Commercial Law and a post graduate degree in Business and Tax Laws. Through an exchange program, he spent two years in the US, at the University of Georgia in 1999, and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1997.

He speaks English and French fluently.