Sami Toutounji is partner and co-head of Gide's Employee Share ownership team in Paris.

He advises major French companies on the design and international roll-out of their share ownership and equity compensation plans, as well as on related corporate governance issues.

Sami is a benchmark in his field, highly recommended and recognised by his peers. For a number of years, his team has been a leader in the continental share ownership plans market, both in terms of the number of plans implemented each year and their complexity. He also has in-depth knowledge of the treatment of share ownership and remuneration plans in the context of mergers and acquisitions and restructuring operations. Sami is a former member of the Retail Investors Commission of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers.

Before joining Gide in 2022, he was a partner at Shearman & Sterling LLP and co-manager of the Paris office. He began his career in Shearman's New York office. Sami received a JD from Georgetown University Law Center in 1989 and a BA in Finance and Marketing from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. He also teaches US financial law at Assas Paris 2 and is a member of the New York and Paris Bars.