Officers of the LCIA Users' Councils

African Users' Council

President

Nania Owusu-Ankomah Sackey - Ghana

Nania is a Partner at Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah, a first-tier law firm in Ghana. She regularly advises and represents clients in a range of high value arbitration and litigation matters, and is particularly noted for her innovative approach to solving complex legal issues. Nania also sits as an arbitrator.

She has been recognised by Who's Who Legal as a Future Leader - Arbitration and as one of Africa’s 30 Most Promising Arbitration Practitioners (2022) by the Africa Arbitration Academy.

Nania is an LCIA Court member and is currently the president of the LCIA African Users’ Council. She is Country Chair of the Ghana Chapter of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and is a lecturer in Alternative Dispute Resolution at the Ghana School of Law. She is called to the bar in England and Wales and in Ghana.

Vice Presidents

Githu Muigai SC - Kenya

Professor Githu Muigai has over 35 years' experience in the practice of law in Kenya and in East Africa. Githu holds LLB and PhD degrees from the University of Nairobi and an LLM Degree from Columbia University School of Law, New York. In addition to the practice of law he is a Professor of Public Law in the School of Law at the University of Nairobi. He has also published extensively in the areas of international law and human rights, and has previously worked as a consultant to various international organisations including: the African Union, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

He has a wide range of areas of practice, which include commercial litigation and arbitration, constitutional and administrative law, information and communications technology law, insurance and banking law, investments law, mergers & acquisitions law, public and private international law, public procurement law. From August 2008 - September 2011, Githu was the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. In 2018, he was appointed as a Member, in the UN Human Rights on Working Group on Business and Human Rights Special Procedures. Githu served as Attorney General of the Republic of Kenya August 2011 to March 2018.

Nathan Searle - UK

Nathan is a partner in Hogan Lovells International LLP's international arbitration group, acting for large multinationals in complex and high-value international arbitrations and cross-border disputes. He has extensive experience in African related disputes and coordinates the firm's disputes practice in the region. Nathan also has experience in other emerging markets including Asia, India, Russia and the CIS. Nathan has higher rights of audience in the English courts and regularly appears as an advocate in international arbitrations. He also advises clients on risk management and strategies to avoid or resolve disputes at an early stage. Nathan is a member of the Advisory Board for the Association of Young Arbitrators Nigeria (AYA).

Councillors

Aisha Abdallah - Kenya

Aisha is dual qualified as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and Solicitor of England and Wales. She has substantial experience in complex, high value cross border disputes.

Aisha currently represents the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce on the board of the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration. In December 2022, Aisha was appointed to the governing council of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre and sits on the Proceedings Committee. She is also on the Delos board of advisors, amongst other bodies. Aisha was also the lead author of the Kenyan chapter of the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th editions of the International Arbitration Review.

Aisha has a lot of experience advising on economic crime. She is a member of the IBA Asset Recovery Committee and was part of an expert team that drafted Anti-Money Laundering, Remittances and Mobile Money Bills for Somaliland. Aisha was the lead author of the Kenya chapter of the 2018 Chambers Anti-Corruption Global Practice Guide. and the ALN AntiCorruption Guide 2019.

Jide Adesokan - UK

Jide is a partner that specialises in complex cross border international arbitration and litigation. His practice covers a broad range of sectors including various aspects of energy, banking, commodities. In these sectors, he has undertaken arbitrations and litigations arising out of petroleum agreements, share and asset purchase agreements as well as shareholder disputes. Born and raised in Nigeria, Jide has particular insight in African disputes and is frequently involved in disputes of economic and strategic importance across the continent, including in Nigeria and Kenya. He has acted as counsel in arbitral proceedings under various institutional rules including in particular LCIA and ICC, as well as in ad hoc proceedings. He is dual-qualified as a solicitor and barrister in both England and Nigeria, where he spent a year working in the arbitration practice of a leading Nigerian law firm. Jide also worked for two years at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, providing legal support to arbitral tribunals in disputes involving states and state entities. He has been recognised by the Legal 500 as a "next generation partner".

Noella Lubano - Kenya

Noella is a Partner at Oraro & Company Advocates and a recognised dispute resolution and arbitration expert. With over 14 years of experience, she specialises in the tracing and recovery of assets, commercial litigation, employment and labour disputes, and shareholder disputes but is well regarded for her international arbitration and insolvency & restructuring expertise. She is ranked by Chambers Global 2023 in Dispute Resolution with clients saying “Noella Lubano is very diligent in her work and provides the simplest explanations. She is genuinely interested in the wellbeing of her clients and is only a phone call away if you require anything.” Legal 500 also recognised her in the 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020 rankings as a Next Generation Partner, with sources saying she is “responsive, conducts very good and well thought out research, and is approachable and witty.”

Additionally, Noella was recently recognised in The Legal 500 Arbitration Powerlist: Africa 2023 and has previously been recognised as one of “Africa’s 30 Most Promising Arbitration Practitioners 2022” and “Africa’s 50 Most Promising Young Arbitrators 2020” by the Association of Young Arbitrators. Noella brings in a wealth of leadership knowledge and experience and is an eloquent speaker. She has spoken on various topics around International Arbitration and has also shared her legal insights across the globe including in the United Kingdom and Austria.

She holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Cape Town and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, as well as a post-graduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law.

Dr Abayomi Okubote - Nigeria

Abayomi has garnered circa 15 years of experience in dispute resolution and commercial practice. He was part of the teams that represented multinational and domestic corporations in high-profile commercial disputes and has advised government agencies on several cutting-edge projects in Africa. He routinely advises foreign entities that intend to make a market entry into various sectors of the African market, including advising on project risks, different corporate structures that can be adopted, registration with the relevant regulatory authorities, importation and exportation of goods, capital repatriation, and immigration.

Abayomi has also been engaged as counsel in several international arbitrations, including under the LCIA, ACA, ICC, CRCICA, and UNCITRAL Rules. He has also been appointed arbitrator in several domestic and international arbitrations in African countries. He was featured in the Legal 500 Africa Arbitration Powerlist 2021 as “one of the thought leaders of arbitration in Africa” and described as “innovative” and “exceptional.” He is listed in leading directories, including Who’s Who Legal Arbitration (Partners), and recently won the Lexology Client Choice Awards 2024 (Nigeria, Arbitration).

He is an Adjunct Professor of International Business Law at Algoma University in Canada, a Member of the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society, and a Court Member of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce International Arbitration Centre. He is listed on panels at the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration, the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration, and the Kigali International Arbitration Centre. He is the Executive Director of the Africa Arbitration Academy and regularly contributes to the ongoing discourse on arbitration practice in Africa. He has assisted the Governments of Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Malawi in developing a new state-of-the-art arbitration law in these countries.

Secretary

Leyla Ahmed - Kenya

Leyla Ahmed is a common law trained lawyer and is a Senior Associate at TripleOKLaw LLP in Nairobi, Kenya. She specialises in commercial litigation, employment & labour disputes, constitutional & human rights matters and has expertise in regulated industry sectors including the telecommunication sector. She is a Certified Mediator, an arbitrator and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has represented parties in high profile arbitration proceedings. Leyla has been trained as a Tribunal Secretary and has an LLM in International Trade and Investment Law in Africa from the University of Pretoria.

Leyla is currently the Co-Chair of the Lagos Court of Arbitration Young Arbitrators Network (LCA-YAN) and is the Chair of the ICC Kenya, Customs and Trade Facilitation Commission. She is also a member of the Law Society of Kenya ADR Committee.

Leyla has been recognised consistently for her excellent work and expertise over the years. She emerged the winner, ‘Young Lawyer of the Year’ in the Law Society of Kenya Legal Awards, 2020 and was the 1st Runner Up in 2021. She also won ‘the Young ADR Practitioner of the Year Award', 2022 in the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Kenya) Excellence Awards.

Arab Users' Council

President

Mohamed Shelbaya - Egypt (France)

Mohamed Shelbaya is a Paris-based founding partner of Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes and is recognised as “a leading figure in arbitration” with a particular focus on arbitrations in the oil & gas sector. Prior to founding Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes, he was a partner at Shearman & Sterling LLP where he practiced for more than twelve years.

He has represented companies, States and State-owned entities in more than 70 commercial and investment treaty matters, including many multibillion-dollar disputes involving novel questions of international law and geopolitical issues. Mohamed has secured a number of landmark victories for his clients, including in a recent string of precedent-setting awards on the application of the ICSID Convention and the English law of assignment, which fully dismissed claims exceeding USD 4 billion that were brought against our client in connection with the operation of an LNG Liquefaction plant and an associated long-term gas supply agreement. Mohamed regularly acts as President, Sole arbitrator, and co-arbitrator in commercial and investment treaty arbitrations under the UNCITRAL, ICC, LCIA, and CRCICA rules.

He also advises energy companies regarding their contractual portfolio and on how to manage potential liability and mitigate litigation risk through dispute-minded contract drafting and corporate structure optimisation. He advises governments and State entities on the restructuring of their respective energy sectors. Mohamed teaches investment arbitration at Sciences Po Law School. He also serves as a member of the LCIA Court and as President of the LCIA’s Arab Users' Council

Vice Presidents

Amani Khalifa - Egypt/UK (UAE)

Amani is a counsel in the dispute resolution group at Freshfields and an arbitration specialist. She has handled several large and complex disputes in the construction industry relating to projects throughout the MENA region and involving major real-estate developments for housing, retail, education, leisure, airfields and radar stations. She has been recognised in Legal 500 as a “thorough, impressive and superb lawyer” who “digs deep and never disappoints.” The directory also highlighted her “exceptional ability to translate procedural and cultural issues.” She has been recognised as a future leader in arbitration by Who’s Who Legal.

Amani sits frequently as arbitrator in infrastructure disputes throughout the MENA region.

Councillor

Salman Al-Ansari - Qatar

Salman Al-Ansari advises clients on all facets of their operations in the Middle East, from corporate formation, structuring, mergers and acquisitions, finance and securities, to intellectual property, real estate & construction and dispute resolution. His in-depth academic experience, along with his knowledge of local laws, allows him to efficiently advise clients on the legal complexities of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Recently, Salman was engaged to advise on one of the largest mergers and disputes in the State of Qatar.

Before joining the firm, Salman worked at a leading international firm, and as a full-time lecturer of law for three years at Qatar University College of Law, where he taught courses such as Company Law. He led the restructuring of the football sector to create the first players’ union and the first sports dedicated arbitration institution as part of the progress towards 2022 world cup hosted by the State of Qatar. He is ranked as a leading lawyer in corporate and commercial law by Chambers and Partners.

Soraya Corm-Bakhos - France/Lebanon (UAE)

Soraya Corm-Bakhos, a French qualified lawyer, is an independent arbitrator, and a leading arbitration practitioner based in Dubai . After nearly 20 years’ experience in private practice first in Paris and since 2008 in Dubai, she is now fully dedicated to her practice as arbitrator.

Prior to that, Soraya was a Counsel at Watson Farley & Williams (Middle East) LLP and practiced in the Dispute Resolution teams of Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla and DWF (Middle East) LLP. Before coming to the UAE, she practised in Paris in the law firm of J.P. Karsenty & Associés where she gained extensive experience advising on all types of civil, commercial and corporate transactions and representing clients before the French Courts in a variety of commercial disputes. During her career in private practice, she advised and represented clients in all types of international arbitrations seated in Europe and the Middle East under major institutional arbitration rules in relation to a wide variety of industry sectors including energy, transport and infrastructure.

Mrs Corm-Bakhos acts as sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator and chair in arbitrations under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), the Bahrain Chamber of Dispute Resolution (BCDR), the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC-LCIA), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and the Abu Dhabi International Arbitration Centre (arbitrateAD) in disputes mainly related to construction, real estate, sale and purchase agreements, joint venture agreements and general commercial disputes.

Soraya has been recognised by The Legal 500 as “exceptionally hard working, bright and will go the extra mile to ensure the best possible service for their clients. She has also been included in the Legal 500’s Arbitration Powerlist: Middle East 2023.

She has been appointed to serve as a member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR. She is also a member of the LCIA Arab Users’ Council. She has authored numerous publications in the field of arbitration and regularly speaks at a variety of arbitration conferences.

Lara Hammoud - UAE

Lara Hammoud is a globally sought-after arbitrator, recognised for her extensive expertise in international arbitration. She is a qualified French lawyer and has over twenty years experience in international arbitration. Prior to becoming a full-time arbitrator in July 2024, Lara spent a decade as in-house counsel heading the Disputes team at Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). Prior to ADNOC, Lara started her career in Paris at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) before moving to private practice with a Magic Circle law firm in Paris and Abu Dhabi.

Lara has acted as tribunal chair, sole and party-appointed arbitrator in both common and civil law jurisdictions under UNCITRAL, DIAC, DIFC-LCIA, SIAC, BCDR, ADCCAC, ArbitrateAD and ICC arbitration rules seated in Europe, Asia and the Middle-East.

Lara is the co-founder of the highly successful Civil Law Conference in Abu Dhabi. She is the writer and editor of numerous articles and books relating to international arbitration and regularly appears as speaker at international conferences and arbitration workshops.

Lara is regularly recognised in the directories including Who's Who Legal, Arbitration 2024 and Chambers & Partners, Most In Demand Arbitrators, UAE 2024.

Lara speaks fluently Arabic, English and French and is proficient in Italian. She is a member of the ArbitrateAD Court of Arbitration and the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR.

Asia Pacific Users' Council

President

Liz Kyo-Hwa Chung - Korea

Liz (Kyo-Hwa) Chung is a Senior Director, leading Legal and Policy at Netflix Korea. She first served as a judge at the Seoul Central District Court and the Seoul Administrative Court. After leaving the judiciary in 2003, she joined Kim & Chang law firm in Seoul, first as an associate and then as a partner, specialising in international disputes and government investigations. In 2018, she went in-house leading Microsoft Korea’s corporate, external and legal affairs department before joining Netflix in April 2021. Liz earned her LLB degree at Korea University, College of Law and LLM degree at Harvard Law School. She is licensed to practice in Korea and the New York State.

Liz is also on the board of various organisations, including Magnachip Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE:MX), NCSOFT Corporation, the Governing Body of the ICC Dispute Resolution Services, the Korea Women Lawyers Association (KWLA), and the Korea In-House Counsel Association (KICA). She is also the President of the LCIA Asia Pacific Users’ Council and is a member of the Users’ Council of the SIAC.

Councillors

Swee Yen Koh SC - Singapore

KOH Swee Yen, Senior Counsel, is the Head of the International Arbitration Practice and a Partner in the Commercial & Corporate Disputes Practice of WongPartnership LLP.

Her practice has a particular focus on complex, high-value and cross-border disputes across a wide spectrum of matters from commercial, energy, international sales, trade, transport, technology to investment. She regularly appears before the Singapore Courts (including the Singapore International Commercial Court) and in international arbitrations under the major institutional rules, including ICSID, ICC, ICDR, LCIA, SIAC, and UNCITRAL. She also has rights of audience before the DIFC Courts.

Swee Yen is the Co-Chair of the IPBA Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Committee, and a member of the ICCA-ASIL Task Force on Damages. She was the former Vice-Chair of the IBA Arbitration Committee. She is a member of the Governing Board for the Centre of International Law, NUS, and the President of the Singapore branch of the International Law Association.

Lars Markert - Germany (Japan)

Lars is a partner in Nishimura & Asahi’s international dispute resolution group in Tokyo. With almost twenty years of experience working in Germany, New York, and Tokyo, he advises clients from Europe and Asia on complex cross-border disputes, in particular in commercial and investment arbitrations.

He acts as counsel and as arbitrator under the rules of many recognised arbitral institutions, and is often recommended for his work in leading industry directories. Lars regularly publishes and speaks on international arbitration, and teaches investment arbitration as an adjunct professor at the University of Cologne, Germany.

John Rhie - Hong Kong

John Rhie is Managing Partner of Quinn Emanuel’s Hong Kong office and the Head of the International Arbitration practice in Asia. John specialises in both commercial and investment treaty arbitrations, and has acted as counsel and arbitrator in arbitrations under several arbitral institutions such as the HKIAC, ICC, ICSID, KCAB, LCIA, SIAC as well as ad hoc arbitrations around the world. John is recognised as a leading expert in the field of international arbitration by most legal publications such as Chambers and Partners, Legal 500, and Who's Who Legal.

Vijayendra Pratap Singh - India

Vijayendra Pratap Singh is a senior partner and the head of dispute resolution practice at AZB & Partners, New Delhi. He has spearheaded various arbitration proceedings pertaining to the validity of investment agreements, infrastructure disputes, long-term supply contracts, franchising/intellectual property issues, and claims on account of cancellation of licenses by government, including of coal blocks.

Vijayendra represented the Singapore International Arbitration Centre in the BALCO case before the Supreme Court on the scope and extent of the judicial intervention of Indian courts in foreign-seated arbitration. He currently represents Amazon in its much-publicised dispute with Future Group. Vijayendra was successful in obtaining the first judgment which recognises the enforceability of Emergency Arbitrator awards under the Indian Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.

Vijayendra appeared before the Parliament of India’s Standing Committee for External Affairs and provided his recommendations for revising the text of India’s Model Bilateral Investment Treaty in 2016. He was also a part of the Department of Justice, Committee on Cost and Time Standards as well as the Confederation of Indian Industries Working Group of Enforcement of Contracts.

He is a visiting faculty member at the Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai and teaches a course on international commercial arbitration to postgraduate students. He has also been a guest lecturer at various universities, including Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow and Ashoka University, Sonipat.

European Users' Council

President

Kate Cervantes-Knox - UK

Kate Cervantes-Knox is a solicitor advocate with over 20 years of experience representing clients in commercial arbitrations and investment treaty disputes across a range of sectors, with a focus on energy and infrastructure disputes. She has been recognised by Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration, the Legal 500 and Chambers for her expertise in the fields of commercial arbitration, investor state arbitration and public international law.

Kate joined Linklaters in 1999, qualified as a solicitor in 2001 and joined DLA Piper UK LLP in 2003. She was a partner in DLA Piper's international arbitration practice in London from 2010 to 2022, and became Senior Counsel in 2022.

During her career Kate has conducted arbitrations subject to many different systems of law, and under various different arbitral rules (including the LCIA, ICC, ICSID, UNCITRAL and LMAA). Kate also sits as arbitrator, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. She is currently President of the LCIA European Users’ Council. Kate has lived and worked in Spain and Latin America, and is a fluent Spanish speaker. Kate is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Law, London.

Vice Presidents

Marie Berard - France/UK

Marie is a Partner and head of the London International Arbitration Group at Clifford Chance LLP. A British and French national based in London, she has acted as counsel for multinational corporations, governments, and individuals in over 50 international commercial arbitration proceedings, with particular emphasis on the energy, oil & gas, construction and finance sectors. Marie also sits as a sole arbitrator, panel member and chair. She is a Vice President of the LCIA European Users' Council, and a member of the City of London Law Society Arbitration Committee. Marie is on the Editorial Board of the International Arbitration Law Review and Kluwer’s Journal of International Arbitration. She regularly contributes to UK arbitration updates circulated by International Law Office.

Andrew Cannon - UK (France)

Andrew is an international arbitration partner at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP. Currently based in London, he recently worked for three years in Paris and continues to work closely with the HSF Paris office. Andrew has over 25 years' experience advising clients in international disputes, including ad hoc and institutional arbitrations across multiple jurisdictions and under a range of governing laws. He also has extensive experience of investment treaty arbitration and of negotiating and advising on bilateral and multilateral treaties and other international instruments.

Andrew is also Herbert Smith Freehills' Global Co-Head of Public International Law and the deputy head of its Global Arbitration Practice. He is appointed to the UK Attorney General’s Public International Law "A" Panel of Counsel.

George Spalton KC - UK

George Spalton KC specialises in international arbitration and commercial litigation. He is rated in Chambers / Legal 500 in eight areas, reflecting extensive experience of blue-chip litigation and arbitration as well as investment treaty work. Current caseload includes insurance/reinsurance disputes; energy-related work; sports claims; construction and shareholder disputes.

George has particular experience of high-value and high-profile international and cross-border work and is regarded as a leading advocate. By way of example, he recently acted as lead advocate in a 20-week trial in the Commercial Court in London in a claim worth $1.5BN.

George is frequently instructed in cases outside the UK and has been involved in cases in a number of jurisdictions in recent years including BVI (called in 2015), Trinidad, Dubai, Oman, Hong Kong and Singapore. He also accepts appointments as arbitrator and has acted as sole arbitrator and co-arbitrator in LCIA, ICC, ad hoc and ICAC arbitrations.

Councillors

James Hargrove - UK (Switzerland)

James is a partner at Orrick and a member of its International Arbitration Practice Group, based in Geneva and London. James has represented clients in complex arbitrations relating to technology, IP and IT, banking and financial services, real estate, construction, aviation, shipping, trade and commodities, energy and telecoms across the world and under all the major institutional arbitration rules. James has a strong background in Russian and CIS disputes, and has acted on some of the largest cases in that sector over the last 21 years.

Claudia Krapfl - Germany

Claudia is an associated partner with Gleiss Lutz Rechtsanwälte, specialising in international commercial arbitration and cross-border litigation. She is based in Stuttgart, Germany, and has over 20 years of experience in acting as counsel in national and international arbitrations (institutional and ad hoc) with an emphasis on post-M&A disputes, joint ventures, international construction law, energy law and general commercial law. She is also active as arbitrator and has extensive experience in investment treaty arbitration. Claudia regularly publishes on international arbitration topics and is part of a working group of the German Arbitration Institute (DIS) to foster Dutch-German arbitration relations.

Jennifer Younan - Australia/France

Jennifer Younan is a partner in the International Arbitration and the Public International Law practices of Shearman & Sterling LLP, based in Paris. She is also a member of the Firm’s Energy Innovation and Global Sanctions teams.

Jennifer has over 20 years of experience advising and representing companies, State-owned entities and States in commercial and investment treaty arbitrations. Jennifer has notably participated in several of the largest international disputes submitted to arbitration, securing historic victories for the Firm’s clients. Her experience covers a wide range of industry sectors and types of disputes, including energy (oil & gas, power, nuclear, renewables), mining & metals, banking & finance, infrastructure/transportation and construction, as well as disputes arising from business combination transactions and general commercial matters. Jennifer has particular expertise in investment and energy-related disputes in emerging markets, as well as disputes having a Russian nexus, and is well known for advising on cutting-edge and topical issues in the field of public international law. She also sits as arbitrator.

Jennifer is recognised as a Global Market Leader by Chambers & Partners, a Leading Lawyer in The Legal 500 and a Global Leader and Thought Leader (France) in Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration. Among other positions, she is a member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, the Editorial Board of the ICC Dispute Resolution Bulletin and Councillor of the LCIA European Users’ Council. Jennifer is admitted to practice in New South Wales (Australia), England and Wales and Paris.

Latin American & Caribbean Users' Council

President

Kate Brown de Vejar - Australia (Mexico)

Kate is a Partner and Global Co-Chair of International Arbitration at DLA Piper, where she specialises in both international commercial and investor-State arbitration. An Australian and New York qualified attorney, resident in Mexico City for the past 14 years, Kate is widely recognised for her experience and results handling complex, high-profile disputes in the energy and infrastructure sectors. Who’s Who Legal 2023 ranks Kate as a Thought Leader in its Global Elite category for arbitration, and The Legal 500 Mexico recently named her Lawyer of the Year for International Arbitration. She is a Member of the LCIA Court, Vice Chair of the IBA’s Arbitration Committee, and Vice President of ANZMEX (the Australia, New Zealand, Mexico Business Council). From 2008 to 2017, she was a member of the Australian Delegation to the United Nations (UNCITRAL) Working Group on Arbitration and Conciliation. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the University of Queensland, is and is fluent in English, French and Spanish.

Vice Presidents

André de Albuquerque Cavalcanti Abbud - Brazil

André Abbud is a partner in the Dispute Resolution practice area of BMA Advogados, with notable experience in the resolution of complex national and international arbitration and civil litigation cases, including corporate, capital markets, infrastructure and contractual disputes, before the major arbitral institutions in Brazil and abroad. He represents clients from a broad range of sectors, such as finance, energy, mining, steelmaking, textiles, construction, logistics, basic sanitation, retail, food and beverages, insurance, cosmetics, hospitals, paper and cellulose, and agribusiness.

He is a Professor at Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV Direito SP), President of the Brazilian Arbitration Committee – CBAr, Officer of the International Bar Association's Arbitration Committee, Vice-President of the Latin American and Caribbean Users Council of the LCIA, member of the Editorial Board of the Kluwer Journal of International Arbitration, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Brazilian Business Arbitration Chamber – CAMARB. He holds a Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws and PhD degrees from the University of São Paulo (USP) and an LLM degree from Harvard Law School. He was formerly a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Brazil (2004 - 2007). He is the author of the books An Annotated Guide to the Brazilian Arbitration Act (2019), Soft law and Evidence Gathering in International Arbitration (2014), Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards in Brazil (2008), and Specific Performance of the Shareholders’ Agreements (2006), in addition to many articles published in legal journals.

André is frequently recommended in the Litigation and Arbitration rankings of legal directories such as Chambers Global, Chambers Latin America, The Legal 500, Leaders League, Best Lawyers, Who's Who Legal - Arbitration and Who's Who Legal - Future Leaders. He also has been recognised as an Acritas Star by Acritas – Thomson Reuters, and as one of the Top Commercial Arbitration Practitioners in Brazil by Euromoney. “Clients report that he is ‘very intelligent and a quick thinker. He transmits reassurance with his arguments, which are very good.’ Other sources add: ‘The defence he built was flawless, very successful.’" - Chambers Global.

Júlio César Bueno - Brazil

Júlio César Bueno has been a partner at Pinheiro Neto Advogados since 2001. He has considerable national and international experience focusing on the practice of arbitration, construction law and engineering contracts, project finance and public procurement.

He represents some of the world’s largest organisations (owners, multilateral agencies, financial institutions, contractors and developers) in their global infrastructure and construction projects located throughout Brazil and the rest of Latin America, as well as in Africa. He assists clients across the entire project spectrum; some recent examples include gas facilities, power plants (nuclear, coal-fired, gas-fired, combined cycle, hydro), wind farms, steel manufacturing facilities, copper-mining facilities, coal mining facilities and ports.

Júlio Bueno is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and the International Academy of Construction Lawyers (IACL). He holds a bachelor's degree in law from the University of São Paulo (USP), doctorate in law from the University of São Paulo (USP) and an LLM from Cambridge University. Julio is fluent in Portuguese and English.

Felipe Ossa - Chile

Felipe Ossa is a partner and head of the international arbitration practice at Claro & Cia. He has acted as counsel or arbitrator in more than eighty arbitral proceedings; both ad-hoc and under the aegis of ICC, ICDR, ICSID, LCIA, Lima Chamber of Commerce, Madrid Court of Arbitration, PCA, Santiago Chamber of Commerce and other institutions.

He holds a law degree from Universidad Católica (Chile) and a Magister Juris from the University of Oxford. He lectures on arbitration and comparative law at Universidad Católica and Universidad de Chile and has authored several publications on international dispute resolution, including “Case Law on International Arbitration” (Thomson Reuters, 2014).

Councillors

Cristina Ferraro - Peru

Cristina has broad experience both in investment and commercial international arbitrations. She has represented investors and respondent States in arbitration proceedings under the arbitration rules of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Her experience also includes commercial disputes conducted under all major arbitration rules. In addition, she is a seasoned litigant in matters relating to arbitration award enforcement in Peru. Cristina was a member of Miranda & Amado from 2004 to 2006. She rejoined the firm in 2014 after practicing with international arbitration teams in New York. Cristina is a lawyer from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and holds a Master’s Degree from New York University School of Law. She is admitted to practice in Peru and New York.

Sofia Gómez Ruano - Mexico

Sofía Gomez Ruano, FCIArb, is a partner with Creel, García-Cuellar, Aiza y Enriquez in Mexico City. Sofia is an arbitration specialist focusing on commercial and investor-state arbitration. Sofia has over 20 years of experience in dispute resolution representing clients and sitting as an arbitrator in large and complex matters under various arbitration rules (including the LCIA, ICC, ICDR, Arbitration Center of Mexico and Mexico City´s National Chamber of Commerce). She handles cases involving a broad range of industry sectors, including disputes related to M&A, construction, hospitality, financial services and information and communications technology.

Sofía is listed on the panel of conciliators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and is a member of the USMCA Advisory Committee on Private Commercial Disputes.

Andrea Hulbert - Costa Rica

Andrea is the founding partner of Hulbert Volio Abogados in Costa Rica, a boutique law firm specialising in the conflict resolution of national and international complex cases. With more than 25 years of practice, Andrea regularly sits as an international arbitrator, with vast experience in commercial contracts, PPPs, construction, energy, TMT, M&A, foreign investment, and others, mainly in Latin America and the United States. She also has an important practice in international judicial cooperation.

She is a suitable professional for Tribunals Chair (the presiding arbitrator) in cases under trade agreements when the EU is a party (European Commission); a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London); a Council member of the Institute of World Business Law (ICC Institute); President of the Commission on Arbitration and ADR of the ICC Costa Rica; a member of the Global Commission on Arbitration and ADR of ICC; and Professor of international law and contracts, and international arbitration.

Andrea is recognised as a Global Leader in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution by several international organisations, such as Chambers & Partners and Who’s Who Legal.

North American Users' Council

President

Natalie L Reid - Jamaica (USA)

Natalie Reid is a partner in Debevoise & Plimpton’s International Disputes Group and Co-Chair of the firm’s Public International Law Group. Her practice focuses on international arbitration, public international law, and complex commercial litigation matters. Natalie regularly advises and represents multinational corporations, sovereign States, international organisations, and non-governmental organisations in proceedings in U.S. courts and international fora, including commercial, treaty, and public international law arbitrations. She also sits as an arbitrator in a wide range of commercial cases.

Among other leadership positions, Natalie is also a member of the LCIA Board and a counsellor of the American Society of International Law.

Vice Presidents

Maria Chedid - USA

Maria Chedid is global Co-Chair of the International Arbitration group at Arnold & Porter. She regularly serves as lead counsel in high stakes commercial and investment arbitrations, and frequently is called upon to serve as an arbitrator. She has three decades of experience with arbitrations administered by all major arbitral institutions, including the ICC, ICDR, LCIA, SIAC, ICSID, DIAC, CPR, JAMS, PCA, and the AAA, as well as with arbitrations conducted under the UNCITRAL Rules, by the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, and by the United Nations Compensation Commission. Her practice has expansive geographic reach and involves a wide range of subject matter, with particular depth in technology, energy, IP, and life sciences disputes.

Maria has been recognised for her arbitration expertise by legal publications such as Chambers Global; Chambers USA; Legal 500 US; Law360 MVP; Superlawyers; Legal Media Expert Guide; World's Leading Technology Arbitrators; California's Top 100 Women Lawyers of the Year; GAR Who's Who Legal; and Lawdragon 500 Global Litigation Lawyers. Clients “commend her handling of complex disputes,” “praise her ‘highly effective advocacy,’” and describe her as “incisive, a superb strategist and [] unrelenting in achieving the targeted objectives,” while peers note that she is “superbly prepared,” “exceptionally talented,” “relentless,” “very thorough,” “expert in damages issues,” and “largely unflappable.”

Sarah McEachern - Canada

Sarah McEachern has extensive experience in all aspects of commercial arbitration disputes. She focuses her practice on resolving complex disputes in the commercial, construction, mining, and energy sectors. She has expertise in both domestic and international disputes and has acts as both arbitrator and counsel. Sarah is a partner based out of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s Vancouver office where she is the regional manager of commercial and construction disputes. She has received national and international recognition by clients and peers as a leading practitioner in dispute resolution and arbitration in particular. She is recognised as a National Leader in Arbitration in Canada, (Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration) and since 2018 as a Future Leader. She is recognised by Benchmark Canada and ranked as Up and Coming by Chambers Canada in Arbitration. In 2021, the Government of British Columbia appointed Sarah to serve a five-year term as a roster member for BC’s Bid Protest Mechanism and Dispute Resolution panels, established under the New West Partnership Trade Agreement and the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.

Sarah was previously a representative for North America to the Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG) of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and recently co-chaired a session for the LCIA’s Tylney on Tour in Vancouver 2023.

Harout J Samra - USA

Harout J Samra concentrates his practice on international dispute and regulatory matters, with a particular emphasis on international commercial arbitration.

He is certified by the Florida Bar as a Specialist in International Law and has represented clients from both the public and private sectors, including foreign governments and clients from the energy, insurance, banking, finance, manufacturing, aviation and hospitality industries. He has experience as counsel in international arbitrations administered under the rules of the leading institutions around the world and also has served as an arbitrator and expert before the courts on international arbitration issues. Harout has been recognized for his international practice, including by Legal 500, Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, Florida Super Lawyers, and BTI Consulting Group, in which he was described as a “proactive, responsive, and smart” attorney who “stands out for his expertise in international law."

A graduate of the University of Miami School of Law (magna cum laude), Harout also received BA (cum laude) and MBA degrees from the University of Miami. He is on the faculty of the University of Miami School of Law, where he teaches as part of the White & Case International Arbitration Program. frequently writes and lectures on arbitration and litigation topics. He is admitted to practice in the states of Florida and New York.

Tomasz Sikora - Poland/USA

Tomasz Sikora is Senior Counsel in the International Disputes Group at Exxon Mobil Corporation where he manages international commercial and investment arbitration. Prior to joining ExxonMobil, he spent ten years at El Paso Corporation managing the company’s international arbitration and complex litigation. Tom initially practiced international arbitration of energy, construction and insurance disputes at Vinson & Elkins LLP in Houston, Texas.

Tom graduated from Harvard with an A.B. in History and Literature and from the University of Virginia School of Law with a J.D.

Councillors

Timothy St. John Ellam KC - Canada/UK

Timothy St. John Ellam, KC, FCIArb is a partner with McCarthy Tétrault’s litigation and arbitration practices in Calgary and London, England and is co-chair of the Firm’s international arbitration practice group.

Timothy practices in the area of international arbitration in both Canada and London with an emphasis on energy and intellectual property matters. He has appeared as senior litigation counsel in numerous patent, licensing, copyright and technology related trials, arbitrations and hearings including many in the energy sector.

In addition to being qualified in Canada, he is a Solicitor Advocate (Higher Courts – Civil) in the Law Society of England and Wales and holds Rights of Audience in the Higher Courts. He is an IBA Fellow in International Legal Practice; a distinction granted by the International Bar Association and the College of Law of England and Wales in 2005. Timothy is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, the Solicitors Association of Higher Court Advocates (UK), a member of the Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR), a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb), a member of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and an elected Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2014.

Caroline Richard - Canada (USA)

Caroline is a partner in Freshfields’ international arbitration group based in Washington, DC. Her practice focuses on commercial and investor-state arbitration, both under contracts and investment treaties. She has acted in some of the world’s largest and most significant disputes, achieving precedent-setting results. In 2019, Caroline was designated an “MVP of the Year” in International Arbitration by Law360. Caroline is also recognised as a leading arbitration practitioner by both Chambers and The Legal 500, who have described her as “an impressive and relentless lawyer, revered for her strong expertise in heavy-hitting complex disputes”.

Caroline is an adjunct professor at American University’s Washington College of Law where she co-teaches a class on investment arbitration. Caroline is civil and common law trained, and has law degrees from Harvard Law School (LLM), Cambridge University (LLM International Law, first class), and Université de Montreal (LLB, D.E.S.S.). Prior to joining Freshfields, Caroline was a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada. Caroline speaks English, Spanish and French fluently and conducts arbitrations in all three languages.

Junior Sirivar - Canada

Junior Sirivar is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP’s Litigation & Disputes Resolution Practice. He provides strategic advice to domestic and international clients across a broad range of industries including mining, financial services and telecommunications in complex commercial disputes and has argued numerous cases before ad hoc and institutional arbitral tribunals seated throughout Canada, South America and Europe. He has also appeared at all levels of court in Ontario and other Canadian jurisdictions as lead counsel in some of the most significant recent commercial cases in Canada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, an invitation-only fellowship that admits the top 1% of trial lawyers in Canada and the USA and an Honourary Overseas Member of the Commercial Bar Association of England.

He is recognised as a leading arbitration counsel and disputes lawyer in numerous directories, including in Chambers Global Guide to The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Chambers Canada, Who's Who Legal, The Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada, The Legal 500 Canada, The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Benchmark Canada: The Guide to Canada’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys and The Best Lawyers in Canada. Widely respected as a thought-leader for dispute resolution, Junior is a sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law on trial advocacy and legal ethics. He also serves, or has served, as an advisor to a number of international and domestic arbitral institutions and organisations.