SIAC Panel of Arbitrators

SIAC Panel

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Please use the filter and search function above to browse the SIAC Panel or click here to view all the arbitrators.

Mr
Australian
English, Spanish
Australia
Mr
British
English
Hong Kong SAR, United Kingdom
Ms
Singaporean
Chinese, English
Singapore
Mr
Singaporean
English, Hindi, Malay
Singapore
Ms
British, Irish
English, French, Spanish
United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates
Dr.
Romanian
English, Portuguese, Romanian
Sweden
Mr
French, Spanish
English, French, Spanish
Netherlands
Mr
Australian, British
English, French
Australia
Ms
French, Lebanese
Arabic, English, French
France
Mr
Czech
Czech, English, German, Russian, Slovak
Czech Republic
Mr
Singaporean
Chinese (Mandarin), English
Singapore

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Andres Larrea Savinovich

ANDRES LARREA SAVINOVICH, DEPUTY COUNSEL

Andres is an Ecuadorian-qualified lawyer. Prior to joining SIAC, Andres worked as a Senior Associate at an Ecuadorian law firm for twelve years where he represented parties in commercial and investment arbitrations across a range of sectors, including natural resources, mining, insurance, telecommunications and construction. Andres has been appointed as an arbitral secretary in over 60 arbitration cases administered by the most important arbitration centres in Ecuador.

Andres holds an LL.M. from McGill University. While he was at McGill he served as an associate editor for the McGill Journal of Dispute Resolution. He is a member of the LATAM Subcommittee of the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations, CyberArb, Rising Arbitrators Initiative and the Club of Arbitration of Spain.

Andres is fluent in English and Spanish.

Email: [email protected]

LIM SHI JEAN, COUNSEL (TEAM LEAD)

Shi Jean graduated with an LL.B. (Hons) from the Singapore Management University School of Law. She is admitted to practice as an Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore. Prior to joining SIAC, she practiced shipping and commercial litigation at a law firm in Singapore.

Email: [email protected]

YAS BANIFATEMI

YAS BANIFATEMI, MEMBER

Ms Yas Banifatemi is a founding partner of Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes. Prior to founding Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes, she served as Shearman & Sterling’s Global International Arbitration Practice Group Leader, Public International Law Team Leader and Lead Industry Coordinator for Energy. She is a former Vice-President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, a former member of the LCIA Court and a member of the ICSID panel of arbitrators.

She represents States, State entities and companies in international arbitration cases under the ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, LCIA, SCC, CRCICA, HKIAC, DIS and Swiss Arbitration Rules, with particular focus on international investment and energy disputes. She also advises States, State entities and corporations on a variety of public international law issues, such as the law of treaties, State responsibility, State contracts, immunity of States and other.

Yas Banifatemi has served as Chair and arbitrator in numerous commercial and investor-State arbitrations, including international arbitration proceedings under the Rules of the ICC, ICSID, SCC, LCIA, CRCICA, SIAC, HKIAC and the Swiss Rules of International Arbitration, as well as in ad hoc proceedings.

A Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale and Harvard Law Schools, Yas Banifatemi also teaches International Investment Law at Panthéon-Sorbonne University. She has written extensively on international arbitration and public international law issues.

JOHN P. BANG

JOHN P. BANG, MEMBER

Mr John P Bang is a senior partner (foreign attorney) at Peter & Kim, a specialized law firm in international arbitration. He was previously the head and co-founder of the International Arbitration and Cross-Border Litigation Practice at Bae, Kim & Lee LLC.

Over the past 20 years, he has represented parties in over 250 domestic and international arbitral proceedings seated in Asia, Europe and North America, ranging from multi-million to multi-billion dollar disputes. He has also served as sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator and chair in arbitral disputes under various arbitral institutions.

John is recognised as a leading arbitration practitioner in industry rankings such as Who’s Who Legal, Chambers Asia and Asialaw Leading Lawyers. In 2016, he was Asialaw’s “Disputes Star of the Year” for South Korea, and in 2018, Who’s Who Legal listed him as a Thought Leader in international arbitration. In April 2018, he received a Special Commendation from the Minister of Justice of Korea for his contribution to the development of arbitration in Korea. Chambers & Partners quotes a client as praising him for his “most-effective advocacy, comprehensive understanding of Korean disputes and dedication to detail”.

John is presently a member of the Executive Committee of the Korea Council for International Arbitration and a senior officer in the IBA Litigation Committee. Previously, he was a member of the drafting committee for the ICCA Sourcebook for Logistical Matters in Procedural Orders. He also served as Federal Law Clerk to the Honorable Kathryn C. Ferguson, USBJ, New Jersey.

DR CLAUDIA ANNACKER, MEMBER

Dr. Claudia Annacker is a Partner in the Paris office of Dechert LLP. She focuses her practice on international arbitration and litigation and public international law matters, in particular investor-State disputes, inter-State disputes, disputes involving international organizations and human rights cases. She has represented states and investors in more than 30 investment treaty arbitrations and regularly advises investors on structuring their investments to benefit from, or improve, investment treaty protections.

Dr. Annacker also acts as arbitrator.  She has been appointed to the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators in 2020.

Dr. Annacker received a Ph.D. with high honors (1992) and a venia legendi et docendi (habilitation) for public international law (1997) from the University of Vienna. Dr. Annacker is an adjunct professor at the University of Vienna, where she teaches advanced research seminars in international responsibility and international dispute settlement and has been a visiting professor at the Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense University. She has published widely in the fields of international arbitration and public international law.

CATHERINE AMIRFAR

CATHERINE AMIRFAR, MEMBER

Catherine Amirfar is a litigation partner at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. She co-chairs the firm’s International Dispute Resolution Group and Public International Law Group.

Her practice focuses on public international law, international commercial and treaty arbitration, and international and complex commercial litigation. She is also a member of the firm’s Management Committee.

Ms Amirfar has been ranked among the leading international arbitration practitioners by Chambers Global, which has described her as “very composed, intelligent and a master of investment arbitration.”

Prior to rejoining Debevoise in 2016, Ms Amirfar spent two years as the Counselor on International Law to the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State. During her tenure as Counselor, Ms. Amirfar advised the State Department on its most significant litigation matters involving international law and foreign relations. She received the Superior Honor Award for her service to the Department.

Ms Amirfar serves as the President of the American Society of International Law and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Law Institute, and the Advisory Committee on International Law for the U.S. Department of State. She has written extensively on international arbitration, the relationship between international law and U.S. domestic law, international human rights and humanitarian law, investor-state disputes, and the law of consular and diplomatic immunities.

JOSE AMADO

JOSE AMADO, MEMBER

Mr. Jose Daniel Amado is a founding partner of Miranda & Amado in Lima and teaches international arbitration law at the Catholic University of Peru. His professional practice focuses on Corporate Law, Infrastructure Projects and International Arbitration. He has acted in some of the most important cross-border transactions and international disputes that have taken place in Peru in the last two decades.

Mr. Amado is regularly ranked as an international arbitration and corporate law expert by publications such as Who’sWhoLegal, GAR100, Chambers, Legal500, Best Lawyers and IFLR1000 and, in 2009, was named “Latin American Law Firm Leader of the Year” by LatinLawyer magazine. Mr. Amado regularly acts as party counsel, arbitrator and expert witness in domestic and international arbitrations.

From 2001 to 2002, Mr. Amado was Deputy to the Prime Minister of Peru and Chief of Advisors to the Council of Ministers. From 2013 to 2014, Mr. Amado was a Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge’s Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, as well as Scholar-in-Residence at Wilmer Hale’s international arbitration group. From 2014 to 2016, Mr. Amado was a Member of the Arbitration Court of the Lima Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Amado is the Chair of the Court of Arbitration of AmCham Peru´s International Arbitration Centre. He is also a Member of the ICC Arbitration Commission, of SIAC´s Users Council and of the Award Scrutiny Commission of CIAM (Madrid). Mr. Amado is further the Website Officer of the IBA Arbitration Committee and a Member of the Board of Advisors of Delos Dispute Resolution.

Mr. Amado received his LL.B. degree summa cum laude from the Catholic University of Peru and he holds an LL.M. from Harvard University, where he was awarded the Laylin Prize of Public International Law.

Mr. Amado is the author or co-author of several articles, essays and publications including a book titled “Arbitrating the Conduct of International Investors” (Cambridge University Press, 2018).

OLUFUNKE ADEKOYA

OLUFUNKE ADEKOYA, MEMBER

Funke Adekoya is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and partner and head of the arbitration practice at ǼLEX, a Lagos Nigeria based law firm with offices in Accra, Ghana. She has dual nationality (Nigerian/British) and is dual qualified; in addition to having qualified as a legal practitioner in Nigeria in 1975, she was admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2004 where she maintains a current practicing licence. She is a Chartered Arbitrator of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Governing Board Member of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration.

In addition to being appointed as counsel in arbitration related litigation, she also represents parties as counsel or arbitrator in commercial arbitrations. Her appointments have been both ad-hoc and institutional under the LCIA, ICC and ICSID Rules, where she has acted as either sole or party-appointed arbitrator or chaired arbitral panels in disputes in the commercial, energy and natural resources, construction and infrastructure sectors.

She is ranked in Chambers Global and in Who’s Who Legal Arbitration, is listed on the Chairman’s Panel of Arbitrators at ICSID as well as the panels of many other international arbitration institutions, and is currently a member of the ICC Africa Commission.

TOBY LANDAU KC, VICE PRESIDENT

Toby Landau KC is a barrister and arbitrator, and a member of the Bars of England & Wales, Singapore, New York, BVI and Northern Ireland (and the DIFC). He practices from Duxton Hill Chambers in Singapore, and as a Sole Practitioner in London.

As Arbitrator, he has sat as President and Co-Arbitrator in numerous Investor-State and commercial disputes worldwide, under most of the leading institutional and ad hoc rules. As Counsel, he has argued hundreds of major international investor-State and commercial arbitrations, as well as many ground-breaking arbitration cases in Court (including Halliburton v Chubb; Enka v Chubb; Dallah v Pakistan; Jivraj v Hashwani; Ust-Kamenogorsk v AES; IPCO v NNPC in the UK Supreme Court, and First Media v Astro in the Courts of Singapore and Hong Kong).

He is Visiting Professor at Kings College London; a Court Member of SIAC; previously LCIA Court Member and SCC Board Member; UK delegate to the UNCITRAL Working Group on Arbitration (1994-2013); and a draftsman of the English Arbitration Act 1996 as well as many other laws and arbitration rules in several countries. Since April 2012, he has been a member of the Panel of Advisors of the Attorney-General of Singapore.

CAVINDER BULL

CAVINDER BULL SC, VICE PRESIDENT

Mr Cavinder Bull, SC is a Vice-President of the Court of Arbitration and the Chief Executive Officer of Drew & Napier LLC. He is also a member of the Governing Board of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) and Vice-President of the Asia Pacific Regional Arbitration Group. He was Deputy Chairman of the SIAC from October 2010 to April 2017.

Mr Bull has an active practice in complex litigation and international arbitration. He has acted as counsel in numerous international arbitrations and has represented governments, financial institutions and corporations from various parts of the world. He is also experienced in investor-state disputes, where he has acted as both counsel and arbitrator. Legal 500 praised him as a “very astute lawyer on strategy and law” while Chambers & Partners describes him as a “consummate advocate”; a “very rare talent in disputes”; and says that “complex arbitrations are his specialisation”.

Mr Bull is on the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators and has been appointed as an arbitrator in ICSID, PCA, NAFTA, ICC, SIAC, LCIA, UNCITRAL and ad hoc arbitrations.

Mr Bull graduated with First Class Honours in law from Oxford University and has a Masters in law from Harvard Law School. He has been called to the Bar in Singapore, New York and England & Wales. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2008.

DUONG HOANG, DEPUTY COUNSEL

Duong is qualified to practice law in Vietnam.

Prior to joining SIAC, Duong worked as a counsel at a leading international arbitration centre in Vietnam where she administered domestic and international arbitration matters conducted under the auspice of the arbitration law of Vietnam and UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. She thereafter practiced international arbitration with the Singapore office of a leading Vietnam-based law firm where she focused on Vietnam-related matters in construction and petroleum sectors. 

Duong speaks Vietnamese and English.

Email: [email protected]

CHEN WU

CHEN WU, ASSOCIATE COUNSEL

Chen graduated from Fudan University (Bachelor’s degree in law), Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (LL.M. in International Trade Law) and Georgetown University (LL.M. in International Business and Economic Law).

Prior to joining SIAC, Chen worked as legal officer at the Court of Justice of the European Union, and practiced WTO dispute settlement and trade remedy investigation at law firms in Brussels and Beijing.

Chen is qualified to practice law in China and New York State. She speaks Chinese (Mandarin and Shanghainese), English and French.

Email: [email protected]

JAYDEN ZHAO

JAYDEN ZHAO, ASSOCIATE COUNSEL

Jayden graduated with an LL.B. (Hons) from the Singapore Management University School of Law. He is admitted to practice as an Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore. Prior to joining SIAC, he practiced arbitration and litigation at a law firm in Singapore.

Jayden is fluent in English and Mandarin.

Email: [email protected]

LYNNETTE LEE, COUNSEL

Lynnette graduated with an LL.B. (Hons) from Monash Law School, Melbourne, Australia and holds a Bachelor of Communication Studies (Hons) from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. She is admitted to practice as an Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore. During law school, Lynnette participated in moot court competitions, which included representing Monash at the FDI Moot.

Prior to joining SIAC, Lynnette practiced with Singapore law firms and worked at the chambers of a leading international arbitrator. She also worked with the Legal Aid Bureau in Singapore as a legal executive.

Email: [email protected]

THEA ELYSSA VEGA, COUNSEL

Prior to joining the SIAC, Thea was an Associate Solicitor at the Office of the Solicitor General in the Philippines where she handled criminal, civil, international commercial, and investor-state arbitration cases. She has also handled cases across various sectors such as public-private partnerships, gaming, and competition law, among others. She was also part of the Philippine delegation in the UNCITRAL Working Group III on Investor-State Dispute Settlement Reform.  She also worked as legal intern at the Philippine Supreme Court. 

Thea earned her Juris Doctor Degree (J.D.) from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in the Philippines in 2016 and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2017.

Thea speaks Filipino (Cebuano and Tagalog) and English.

Email: [email protected]

DEXTER CHENG, COUNSEL

Dexter graduated with a LL.B. (Hons) from the National University of Singapore. He is admitted to practice as an Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore. Prior to joining SIAC, Dexter trained with a boutique law firm in Singapore which specialises in corporate and commercial law.

Dexter is fluent in English and Madarin.

Email: [email protected]

PAULINE LOW, COUNSEL

Pauline is a Malaysian-qualified lawyer with a background in litigation and arbitration. Prior to joining SIAC, Pauline practiced at a top-tier law firm in Malaysia. She read law at the University of Malaya under a full scholarship from an international oil & gas company and was placed on the Dean’s List. During her time in law school, Pauline was active in moot court competitions and represented Malaysia in international competitions.

Pauline is fluent in English and Bahasa Malaysia and a competent speaker of Cantonese and Mandarin. She also has a good understanding of Bahasa Indonesia.

Email: [email protected]

NIGEL BLACKABY

NIGEL BLACKABY QC, MEMBER

Nigel Blackaby QC is a partner of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Washington DC and global head of the firm’s international arbitration group. He has acted as counsel and arbitrator in over 100 ad hoc and institutional arbitrations (including over 40 investment arbitrations for investors and states). He has particular expertise in Latin America and energy and mining disputes. Recent cases include:

• Burlington Resources, Inc. v Ecuador (ICSID);
• Repsol v Argentina (ICSID);
• Pan American Energy v Bolivia (ICSID);
• Total, CMS, Suez, BG Group, Aguas de Barcelona and National Grid (among others) v Argentina;
• Crystallex International Corporation v Venezuela (ICSID Additional Facility)
• Tenaris and Talta v Venezuela

Nigel is a former president of the IBA Subcommittee on Investment Arbitration, an editor since 1995 of Arbitration International, co-author of Redfern and Hunter on International Arbitration (6th edition, Oxford, 2015), Guide to ICSID Arbitration (2nd edition, Kluwer, 2010) and International Arbitration in Latin America (Kluwer, 2003). He is an adjunct professor of international arbitration at American University Washington College of Law.

He is a graduate of the University of Exeter (UK) and the Université d’Aix-Marseille III (France) and has conducted arbitrations in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.

KENDISTA WANTAH

KENDISTA WANTAH, COUNSEL

Kendista graduated from Universitas Katolik Parahyangan where he actively participated and performed with distinction in international moot court competitions. Kendista thereafter practiced commercial litigation and arbitration – both national and international – with leading dispute resolution firms in Indonesia. He also clerked for one of the foremost Indonesian arbitrators prior to joining SIAC.

Kendista is admitted to the Indonesian Bar. He is fluent in English and Bahasa Indonesia.

Email: [email protected]

QIAN WU, COUNSEL (TEAM LEAD)

Qian is a graduate of Sichuan University (Bachelor’s degree in law), Xiamen University (Master’s degree in law) and the Geneva LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement (MIDS). Qian is also the Assistant Editor of Asian International Arbitration Journal.

Qualified in China, Qian practiced litigation and arbitration in Beijing with a Chinese law firm prior to joining SIAC.

Qian is fluent in Mandarin and English.

Email: [email protected]

ALIONA BITKIVSKAJA

ALIONA BITKIVSKAJA, COUNSEL

Aliona graduated with an LL.M. in International Business Law from the National University of Singapore, specializing in International Arbitration, International Investment Law and Comparative Oil and Gas Law. She also holds a B.A. degree in Anthropology and Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Prior to joining SIAC, Aliona worked at a global financial services provider and completed internships at international law firms in Europe and Asia.

Aliona is a New York-qualified lawyer. She is fluent in English, Russian and Lithuanian.

Email: [email protected]

KEVIN NASH, REGISTRAR

As Registrar of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, Kevin leads the SIAC Secretariat in the provision of case management services. Over the course of the past decade, Kevin has overseen the administration of thousands of international cases under all versions of the SIAC Rules and the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. Under the Singapore International Arbitration Act 1994, Kevin is the statutory taxation authority and he is empowered to authenticate and certify awards and arbitration agreements. 

Kevin worked closely on the revisions to the SIAC Rules 2013, SIAC Rules 2016, SIAC Investment Arbitration Rules 2017, and leads the SIAC Secretariat on the drafting of the seventh edition of the SIAC Rules. He is an active participant at UNCITRAL Working Group II (Dispute Settlement) and UNCITRAL Working Group III (ISDS) and frequently speaks, lectures and conducts training on contemporary issues in arbitration. 

Recognised for being ‘truly exceptional in his passion for, and knowledge of, international arbitration’, Kevin is listed by Who’s Who Legal as a Global Leader and National Leader for Southeast Asia in international arbitration. Described as a ‘rock star of arbitration’ and ‘a calm presence and a safe pair of hands for the most complex matters’, peers and clients say that he is ‘without equal in the region, in terms of institutional knowledge and expertise in international arbitration’ and that ‘no one knows more about arbitration in Singapore’. 

Kevin is qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor with the Law Society of Upper Canada. He speaks English and French. 

Email: [email protected]

GLORIA LIM, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

As the Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), Gloria works closely with the Chairman and the Board in formulating and fulfilling the vision and strategies for SIAC, and is responsible for the institution’s overall management and operations.

Gloria was previously the Director of the Legal Industry Division in Singapore’s Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and concurrently held the statutory appointment of Director of Legal Services, heading its Legal Services Regulatory Authority. As Director of the Legal Industry Division, she oversaw the development of Singapore’s legal sector, including the development and promotion of Singapore’s international dispute resolution regime.

Gloria headed the Singapore delegation involved in UNCITRAL Working Group II (Dispute Settlement) discussions from 2019-2021 and continues to participate as a member of the delegation.

Gloria is called to the Singapore Bar. She also holds a Graduate Certificate in International Arbitration from NUS and an LL.M from Harvard University.

ARIEL YE

ARIEL YE, MEMBER

Ms Ye is the senior partner of King & Wood Mallesons PRC’s cross-border dispute resolution practice and a recognised expert on PRC-related dispute resolution in the Asia Pacific region.

Ms Ye is a former member of the board of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) and a member of the advisory board of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA), a former court member of Singapore International Arbitration Center (SIAC) and a member of the SIAC Board of Directors. Ms. Ye is also a former court member of London Court of International Arbitration. She has been frequently invited to speak at international and regional professional conferences as an international arbitration expert as she is recognized as a leading counsel and arbitrator for international arbitration cases.

Ms Ye received her LL.B. from Peking University Law School, and holds LL.Ms from the Law School of China Academy of Social Sciences and Harvard Law School. She was admitted to practice in PRC and New York State in 1988 and 1999, respectively.

THAM SAI CHOY

THAM SAI CHOY, MEMBER

Mr Tham Sai Choy is a chartered accountant. He was the managing partner of KPMG Singapore and then chairman of its KPMG Asia Pacific operations when he retired. As an accountant in practice, he led audits, investigations and consultancy work at a wide range of Singapore companies.

He serves on the boards of the Nanyang Polytechnic and Mount Alvernia Hospital, chairing their audit committees, and on the boards of Keppel Corporation Limited, and DBS Group Holdings Limited. He is also the Chairman of EM Services Private Limited.

Mr Tham trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in the UK. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and the Singapore Institute of Directors