Lord (Peter) Goldsmith QC PC, London Co-Managing Partner and Chair of European and Asian Litigation, joined Debevoise & Plimpton as European Chair of Litigation in 2007. He is based in the firm’s London office. Lord Goldsmith served as the UK’s Attorney General from 2001 - 2007, prior to which he was in private practice as one of the leading barristers in London. Lord Goldsmith has a long practice in arbitration and in the interface between arbitration and litigation. He appears as counsel for leading cases in a number of jurisdictions and different arbitral institutions, including ICC, LCIA and ad hoc in London, Paris, Singapore and India. He also sits as arbitrator in London, Paris and Singapore, and is included in the international arbitration database of the Arbitration Center at the Institute of Modern Arbitration, Moscow. He is Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, on the panel of arbitrators for the Dubai International Arbitration Centre, a member of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, a member of the International Advisory Board of the Association of Caribbean Corporate Counsel and a Council Member of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA) and is closely connected with both the LCIA and the ICC.

He recently co-chaired a Task Force on ICC arbitration involving states and state entities which recommended changes to the ICC rules of arbitration to take account of special issues faced by states in ICC arbitrations. Lord Goldsmith regularly speaks on arbitration issues. Recent engagements include teaching international arbitration at the University of Milan Summer School. He is a member of the European Commission Expert Group on the interface between Brussels I Regulation and Arbitration.

An accomplished policy professional with extensive experience in political engagement and campaigning, Lewis Johnston ACIArb, joined the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in 2018. He has responsibility for the Institute’s policy development and influencing strategies across all aspects of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), including international commercial arbitration, civil justice reform, mediation and conflict avoidance. He also oversees the Research team, developing insights and fresh thinking across the discipline and managing the publication of The International Journal of Arbitration, Mediation and Dispute Management. Before joining CIArb Lewis was Parliamentary Affairs Manager at RICS where he led on standards adoption strategies with Government. He obtained an MSc in International Development and Security from the University of Bristol, and prior to the 2010 General Election worked as Campaign Coordinator for the then Minister for Health Mike O’Brien QC.

Ayse Lowe is a Vice President of Bench Walk Advisors based in London. Prior to joining Bench Walk Advisors, Ayse worked as a Manager within Arthur J Gallagher’s Dispute Resolution team. In her role she worked with international law firms and litigation funders around the world to achieve funding and insurance solutions for clients. Ayse also worked for one of the world’s largest litigation and arbitration funders for seven years in an underwriting capacity. Before entering the funding market Ayse worked for various law firms both in Turkey and in the United Kingdom. After finishing her scholarship funded Turkish law degree at Baskent University, she studied English Law at Nottingham Law School and graduated with distinction. Ayse is a Chartered Insurer.

Mahnaz Malik is a barrister and arbitrator at Twenty Essex who specialises in representing governments and corporations in commercial and investment arbitration. She has extensive expertise in advising governments, corporations and international organisations on international disputes. Mahnaz has acted as counsel on behalf of both investors and states in several investment and commercial disputes including ICC, ICSID, LCIA and PCA administered arbitrations. Mahnaz’s appointment as an arbitrator in EuroGas Inc and Belmont Resources Inc v Republic of Slovakia makes her one of the youngest ever appointed to an ICSID Annulment Committee since records began, and the youngest woman. She serves on the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators and was on the editorial board of the ICSID Review.

Mercy McBrayer MCIArb is CIArb’s Research and Academic Affairs Manager. Mercy is a United States qualified attorney (TX) and certified mediator with experience as party counsel in commercial business litigation and arbitration. She holds an LLM with Distinction in comparative and international dispute resolution from Queen Mary University of London, a JD from Southern Methodist University, and an MSc in environmental biology from the University of North Texas. Mercy trained in international commercial arbitration with Al Tamimi and Co. in Dubai, UAE, and was an associate attorney with Blume, Faulkner, and Skeen in Dallas, Texas, before joining the CIArb executive in 2018. Mercy is CIArb’s observer delegate to UNCITRAL Working Groups II and III and author of the CIArb Discussion Papers on ISDS reform. She is Assistant Editor of the CIArb Journal, a tutor in commercial arbitration at Queen Mary University of London, and speaker on issues of international arbitration and ADR.

Dr Emilia Onyema is a Reader (Associate Professor) in International Commercial Law at SOAS, University of London. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators; qualified to practice law in Nigeria; a non-practising Solicitor in England; and the Alternate Tribunal Secretary of the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (London). She is listed on various arbitrator-selection panels including OHADA CCJA, Asian International Arbitration Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Kigali IAC, LCIA and the Abu Dhabi CCAC. She is a member of the court of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce International Arbitration Centre (LACIAC), and member of the Advisory Committee of the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA). She has acted as arbitrator under the rules of Kigali IAC and Abu Dhabi CCAC. She convenes the “SOAS Arbitration in Africa” conference series. She has published widely in arbitration related issues and her latest book published by Kluwer Law International is an edited collection on, Rethinking the Role of African National Courts in Arbitration (2018).

Laura Rich is the Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Company Secretary of Acacia Mining Plc. Laura has over 10 years of experience as an in house counsel and has managed a number of investment arbitrations, including Acacia’s recent claim against the Government of Tanzania. She has broad corporate experience and has significant experience advising on complex legal and regulatory matters affecting the mining industry, particularly in the African region. Laura was awarded the 2019 Securities Lawyer of the Year (United Kingdom) as well as the in-house individual of the year for litigation for the Legal 500 UK Awards 2019.

Sarah Vasani leads Addleshaw Goddard’s Investor-State Dispute Resolution Practice. She is an experienced international arbitration lawyer specialising in both international commercial arbitration and investor state disputes. She is commended for providing “excellent client service” and has been described by her clients as a “strategic, energetic, tenacious and an incredibly capable counsellor and advocate”. Who’s Who Legal and Global Arbitration Review recognised Sarah in 2017, 2018 and 2019 as a “Future Leader in International Arbitration”. WWL noted that Sarah “ranks prominently for her ‘energy, enthusiasm and strong background in treaty claims’ and is commended by peers who note, ‘She goes from strength to strength.” WWL described her as “a ‘persuasive and effective counsel’ who possesses particularly commendable expertise in energy”.

Most recently, WWL recognised Sarah as “a skilled advocate with a thorough knowledge of public international law” who is “a smart and dedicated lawyer” boasting “a truly impressive roster of clients.” Sarah was also recognised in The Legal 500’s inaugural International Arbitration Powerlist in 2019. Sarah represents clients before all key arbitral institutions, and in arbitrations conducted under the UNCITRAL Rules, and under foreign investment laws. In addition to advocating for her clients’ interests before international tribunals, Sarah advises clients on investment (re)structuring, and on strategies, options, and tactics for minimising the prospects of full-blown disputes. Sarah is an adroit counsellor on managing and sharing the risks of arbitration through third-party funding, ATE insurance, and conditional-fee and damages-based agreements. She also sits as arbitrator. Sarah has particular experience in energy, oil and gas, mining, and other large scale project disputes in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and Latin America. She has represented clients such as Exterran, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Sempra Energy, Murphy Oil Corporation, and Reliance. Sarah is qualified in England & Wales, the District of Columbia, and Texas, and is a Solicitor-Advocate of the Higher Courts of England and Wales.