Catherine Dixon joins the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators as its new Director General in May 2020 - having just completed a world-record breaking circumnavigation of the world on a tandem (cycling). Prior to her expedition Catherine spent time in chief executive roles at the Law Society of England and Wales, Askham Bryan College and NHS Resolution. Catherine has also held senior leadership roles at the NSPCC and BUPA.
Catherine has served as a trustee and non-executive director on a number of boards, including the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution and she is currently a trustee of Stonewall. Catherine is a non-practicing solicitor and an accredited mediator and has an MBA.

Francis Xavier was appointed Senior Counsel in January 2009 and practices international commercial and treaty arbitration and litigation. He is actively involved in cross-border commercial disputes in the areas of corporate banking, property, financial and investment related claims. He also specialises in aviation law and advised in the class-action suit resulting from the crash of the SilkAir flight (Indonesia) and the SIA crash (Taiwan).
He is the Chairman of the Listings Appeals Committee, Singapore Stock Exchange and Chairman of the Inquiry Panel of the Law Society of Singapore. He is a member of the Rules Committee, Singapore Academy of Law.
He is the President of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association and current President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb). He is a Chartered Arbitrator and also a Past Chairman of CIArb's Singapore Branch.

David has been appointed as Trustee for the Americas Region of CIArb in March 2020.

David has more than 30 years’ experience as an arbitrator and advocate in international, investment, and complex commercial arbitrations. He is a Fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators, has been designated a Chartered Arbitrator by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and has been named to numerous distinguished practitioner lists, including SVAMC’s “Tech List” of the world’s most accomplished technology neutrals.

He has particular expertise in technology, life sciences, investment, and energy disputes but has handled matters across a wide range of industry sectors, legal issues, and geographic regions. Currently resident in California, he hears cases internationally and has been based for extended periods in Tokyo, Shanghai, London, and New York.
His diverse professional background informs his approach to decision-making, process, and efficiency. In addition to practicing law as a partner in firms in the AmLaw 100, he has served as U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand, founding chief representative of a law office in China, chairman and CEO of an international law firm, chairman of the California Law Revision Commission, and IP adviser to a member of Japan’s National Diet.