A message from CIArb’s President in 2020 Francis Xavier, SC, PBM, C.Arb FCIArb

On becoming CIArb’s President in 2020 Francis Xavier, SC, PBM, C.Arb FCIArb shares a message to all members commenting on the year ahead:

“A fresh decade has begun. As the Institute turns 105, we face challenges from within and without.

Within
We are undergoing a fundamental shift in key staffing at Bloomsburg Square. In particular, after about 7 years of sterling leadership and dedicated service, Director General Anthony Abrahams is due to retire in the middle of the year. His successor (yet to be identified) will have big shoes to fill. Our immense gratitude to Anthony for having led the Institute to where it is today. Staffing changes has also occurred at the various departments. We need to ensure that the pith and marrow of staffing in the Institute is ably filled.

Without
Today, the embrace of the global business and legal community of ADR is overwhelming. Arbitration is omnipresent. With the advent of the Singapore Mediation Convention several months ago, the popularity of mediation is poised to rise to stellar heights. We are in the money, in the sense that the business of the Institute is at the core of global trade and commerce. It behoves us to reflect carefully on how we should collectively lead at the frontiers of ADR.

Representation
Given our stature and reach, do we truly represent the major global constituents? The Sri Lankan branch has recently been launched and efforts are underway to form a Russian chapter. In particular, the Institute’s representation in North Asia and South America needs to be reviewed.

Thought leadership
The numerous guidelines that we have issued in the past (constituting guidance on a arrange of subjects from jurisdictional challenges to witness conferencing), the trainings that we conduct worldwide and the regional conferences we have led amplify and exemplify our role.

The time has come for us to have a bi-annual global conference as a permanent fixture on our calendar. We are pleased to announce that our very first global conference will be held in Singapore in November 2021. More details will be released soon.

Leadership renewal, representation and global thought leadership are the three central themes to work on.

Have an outstanding year ahead!”