Meet the New Chair and Vice-Chair of Ciarb’s YMG Steering Committee

February 2023 – The Ciarb Young Members Group (YMG) is delighted to announce that Baptiste Rigaudeau MCIArb and Cam Tu Vo Nguyen MCIArb have been appointed Chair and Vice-Chair of the Global Steering Committee.

The Ciarb YMG brings together dispute resolution practitioners below the age of 40 interested in building their careers in this fast-growing and dynamic field. The YMG Global Steering Committee volunteer their time to plan, organise, and promote activities designed for young practitioners across the globe. The group actively collaborates with other international and regional groups.

Baptiste Rigaudeau MCIArb, YMG’s new Chair, is a dual-trained French dispute resolution lawyer based in Geneva, Switzerland. He has vast experience representing clients in both institutional and ad hoc arbitrations under a wide variety of arbitral rules.  He has also acted in court matters related to arbitrations and enforcement actions. Baptiste holds a master’s degree in Arbitration and International Business Law from the University of Versailles and an LLM from Cardiff Law School. He co-leads the Dispute Resolution group of the African Society of International Law and is a former member of the ICC Commission on the Belt and Road Initiative. Baptiste is a frequent writer and speaker on issues relating to complex disputes in Africa.

Baptiste says, ‘It is an honour to have been elected Chair of such a diverse and inclusive committee. Cam Tu and I will be looking to benefit from the diversity of experiences, backgrounds and visions within YMG to ensure all our members have equal access to our 2023 initiatives. Our goal is to strengthen the ties in the YMG community, bringing YMG closer to its members than ever before. I look forward to implementing our many projects and to building on the great progress made by the previous Chair and Vice-Chair, Noreen Kidunduhu MCIArb and Ana Gerdau de Borja Mercereau FCIArb, during their tenure. Stay tuned and reach out to us with all your ideas.’

Cam Tu Vo Nguyen MCIArb, YMG’s new Vice-Chair, is a dual-qualified lawyer admitted in Paris and New York, with a pending admission to the roll of solicitors of England and Wales. She currently works at The Arbitration Chambers (TAC) in Singapore where she acts as tribunal secretary, appointed in a wide range of arbitration cases. Prior to joining TAC, Cam Tu practiced international arbitration as counsel with the Singapore office of a leading Vietnamese law firm. She has worked with the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris, as well as with leading international arbitration law firms in Paris and Ho Chi Minh City.

Cam Tu says, ‘I would like to thank Noreen and Ana for their stellar and inspiring leadership last year. Baptiste and I are grateful to have been entrusted by our peers and the Ciarb Board of Trustees with the 2023 leadership of such a diverse and inclusive group of talented minds. Baptiste and I are committed to ensuring that in leading the YMG Committee, made up of 16 dispute resolution practitioners all based in different jurisdictions, this diversity is reflected in all our endeavours. Our goal is twofold:

1. To develop Ciarb’s global network further among law students and young practitioners.
2. To enable access to Ciarb’s education and training programs, especially in under-represented jurisdictions.

We look forward to nurturing the relationships between the YMG and Ciarb’s Branches across the globe and to joining join forces with like-minded international organisations to achieve this goal.’ 

Four new members also join Ciarb’s YMG committee. Congratulations to:

• James Ahn – Associate at HFW (Australia)
• Travis Gonyou MCIArb – Associate at Binder & Schwartz LLP (US – NY)
• Bethel Kassa – Associate at GST LLP (US – DC)
• Theominique Nottage MCIArb  – Consultant to The Government of The Bahamas (The Bahamas)

Our new members join existing committee members:

• Rita Anwiri Chindah – Lecturer, Regal Jurist (Nigeria)
• Mohamed Gomaa – Judge of Appeal (Egypt)
• Yan Kalish – Counsel, Rybalkin Gortsunyan Dyakin and Partners (Russia)
• Noreen Kidunduhu MCIArb – Senior Associate at Triple OK Law (Kenya)
• Tatsuhiko Makimo FCIArb – Associate, Anderson, Mori & Tomotsune (Japan)
• Trisha Mitra  ACIArb – Associate at LALIVE (London) LLP (UK)
• Mulopa Ndalameta MCIArb – Partner, Musa Dudhia & Co. (Zambia)
• Tony Ngoa Chefor – Deputy State Counsel (Cameroon)
• Praveen Sandhu – Founder, Ekaas Resolve (Canada)
• Arun Visweswaran ACIArb – Senior Associate, Clifford Chance LLP (UAE)

The YMG committee also thanks the following members whose term ended in December 2022 for their valuable contribution:

• Ana Gerdau de Borja Mercereau FCIArb – Senior Associate, Derains & Gharavi (France)
• Juan Carlos Pinto Escobedo MCIArb – Arbitrator (Peru)
• Vivek Kapoor MCIArb – Barrister, 39 Essex Chambers (UK)
• Alexander Leventhal ACIArb – Partner, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan (France)