Join us for the panel discussion on “Reunited-friend or foe?: How to address the challenges of settlement facilitation during arbitral proceedings?” where the panelists (short bios below) will discuss the ways and means of settlement facilitation during arbitral proceedings, explore the limits of such facilitation and share their experience on how to address the challenges which are faced while attempting to facilitate settlement.

This in-person event, jointly organised by VIAC, KNOETZL and DELOS, will take place on 12 October 2023. The panel discussion will start at 5.30pm CEST, followed by a reception on the rooftop terrace at 6.30pm, at the Vienna offices of KNOETZL: Herrengasse 1, 1010.

Register here.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Anna Förstel Cherng (Deputy Secretary General, VIAC)

Anna Förstel-Cherng joined VIAC as Deputy Secretary General in December 2022. Prior to this transition, she worked in the Dispute Resolution Teams of BINDER GRÖSSWANG and Baker McKenzie. She obtained her law degree from the University of Vienna and her postgraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Anna Förstel-Cherng is a member of the Advisory Board of YAAP and passed the Austrian and New York State Bar.

Jurgita Petkute (Partner, KNOETZL)

Jurgita Petkutė is partner at KNOETZL in Vienna (Austria).  Jurgita specializes in international commercial and investment arbitration where her experience spans over 15 years covering a wide array of high-value and complex arbitration disputes particularly in the Baltic region, Central, Eastern and Northern Europe. While she advises clients from all industries, in recent years her practice was especially focused on disputes arising out of engineering and construction projects (with contracts based on the FIDIC Conditions of Contract for Construction and other) and energy disputes (electricity, oil, gas exploration, transport and supply agreements). Jurgita is regularly appointed to act as arbitrator and in this capacity has handled arbitrations under the arbitration rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC), Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC), Vilnius Court of Commercial Arbitration (VCCA) and the Finnish Arbitration Institute (FAI).

Benjamin Siino (Partner, Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes)

Benjamin Siino is a founding partner of Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes and is recognized as “one of the best French experts in enforcement of arbitral awards”. His experience includes international ad hoc arbitrations, including under UNCITRAL Rules, and institutional arbitrations under the Rules of the ICC and ICSID, with a strong focus on energy, investment and general commercial arbitrations, as well as arbitrations related to Africa. He also acts as counsel in arbitration-related and other litigation proceedings, with a focus on proceedings to seek recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards and foreign judgments. Benjamin develops and implements asset tracing strategies to identify and locate recoverable assets worldwide, through the most complex money laundering schemes and corporate structures. He has extensive experience in cross-border cases and has traced assets in all shapes and sizes.

Noah Rubins (Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer)

Noah Rubins KC is a partner and the head of the international arbitration group at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s Paris office. He also leads the firm’s CIS/Russia dispute resolution group. He specialises in investment arbitration, particularly under the auspices of bilateral investment treaties and the Energy Charter Treaty, and has also practised law in New York, Washington, Houston and Istanbul. He has served as arbitrator in nearly 50 cases, including three investment treaty disputes adjudicated under the UNCITRAL Rules and one under the ICSID Rules. A member of the Paris Bar and the New York Bar, Noah is also a Barrister of England and Wales and a King’s Counsel.

Thomas Granier (Of Counsel, Asafo & Co / Co-founder Delos)

Thomas Granier is Counsel at Asafo & Co in Paris, France. He has a decade of experience in representing companies and State-entities in international arbitrations under all of the major arbitration rules. He also regularly advises parties in setting aside and enforcement proceedings before French and African courts. He has developed a specific expertise in regulated industry sectors, including renewable energies, mining, oil & gas, power, nuclear energy, infrastructure and life sciences. He has extensive experience in compliance and ESG disputes, in respect of which he regularly advises private companies. Thomas has repeatedly acted as arbitrator under the rules of the ICC, the DIS, Delos Dispute Resolution and in ad hoc arbitrations. He has been recently appointed as vice-president of the Casablanca International Mediation and Arbitration Center and as vice-president of the International Arbitration Committee of the BVI Arbitration Center. He is a member of the arbitration committee of Delos Dispute Resolution.

Patrizia Netal (Partner, KNOETZL / Vice-President, VIAC)

Patrizia Netal is partner at KNOETZL. She practices both as counsel and arbitrator. She has extensive experience in institutional and ad-hoc arbitration proceedings. Her core practice is international commercial arbitration, focusing on construction and engineering, M&A projects, aviation, distribution and international sales disputes. Since September 2022, Patrizia is the vice-president of the VIAC (the Vienna International Arbitral Centre). She has served as a board member of VIAC since 2020. Patrizia is also the Co-Director of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, the world’s largest and most renowned law student competition in the field of arbitration. Patrizia lectures arbitration at the Austrian Arbitration Academy and as a faculty member of the DELOS Remote Oral Advocacy Programme (ROAP). Patrizia is Austria’s steering committee member of the Pledge for Equal Representation in Arbitration.