INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION

DELOS IS AN INDEPENDANT ARBITRATION INSTITUTION THAT PROVIDES AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO COMMERCIAL DISPUTE RESOLUTION

LEADERSHIP & TEAM

Delos draws on a dynamic and experienced team to carry out its activities. It is supported in this by the ACC Global, its programme leaders and the wide networks of its members, and benefits from the advice of its Board of Advisors.

DELOS TEAM

Hafez R Virjee is the President and a co-Founder of Delos. Hafez also serves as an independent arbitrator at Virjee Arbitration. He previously acted mainly as counsel. His clients have spanned the range of listed companies, private equity firms, tech start-ups, industrial concerns, State entities and treaty organisations, in disputes across a wide range of sectors and relationships, including shareholder agreements, joint-ventures, agency, M&A, telecommunications, tech, energy, pharmaceutical, construction and defence. Hafez is a solicitor of England & Wales and also qualified in France. He was previously at Dechert in Paris (with a secondment to Dubai in 2015) and prior to that at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London. He co-edits the Delos Guide to Arbitration Places (GAP) and regularly writes and speaks on international arbitration and legal risk management. He holds degrees from the University of Cambridge (M.A.), the Université Paris II – Panthéon-Assas (Maîtrise) and the University of California – Berkeley (LL.M.). He is listed as an arbitration leader by Who's Who Legal in multiple categories. Follow on LinkedIn.

Amélie Lucchese is a Deputy Counsel at Delos. She graduated from Université Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas with a Masters’ degree in International Trade Law and a Masters’ degree in Arbitration, Litigation and ADR. After completing her studies, Amélie trained with the international arbitration teams of leading law firms in Paris and completed an internship at the Secretariat of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Hong Kong. She more recently served as legal counsel with the Litigation, Investigations and Regulatory Affairs team of a major European aerospace manufacturer in Blagnac, focusing on commercial disputes before French courts and arbitral tribunals. Amélie works in French and in English. Follow on LinkedIn.

Ghazal Miyar is the Head of Training and Outreach at Delos, and a member of the faculty on the WAWA Written Advocacy course. She is also an adjunct lecturer at Sciences Po Paris, where she obtained a Ph.D., teaching human rights, international law, and human rights and arbitration. Ghazal consults for various organisations on compliance with human rights obligations, as well as developing trainings on this topic. She is admitted as an attorney to the High Court of South Africa, where she has practiced in the field of dispute resolution for several years, and obtained her LL.B and LL.M at the University of Pretoria. Follow on LinkedIn.

Jazmín Escalante is a lawyer graduated from the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa, with a solid academic and professional background in international arbitration and international relations. She holds a Master's degree in International Relations from the University of Bologna, a diploma in International Arbitration from Universidad Austral, and has completed a specialized course in International Arbitration at Leiden Law School and The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Currently, she teaches International Investment Arbitration at the University of Buenos Aires. Additionally, she serves as Secretary of the Executive Committee of Women Way in Arbitration - LATAM and is a member of the Organizing Committee for the International Arbitration Competition. She is also Secretary of the Board of Directors at Arbitraje Alumni. In her previous professional experience, she worked as a secretary in arbitration cases and as a lawyer at Barreiro Law Firm. Follow on LinkedIn.

Alex Waweru is a Programmes and Communications Officer at Delos Dispute Resolution. With 6 years of diverse post-qualification experience, Alex Waweru has built a dynamic career straddling in-house counsel and program management roles. Before joining Delos, Alex honed his skills as a Programs Officer at the Law Society of Kenya (Nairobi Branch), and as in-house counsel at Alternative Ad Agency in Nairobi. Alex’s career is defined by a dedication to blending legal expertise with operational efficiency. Follow on LinkedIn.

ARBITRATION CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE (ACC) GLOBAL

The ACC Global is composed of experienced arbitration practitioners, who are independent of Delos. The role of the ACC Global is to keep under critical review the Delos Rules of Arbitration, to support the institution with the administration of arbitrations and to provide subject-matter expertise and programme leadership.

Rahul DONDE is a member of the Arbitration Consultative Committee of Delos Dispute Resolution. With extensive experience in international arbitration, Rahul has acted as arbitrator, counsel, tribunal secretary, and assistant to arbitral tribunals in more than 40 proceedings conducted under both ad hoc rules (UNCITRAL, Swiss PILA, Indian Arbitration Act, 1996) and institutional arbitration rules (CEPANI, CRCICA, HKIAC, ICC, ICSID, ICSID (AF), LCIA, SIAC). He has been consistently recognised as an “Expert,” “Rising Star,” and “Future Leader” by leading legal directories, including Expert Guides, Legal 500, and Who’s Who Legal. Rahul possesses specialised expertise in disputes involving natural resources (such as water, oil, gas, and renewable energy), commercial matters (including agency, distribution, sales, purchase, and service agreements), and corporate law across various jurisdictions. Having worked extensively in both Switzerland and India, he is adept at navigating complex commercial and investment disputes within common law and civil law systems. As an arbitrator, Rahul is empanelled with all major international arbitral institutions. In his capacity as counsel, he has advised multinational corporations on cross-border construction and commercial disputes and has represented parties in annulment proceedings before the Swiss Federal Tribunal. Follow on Linkedin.

Thomas Granier is a founding Partner at Anima Dispute Resolution. He has a decade of experience in representing companies and State-entities in international arbitrations and in setting aside proceedings with a particular focus on Africa-related work. He has developed a specific expertise in regulated industry sectors, including in particular renewable energies, oil & gas, power, nuclear, infrastructure, mining and life sciences. He has extensive experience in compliance and ESG related disputes. Thomas regularly acts as arbitrator under the rules of the ICC, the DIS, Delos Dispute Resolution and in ad hoc arbitrations. He is a co-founder of Delos Dispute Resolution. He works in English, French and German and has conducted proceedings in all three languages. Follow on LinkedIn.

Florian Grisel is a co-Founder of Delos and a member of the Delos Arbitration Consultative Committee. He is also an Associate Research Professor at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. A national of France, Florian has gained extensive experience in international business law in the last fifteeen years, focusing on commercial and investment arbitration both as an academic and as a practitioner. He is an attorney at the New York Bar and the Paris Bar, and holds degrees from Sciences po Paris (M.A.), Columbia University (M.P.A.), Yale Law School (LL.M.) and the Sorbonne (LL.M., Ph.D). He has practiced international arbitration in leading law firms based in Geneva (Levy Kaufmann-Kohler) and Paris (Dechert LLP), and has worked for the World Bank (International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes) in Washington, DC. In these different capacities, he has been involved in arbitration cases arising in various industries (oil & gas, military procurement, telecommunications, luxury, construction, mining, etc...) and many jurisdictions all over the world (Europe, Americas, Asia, Middle East, Africa). He has authored three books (among whichL'arbitrage international ou le droit contre l'ordre juridique (LGDJ), The Evolution of International Arbitration (Oxford University Press)) and many articles in leading academic journals. He is listed among the Future Leaders of Arbitration by Who's Who Legalandon the Legal 500 Arbitration Powerlist.

Jonathan Lim is a partner in the London office of WilmerHale. He has a broad practice with extensive advocacy experience in commercial and investment treaty arbitrations seated worldwide, including in Singapore, England, Brazil, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States. His experience spans numerous industries, including representation of private and sovereign clients in the aerospace, construction, energy, financial services, insurance, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, technology, and retail sectors, among others. He has also worked on WTO dispute settlement and ECHR matters. Jonathan was recently named by Global Arbitration Review as one of the top “45 under 45” arbitration lawyers globally and ranked by Chambers and Legal 500 as a leading practitioner in WilmerHale’s Band 1 arbitration practice. Directories describe Jonathan as “an exceptionally gifted lawyer and forceful advocate,” “a consummate professional,” "tireless," and “a pleasure to work with.” Others commend his “top-of-the-class legal and strategic advice,” noting that he is "a sure bet as a future global leader.” Jonathan also frequently sits as arbitrator and teaches arbitration at the NUS law school. He is Co-Chair of the Asia-Pacific Forum for International Arbitration, a member of the AFSA International Court, and a member of the AIAC Protem Committee, among other appointments. Follow on LinkedIn.

Iain C McKenny is a co-Founder of Delos, a member of the Delos Arbitration Consultative Committee and a founding partner of the Paris Arbitration Centre, by Delos. Iain is a qualified solicitor in England & Wales and has acted as both counsel and expert in various commercial arbitrations and has lectured at both Queen Mary University and the Sorbonne. He is also a Luxembourg approved fund manager and director of Profile Investment that provides quantum and financial consulting services for disputes. Follow on LinkedIn.

Natália Mizrahi Lamas is a member of the Arbitration Consultative Committee of Delos. Natália is a Partner of Ferro, Castro Neves, Daltro & Gomide Advogados in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil, a leading Brazilian litigation and arbitration boutique. She has over 20 years of experience in international and domestic dispute resolution. Natália has been an Officer of the Brazilian Arbitration Committee (CBAr) since 2021 and she is in her second 3-year term. She acts as counsel and arbitrator, having previous experience as arbitral secretary is numerous cases. Amongst others, Natália has already dealt with commercial arbitration cases under the rules of the following institutions: ICC, LCIA, CAS, AAA, CAM-CCBC, CIESP-FIESP, CAMARB and Câmara de Arbitragem do Mercado. She holds a Master Degree in International Law from her home-university, State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), and a Master 2 Professional from Université Paris 1 – Panthéon-Sorbonne. Natália has been consistently recognized as a Future Leader in Arbitration – Brazil by Who’s Who Legal since 2019 and has been recommended by other rankings as Chambers and Partners and Legal 500. Natália has extensive work experience in France and London and translated to Portuguese the book “Aspects Philosophiques du Droit de l’Arbitrage International” authored by Emmanuel Gaillard. Follow on LinkedIn.

Mária’s practice primarily focuses on investor-state arbitration. She has represented clients in numerous high-profile cases before tribunals constituted under the ICSID and UNCITRAL Rules and has also advised on prospective investor-state claims. In addition, Mária has acted for clients in international commercial arbitration before various institutions and ad hoc proceedings and has acted for clients in Czech litigation proceedings. Between 2020 and 2024, Mária served as the chair of Delos-Y, a platform within the innovative arbitration institution Delos seated in Paris and dedicated to networking and career mentoring for younger arbitration practitioners and professionals interested in arbitration. She is also a member of Delos’ Arbitration Consultative Committee. Follow on LinkedIn.

Mélanie Riofrio Piché is a professional arbitrator specializing in commercial and investment disputes. She is the first woman appointed by the Government of Ecuador to serve on the ICSID panel of arbitrators. Before establishing her independent practice, Mélanie served as Secretary General of the Madrid International Arbitration Centre (MIAC), and previously worked at the arbitration boutique Armesto & Asociados Árbitros in Madrid. In addition to her practice, she is an associate professor at IE Law School in Spain and Université de Sherbrooke in Canada, and is the founder of the International Arbitration Seminars & Courses (IASC) association. Follow on LinkedIn.

Delos runs a number of programmes and initiatives, in particular the following:

DELOS-Y

Delos-Y is Delos's initiative for the younger members of the arbitration community. It is chaired by Monika Diehl, Martín Rosati and Rina See.

PUBLICATIONS

The Delos Guide to Arbitration Places (GAP) is designed to assist in-house counsel, corporate lawyers and arbitration practitioners with efficiently accessing key insights into a large range of jurisdictions, including for the purposes of negotiating the choice of arbitral seats and conducting arbitral proceedings in those jurisdictions.

The GAP is chaired by Prof. Joongi Kim and Prof. Maxi Scherer, and its editorial team is composed of: Thomas Granier and Hafez R Virjee (General Editors); David de Freitas (Deputy Editor); and Kate Apostolova, Filipa Cansado-Carvalho, Aksel Doruk, Sara Koleilat-Aranjo, Jonathan Lim, Dr Olivier Mosimann, Diora Ziyaeva and Dr Galina Zukova (Regional Editors).

TRAINING

A hallmark of our field is the need for, and for many the desire and stimulation that comes from, ongoing learning and skills development. In addition to the multiple resources it makes available, Delos offers the following training:

Damages MOOC: chaired by Roula Harfouche and James Nicholson.
Remote Oral Advocacy Programme (ROAP): led by a Steering Committee composed of Reza Mohtashami KC (Chair), Alex Bevan, Nadia Darwazeh, Vyapak Desai, Philip Dunham, Sandra González, Jamse Hosking, Andrés Jana, Colin Johnson, Sae Youn Kim, Sofia Martins, Mallory Silberman, Luke Steadman, Małgorzata Surdek-Janicka, Anthony Theau-Laurent and Angeline Welsh KC.
Written Advocacy and Writing Awards (WAWA): chaired by Dr. Christopher Boog and Niuscha Bassiri.

WEBINAR SERIES

GAP Headnotes curated by Janice Feigher and Vee Vian Thien.
TagTime hosted by Dr Kabir Duggal and Amanda Lee.