For more than two decades, Ms. Niuscha Bassiri has acted as arbitrator and counsel in numerous international arbitrations under the major arbitral institutions and arbitration rules (CEPANI, DIFC-LCIA, DIS, ICC, LCIA, NAI, PCA, Swiss Rules, SCC, SIAC, UNCITRAL, VIAC) governed by various procedural and substantive laws, including ad hoc.

‍Ms. Bassiri’s compulsory training as a District Court and voluntary training as a Court of Appeal judge during her traineeship in Germany gives her relevant insight into the judicial approach. In the past, Ms. Bassiri appeared as part of the counsel team representing sovereign states in setting aside, revocation and enforcement proceedings. As a mediator, Ms. Bassiri has successfully concluded an ICC mediation in an international post-M&A matter.

‍Ms. Bassiri is a member of the faculty of the Geneva LLM in International Dispute Settlement (MIDS) program and the University of Miami White & Case International Arbitration LLM program, and was a Visiting Senior Fellow at the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law. For 12 years, she co-lectured in the master’s program of the ICHEC Business and Management School in Brussels on International Commercial Law and Dispute Resolution. She delivered lectures at the ICC’s ePIDA Training on International Commercial Arbitration in 2020. Since 2020, Niuscha has been a faculty member of the CIArb’s Virtual Diploma on International Commercial Arbitration program. In 2023-2024, she is sharing her expertise as the Co-Chair and faculty member of the ICC Advanced Arbitration Academy for Eastern Europe. Niuscha is also the Chair and faculty member of the Delos Dispute Resolution’s Writing Awards Course. As a member of the ICC Task Force Addressing Issues of Corruption in International Arbitration, she is a Co-coordinator of one of the tracks, focusing on the use of AI for detecting red flags and other indicia.

‍Ms. Bassiri regularly speaks at leading conferences and seminars on international arbitration. She publishes widely on topics such as efficiency in investment arbitration, EU consumer law and arbitration, enforcement of awards rendered in ODR, default arbitration proceedings, institutional rules’ nationality requirements, arbitrators and their online identity on social media and settlement facilitation in arbitrations (forthcoming). Ms. Bassiri is the co-editor and author of various landmark books, amongst them International Arbitration and the COVID-19 Revolution, as well as Arbitration in Belgium, the sole English-language commentary on the Belgian arbitration law. Ms. Bassiri is also a co-author in the leading German language commentary on the ICC and DIS Rules, now on its second edition. She has led the task force on the Young ICCA Guide on Arbitral Secretaries and translated from English into German ICCA’s Guide to the Interpretation of the 1958 New York Convention.

‍Niuscha is listed in various panels and lists of arbitrators, including the Abu Dhabi International Arbitration Centre, ASA (Swiss Arbitration Association), BVI International Arbitration Centre, CEPANI (Belgian Center for Arbitration and Mediation), DIS (German Arbitration Institute), Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), India International Arbitration Centre, LCIA (London Court of International Arbitration), NAI (Netherlands Arbitration Institute), SIAC (Singapore International Arbitration Centre), and in many arbitration directories.

Marcos Dracos undertakes a broad range of commercial work, with emphasis on international arbitration, conflict of laws, civil fraud, offshore and CIS related litigation. He has extensive experience appearing as counsel in international arbitration disputes (on his own or as part of a team), and he also sits as an arbitrator. He was recently appointed a member of the ICC Court (2021-2024).

Marcos can advise on all aspects of English and Cypriot commercial law. He has full rights of audience in England and Cyprus and, in addition to his arbitration work, he frequently appears before courts in both jurisdictions. In Cyprus, he has acquired particular experience acting in jurisdictional disputes, arbitration claims, company and shareholder disputes, trust disputes, civil fraud claims, freezing order and disclosure applications. He also has experience appearing as an expert witness on English and Cypriot law in foreign courts. In England, he frequently acts in jurisdictional disputes and arbitration related matters. He also has experience in offshore litigation and is admitted as a barrister of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in the Territory of the Virgin Islands.

Marcos has a PhD from the University of Cambridge where he also taught contract law. Presently he is a visiting lecturer at the law department of the University of Cyprus, lecturing on Cypriot Civil Procedure and Evidence.

Marcos has received recognition in all the Legal Directories. He is listed in the WWL’s Arbitration Future Leaders (2022) and in the Legal 500 UK Arbitration Powerlist (2022).

Quotes from directories: “Amazing capabilities in cross-border work” (Chambers Global, 2022). “Marcos has a formidable intellect which he combines with shrewd strategic acumen.” (Legal 500, International Arbitration 2022). “He is one of the best litigators in Cyprus, bringing his London expertise to the Cypriot market” (Chambers Global 2021). “Very clever barrister with great intellect. He won’t stop fighting for the client and very nimble in cross examination. Great tactical brain and very client friendly.” (Legal 500 International Arbitration, 2021). “His thinking and consequently his submissions on issues are very clear and persuasive, his written submissions are excellent” (Legal 500 International Arbitration, 2020). Marcos “is remarkably responsive and excellent in his performance" and "he provides top analysis - can analyse fine legal points, and can make very good and persuasive arguments" (Chambers Global, 2019).

Bernd Ehle is a partner at LALIVE specializing in international arbitration, with over 20 years’ experience. He has acted as counsel and arbitrator in more than 90 international arbitral proceedings brought under many of the major arbitration rules and governed by civil law and common law.

Bernd Ehle’s practice focuses on complex, high-value disputes involving in particular major infrastructure and construction projects, joint venture agreements, M&A transactions and sales and distribution contracts.

Bernd Ehle has for several years been recognized as a leading practitioner by Chambers, Legal 500 and Who’s Who (both Arbitration and Construction). He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and a member of the Arbitration Court of the Swiss Arbitration Centre. He is on the Executive Committee of the Foundation for International Arbitration Advocacy (FIAA) and co-chairs the Construction Group of the German Arbitration Institute (DIS).

Bernd Ehle is admitted to practice both in Switzerland and Germany. He holds an LL.M. from Northwestern University School of Law, Chicago (2000) and a Ph.D. from the University of Heidelberg (2001).

Lindsay Gastrell is an independent arbitrator and Senior Counsel with Arbitration Chambers specializing in international dispute resolution, with experience spanning private practice, institutional service, and academia. Her cases have included complex investment treaty disputes and high-stakes commercial disputes, often exceeding USD 1 billion in value, as well as smaller cases involving individuals and SMEs. She has experience with the major institutional rules, the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, and fully ad hoc arbitrations.

Lindsay is dual qualified in New York and England & Wales and educated in both the civil law and the common law traditions, with a JD, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center and a Masters in Global Business Law from Université de Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne and Sciences Po. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and an Accredited Mediator with CEDR.

Before joining Chambers, Lindsay represented clients in investor-State and commercial arbitrations at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in New York and London and then served as Legal Counsel at ICSID. For the last seven years, Lindsay has taught arbitration and investment law as Adjunct Professor of Law at American University, Washington College of Law.

Among her many roles in the arbitration community, Lindsay is co-chair of the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge YPSC, co-chair of Mute Off Thursdays, rapporteur for the ICCA judiciary committee, Practice Notes Editor of the ICSID Review, and member of the 2022 ICCA Johnny Veeder fellowship selection committee.

Céline Greenberg leads the Arbitration department at Paris-based full-service firm Franklin. With a flair for both counsel and arbitrator roles in domestic and international arbitrations, she also navigates arbitration related proceedings before French courts, handling everything from the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards to complex annulment proceedings. Her portfolio spans diverse sectors such as energy, transport, defense, aeronautics, distribution, and franchising. Céline brings unique expertise drawn from her time as secretary to arbitral tribunals—a role in which she has been repeatedly entrusted by leading international arbitrators, notably by Professor Pierre Mayer during the period from 2016 to 2021. Rare among her peers, Céline has attended numerous tribunal deliberations with some of the most influential arbitrators globally, contributing to the crafting of procedural orders and awards. This insider knowledge of tribunal workings gives her a distinct edge in any arbitration scenario, making her an invaluable asset to her clients. Also, she is fun to work with.

Sarah Grimmer joined Twenty Essex in August 2022 as a full-time arbitrator. She has over 20 years of experience in international commercial, investment treaty, and public international law dispute resolution proceedings.

From 2016 to 2022, Sarah served in the highly public role of Secretary-General of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) during which time it was ranked the third most preferred institution in the world. Prior to that, she spent a decade at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague where she administered complex inter-State, investor-State, and contractual disputes involving States, State entities, and intergovernmental organisations.

Sarah has also worked at the ICC International Court of Arbitration (ICC) in Paris administering hundreds of commercial cases under the ICC Rules of Arbitration. Prior to that she worked at Shearman & Sterling LLP in Paris and in private practice in New Zealand.

Dyalá Jiménez Figueres set up boutique firm DJ Arbitraje in Santiago, Chile in 2011. DJ Arbitraje is now based in her home country, Costa Rica. Dyalá has represented clients in ICC arbitrations and in pre-arbitration and litigation disputes. She has worked in cases governed by the ICC Rules of Arbitration and the AAA Commercial Arbitration Rules administered by the ICDR, as well as the ICSID Arbitration Rules. Also, Dyalá has been appointed sole arbitrator and chair of the tribunal in ICC and ad hoc international arbitrations. She has participated in setting-aside proceedings of inter¬national awards and rendered legal opinions in arbitral proceedings. Dyalá is a Costa Rican attorney from the Universidad de Costa Rica and holds a masters in law (LLM) in International Law from Georgetown University Law Center. She lived in Santiago, Chile for almost 10 years, where she taught International Arbitration at the Universidad de Chile and at that university’s joint LLM programme with the Heidelberg Institute. A founding member of the ICC Latin American Arbitration Group, the International Arbitration Institute (IAI), and the Latin American Arbitration Association, Dyalá is often invited to participate as speaker at international conferences and seminars.

Ndanga Kamau is an international lawyer based in The Hague, Netherlands. Her practice focuses on international dispute settlement, public international law, private international law, and business & human rights.

She sits as arbitrator in institutional and ad hoc arbitrations. She also advises clients on investor-state dispute settlement, investment protection, contractual disputes, public international law, international negotiations, risk mitigation, dispute prevention and avoidance, and grievance management. She works in a variety of sectors and industries and has considerable expertise in matters related to Africa. Her clients include private entities, states and state entities, and international organisations.

Ndanga has substantial international experience. Prior to setting up her practice, she worked in the international arbitration practices of two international law firms and as registrar of an international arbitration institution. She has also worked in international organisations. She regularly speaks and writes about international dispute settlement, public international law, and private international law at forums around the world. She also lectures on these topics at various universities. She has had speaking engagements in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.

Ndanga is a vice president of the ICC International Court of Arbitration and was the inaugural President of the ICC Africa Commission (2018-2021). She is an honorary senior fellow of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL), director of programmes of the African Association of International Law (AAIL) / Association africaine de droit international (AADI), an observer delegate at UNCITRAL WG III on investor-State dispute settlement reform, and a PRIME Foundation Expert in Dispute Resolution. She is a member of the following organisations: International Law Association (ILA) Committee on Rule of Law and International Investment Law, editorial board of the African Journal of International and Comparative Law, the Global Advisory Board of the New York International Arbitration Centre (NYIAC), and the Executive Committee of the Foundation for International Arbitration Advocacy (FIAA).

Ndanga is listed on the panels of arbitrators of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), Shanghai Arbitration Commission (SHAC), the Kigali International Arbitration Centre (KIAC), the International Division of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA International) and the initial panel of arbitrators of the Scottish Arbitration Centre. She has been selected for the Global Arbitration Counsel List of the Office of the Ombudsman, United Nations Funds and Programmes.

Ndanga is recognised as a Future Leader by WWL (2022, 2023), and is ranked in Chambers and Partners Global 2023. She was called to the Bar of England and Wales by the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple in 2010.

Jennifer Kirby is an internationally recognized arbitration expert, who acts as counsel and sits as arbitrator in a wide variety of arbitration matters. Her experience covers a range of disputes, including those concerning agency agreements, construction and engineering projects, distribution agreements, hotel management, mergers and acquisitions, sales of goods and shareholder agreements. She also has experience under all major institutional and ad hoc arbitral rules.

Jennifer began her career with a multinational firm as a New York litigator, representing clients in both international arbitrations and complex commercial litigations, with a particular focus on securities, insurance, mergers and acquisitions and white-collar criminal cases. From there, Jennifer went to the ICC International Court of Arbitration, where she served as both Counsel and Deputy Secretary General before leaving to join a multinational law firm as a partner in their arbitration group.  Jennifer left to found her own firm — Kirby — in 2010.

 Jennifer has been recognized by Chambers Global as a “true expert in ICC-related disputes” and by The Who’s Who of International Arbitration as a “very sharp” global player in the field.  She regularly publishes on arbitration issues and speaks at international arbitration conferences around the world.

Sitpah Selvaratnam has had extensive experience as Presiding Arbitrator, Co-Arbitrator and Sole Arbitrator. She has been appointed in more than 40 disputes and has dealt with expedited as well as emergency processes.

Ms. Selvaratnam was appointed as a member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in June 2018, and re-appointed for a second term in June 2021.

In July 2019, she became a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

Ms. Selvaratnam is regularly appointed by arbitral institutions, parties and co-arbitrators in commercial arbitrations including under the AIAC, SIAC and HKIAC Rules.

Her appointments are in international arbitrations that involve: Charterparties, shipbuilding, ship repair, ship services agreement, construction of maritime facilities, and other maritime-related issues; International trade and commodities disputes including demurrage claims, loss from failure to deliver or take delivery of cargo, entailing market price evaluation, restitution and unjust enrichment considerations, and other determination of loss; Commercial contracts including disputes between shareholders, over the sale of shares in a company, transfer of business goodwill and assets, and sale and purchase of property.

She has handed down numerous awards, especially as Sole and Presiding Arbitrator.

Erica Stein is an independent arbitrator acting in international commercial and investment arbitrations.

Erica’s broad work experience in all aspects of arbitral practice (as arbitrator, counsel, and at leading arbitral institutions) makes her a versatile arbitrator. She can find the right approach to manage each case and situation in a balanced yet decisive manner. Having studied and worked in both common and civil law jurisdictions, Erica is comfortable running procedures incorporating either or both legal traditions. What matters to Erica is resolving disputes efficiently by adapting the procedure to what the parties want, the nature of the case, and the applicable legal and procedural framework.

A national of the United States and Belgium, Erica is fluent in English, French, Spanish, and German, and can run proceedings in each of those languages. She is also conversant in Dutch and Italian.

Erica is a member of the New York and Brussels bars.

Deva Villanúa has been involved in arbitration since 2002.

She has been designated arbitrator in more than 60 commercial cases and in a dozen investment arbitration. She has also acted as Privilege Master in several occasions. Deva has been Secretary to the Arbitral Tribunal in more than 30 commercial arbitrations and has had active involvement as assistant in more than 15 investment arbitrations.

Since 2018 Deva is Vice-president of the ICC Court of Arbitration.

Additionally, Deva is listed on ICSID’s Panel of Arbitrators and on the European Commission’s List of Candidates Suitable for Appointment as Arbitrators and TSD Experts.

She is fluent in Spanish, English, German and Portuguese.