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International Investment Arbitration and the Search for Depoliticisation
This year's Alexander Lecture will be delivered by Toby Landau KC C.Arb FCIArb
This lecture will examine the role of depoliticisation in the genesis, development and justification of international investment arbitration; subject this concept to a detailed critical analysis; and evaluate it as a guide in charting the future of this field.
Catherine Dixon, CEO of Ciarb, will introduce the lecture and the Q&A will be moderated by Jonathan Wood, President of Ciarb.
Read Toby Landau's thoughts on this topic ahead of the live lecture: Advanced insight into Ciarb’s 2023 Alexander Lecture.
The Alexander Lecture will be delivered in-person at Ciarb Headquarters in London and streamed live for our global audience. Register to join us in-person or virtually.
Watch the lecture recording here and read the live transcript here.
Registration
VIRTUAL access to the live stream is free of charge, registration is required.
IN-PERSON event will take place at Ciarb Headquarters in London. Tickets are strictly limited, book now to secure your place. Purchasing a ticket to the in-person event will provide automatic access to the virtual event, free of charge.
The Alexander Lecture was founded in recognition of the contribution of Mr John Russell Willis Alexander (1897 - 1985) to the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. John Russell Willis Alexander served for 40 years as a member of Council and was elected President of the Institute of Arbitrators (as it was named at the time), from 1952 to 1955. This lecture is considered one of the most respected events in the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) calendar.
Event Speakers
Toby Landau KC is a barrister, advocate and arbitrator, and a member of the Bars of England & Wales, Singapore, New York, the BVI and Northern Ireland. He is also registered in the DIFC. He practises in Singapore from Duxton Hill Chambers (Singapore Group Practice) and in London as a sole practitioner.
As Counsel, he has argued hundreds of major international commercial, investor-State and inter-state arbitrations, as well as ground-breaking cases in the highest courts of England, Singapore, Hong Kong, Pakistan and the Caribbean. He was the first QC/KC to have been permanently called to the Singapore Bar, and since April 2012 he has been a member of the Panel of Advisors to the Attorney-General of Singapore.
As Arbitrator, he has extensive experience as Chairman, Co-Arbitrator and Sole Arbitrator in commercial and investor-State disputes under most of the world’s leading ad hoc and institutional rules. He is a member of numerous panels, including ICSID.
In 2020 he was appointed as one of 25 persons to serve on the Arbitration Panel under the Agreement on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community.
He is Visiting Professor at Kings College London; Vice-President of the SIAC Court of Arbitration; Member of the Governing Board of ICCA; Fellow of the CIArb and Chartered Arbitrator; Vice-Chairman of the Saudi Centre for Commercial Arbitration; UK delegate to the UNCITRAL Working Group on Arbitration (1994-2013); past Director and Court member of the LCIA; past member of the SCC Board; a draftsman of the English Arbitration Act 1996; the Pakistan Arbitration (International Investment Disputes) Ordinance, 2006; the Mauritius International Arbitration Act 2008, as well as many institutional rules.
He holds a first-class law degree and a first class BCL from Oxford University (Eldon Scholar), and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School (Kennedy Scholar).
Catherine joined Ciarb as Director General in May 2020 having set the world record for circumnavigation of the world on a tandem. Prior to setting her world record, Catherine spent time in Chief Executive Officer roles at the Law Society of England and Wales, a Higher and Further Education College and at NHS Resolution. Catherine has also held Senior Executive Director and General Counsel roles at the NSPCC and BUPA and in Canada at Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.
Catherine started her professional career in private practice as a solicitor, at Eversheds Sutherland and was an Officer in the British Army. Catherine has served as a trustee and non-executive director on a number of boards, including the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), Queens Counsel Appointments, LawWorks, National Pro Bono Centre, the PDSA, the Yorkshire and Humber Local Enterprise Partnership, the Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, Landex and was the Deputy Chair of the IBA LGBTQI Committee. Catherine is currently a trustee of Stonewall and a member of the Advisory Board of the Open University. Catherine is a solicitor and accredited mediator and has a MBA.
Jonathan Wood is an independent arbitrator with over 40 years' experience in the field. He is ranked in band 1 Chamber's arbitrators category and as a "leading individual" by the Legal 500. He is recommended as a Global Leader for Litigation in Who's Who Legal. As well as acting for a wide range of commercial clients in insurance, financial services, energy and maritime, cultural property, Jonathan has been counsel for the British Government's Export Credit Agency (UKEF), for 30 years advising on all aspects of international trade and public international law, handling disputes and arbitrations around the world as well as government to government negotiations. He was co-chair of the IBA's committee on International Sales and related Financial Transactions. He practiced in Singapore where he was admitted as a registered foreign lawyer and has experience in many jurisdictions around the world. He started his career as a criminal defence and civil liberties lawyer , notably obtaining an acquittal of a mother charged with murder of her baby on the basis it was a "cot death" and advising on European Convention of Human Rights cases, appearing in Strasbourg as advocate. He now mainly sits as arbitrator.
Jonathan is the current President of Ciarb, and previous Chair of the Board of Trustees. He is the Director of the London Chamber of Arbitration and Mediation and the Chair of International Arbitration at Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC). He is a founding member of LegalUK and also the Virtual Arbitrations forum.