Deputy President of Ciarb

The Deputy President supports the President and acts as an ambassador for Ciarb, promoting its activities and engaging with its members and stakeholders globally.

The Deputy President serves a one-year term (1 January 2026 – 31 December 2026) and is part of Ciarb’s presidential succession. In the absence of the President, the Deputy President may be required to assume the full duties of the President at any time. 

The current Deputy President will succeed the President on 1 January 2027. 

Michael Tonkin C.Arb FCIArb became a Ciarb Fellow and a Chartered Arbitrator in 2004 at the age of 31. In the same year, he joined the Ciarb UAE Branch Committee and supported the Branch in a range of different roles, including as Branch Chair. Michael also served as a Ciarb Trustee, Ciarb Honorary Treasurer, as Chair of the Audit Committee, and was part of the Ciarb Governance Review Working Party.

Based in Dubai, he is a Partner at HKA Global, a leading global consultancy, specialising in risk mitigation, dispute resolution, expert witness evidence and litigation support.

A Chartered Surveyor and Chartered Builder by profession, Michael is also a Chartered Arbitrator and expert witness, with experience spanning five continents and a wide range of institutional rules. He is a frequent speaker on expert witness evidence and the role of an arbitrator and has authored papers on these topics.

Michael’s academic background includes a BSc degree in Quantity Surveying from the University of Glamorgan (now the University of South Wales), a Diploma in Arbitration from the College of Estate Management (now the University of the Built Environment) and a Diploma in International Maritime Arbitration from Ciarb.