Oliver Barnes brings nearly 30 years of experience advising clients in large-scale construction and engineering projects on delay analysis, disruption, work front, productivity analyses. During his 30 years includes more than ten as a project engineer and construction programmer/scheduler, and 17 years as an expert delay analyst and advisor, where he also develops project schedules for pre-construction and construction phases in oil & gas, power, nuclear, buildings, and infrastructure projects for contractors and client organizations.

Mr. Barnes is frequently appointed as an independent expert for disputes in arbitration, litigation, adjudication, mediation, and formal contract negotiations. He has extensive global testimony experience on large, high-profile international disputes.

Ben Giaretta is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of Ciarb, and has held other positions with the Ciarb including as Chair of the Ciarb London Branch. He has been working in commercial and investment treaty arbitration for over 25 years, as counsel and as arbitrator (he has been appointed as arbitrator in over 30 cases). Ben has been a partner at major law firms (Ashurst, Mishcon de Reya and Fox WIlliams) for 17 years, which has included 7 years based in Singapore and 10 years in London. His sector experience includes energy, construction, projects, shipping, technology, international trade and other commercial contracts.

His undergraduate degree was from Oxford University, and he subsequently completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Arbitration at Queen Mary University London. He has written about many aspects of international arbitration, and is recently published (as co-author) a commentary on the Arbitration Act 1996.  He has taught many courses for the Ciarb, in many different countries, including on the Diploma and Fellowship courses, and he has also taught on courses run by the University of Aberdeen.

Olivia Kaye is a barrister (and previously solicitor advocate) with extensive international arbitration experience in investor-state disputes and complex commercial arbitration.

Olivia’s experience spans across a number of sectors and regions in proceedings brought under the ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, LCIA, SCC, DIFC, and NAI Rules. Olivia has a broad range of experience representing, advising, and assisting clients in, and prior to, disputes including in relation to funding investment claims.

Olivia has represented both States and claimant investors including the Russian Federation in the complex Crimean arbitrations brought by Ukrainian investors in Crimea under the Russia-Ukraine bilateral investment treaty. Olivia is currently representing several sanctioned Russian investors in a series of investment arbitrations against European States relating to their imposition of sanctions.

Prior to joining the Bar, Olivia trained as a solicitor with a large US law firm before moving to a Russian boutique firm in order to establish their first London office.

Natasha King has a broad commercial practice with particular expertise in international arbitration and international economic law.

Natasha has previous experience as both sole and junior counsel in arbitrations under LCIA, ICC, SIAC, and LMAA Rules, as well as arbitration applications and appeals in the Commercial Court. She also spent time as a secondee in the international arbitration group of a leading London law firm. Before coming to the Bar, Natasha served as a dispute settlement lawyer in the Legal Affairs Division of the World Trade Organization for three years, advising panelists on State-to-State disputes. She has published extensively on issues of international commercial arbitration, international trade and investment law, and public international law.

Natasha was appointed to the Attorney General’s Public International Law Panel of Junior Counsel (C Panel) for a five year term beginning on 1 January 2026. The Panel provides the UK government with specialist advice and representation on public international law matters.