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.

Jane Gunn is a highly sought after consultant, facilitator and speaker. She specializes in collaboration, cross-cultural communication and transforming business relationships and has helped open the eyes, hearts and minds of numerous companies to transform and secure the future of their organisation and the commitment and collaboration of their people.

As a trained mediator and facilitator she brings a diverse mix of skills, experience and insight that enable her to get people and groups with different priorities, incentives and ways of doing things, to work together successfully. She has a powerful message supported by practical tools and techniques that applies to organizations of all sizes across all sectors.

Jane is the President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and is a former director and board member of the Civil Mediation Council of England and Wales (CMC). She is a past president of the Professional Speaking Association of the UK and Ireland (PSA UKI). She is also a member of the Advisory Committee to QUADRA in Italy.

She has been invited to speak at the United Nations, the White House, the European Commission and the International Energy Agency and has fulfilled a number of other international speaking engagements. She has worked with organisations large and small including Cable & Wireless, The NHS, BAA, Bacardi-Martini, McLaren Racing, The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and many more.

She is also the author of two popular books on conflict management “How to Beat Bedlam in the Boardroom and Boredom in the Bedroom” and “The Authority Guide to Conflict Resolution”.

Catherine is the Executive Director of the New Zealand International Arbitration Centre (NZIAC) as well as its related domestic registry services which cover a full spectrum of commercial (New Zealand Dispute Resolution Centre), building and construction (Building Disputes Tribunal), and family and relationship disputes (Family Dispute Resolution Centre). In that role she is involved in the design, development and promotion of private dispute resolution processes, and oversees the case management and administration of these services.  

Catherine continues to maintain her practice as a barrister dedicated to delivering services as an arbitrator, adjudicator, and mediator for general commercial and construction matters. 

Prior to specialising in the design and delivery of private dispute resolution processes, Catherine practiced as a commercial litigator both onshore and offshore in New Zealand, London, and the Cayman Islands, gaining extensive experience in a wide range of matters, involving fraud, insolvency, contractual, financial services, tax avoidance and regulatory issues. These matters have included, among others, acting for liquidators of a Madoff-affected investment fund in relation to its investment and related large-scale litigation claims arising from the Madoff fraud, advising in relation to Royal Commission, Serious Fraud Office, and Securities Commission Inquiries, and acting for clients on a variety of commercial disputes across the globe covering the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, the Caribbean, and Africa.  

Catherine writes and presents frequently on a wide range of matters relating to private dispute resolution practice.  

Catherine holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in international law. She has also graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA), a Graduate Diploma in Business Studies (dispute resolution) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (dispute resolution). She is a current MBA candidate. 

Asmahaney is an advocate, a legal consultant and an Alternative Dispute Resolution practitioner. She is specialized in Corporate & Commercial law, Projects (oil and gas) and Alternative Dispute Resolution. Currently, Asmahaney has just been appointed to lead KTA Advocates as the first female appointed Managing Partner. KTA Advocates is a 12-year-old full serviced leading law firm in Uganda with regional presence focusing on corporate, commercial, intellectual property, technology, projects and dispute resolution.

 Out of her legal practice career, Asmahaney has made significant career advancements through appointments to serve in Governance and leadership positions in the public, private and her professional sphere. To mention; she co-founded and won the HiiL justice innovation challenge with the Electronic Justice Solutions. She also provides support to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises by offering free training in business registration, governance, structures and processes that have seen her group businesses grow to the next level. She has published several thought leadership articles in the New Vision, East Africa Law Society newsletter and the upstream oil and gas magazine on several topical areas in her area of professional specialty. Asmahaney holds a Masters in International Business Administration (MIBA) from ESLSCA, International Business School (Paris), Mini MBA in Oil and Gas Management (Dubai International Management Institute) a Diploma in Legal Practice (LDC-MUK) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Law (MUK) ,Chartered Mediator – Mediation Training Institute East Africa (MTI-EA) and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators-UK (CIArb).

Asmahaney gives back to women and youth by participating in several professional, social and economic empowerment groups that drive to mentor, coach and build the next generation leaders for example she is a mentor with Girls 4 Girls, Zimba Women, Rotary Club Kampala South and Chairperson Malaika Women’s Investment Club.

Luíza Kömel is Deputy Secretary General of the CAM-CCBC (Center for Arbitration and Mediation of the Chamber of Commerce Brazil-Canada) where she has been working for the past 10 years. She is a fellow of the CIArb (Chartered Institute of Arbitrators). She has obtained her law degree from the University of São Paulo (USP) and is certified in civil law by the University of Paris II: Pantheón-Assas. She has acted as counsel and case manager in domestic and international arbitration proceedings and has extensive experience in international arbitration and mediation academic competitions.

Partner at Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu. Yoshimi focuses on international commercial and investment arbitration and mediation. She serves as counsel and arbitrator in major international arbitration institutions involving both common law and civil law disputes. A member of ICSID Panel of Arbitrators (designated by the government of Japan).  A member of the ICCA Governing Board, the ASA Board and the JAA Executive Board. A former Vice President of the ICC Court and the LCIA Court.

United States Magistrate Judge Louise LaMothe occupies a unique part-time judicial position in Santa Barbara for the Central District of California.  She has served since 2014 and handles a wide variety of criminal duties as well as settlement conferences for the Court.  Before her appointment, she practiced as an arbitrator and mediator for many years from her base in Santa Barbara and she continues her private ADR practice in areas that do not conflict with her official duties.  A Stanford Law School graduate and Martindale AV-rated litigator in Los Angeles for more than 20 years, she serves on the American Arbitration Association’s commercial, employment, international, class action and large complex case panels   She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the College of Commercial Arbitrators, and an International Mediation Institute-certified mediator.  She is a former Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation, and a life member of the American Law Institute.  In 2020, California Women Lawyers named her its Distinguished Jurist of the Year. In addition to authoring works on business litigation, she has written and spoken throughout her career on gender equity and has been named one of California’s Top 50 California Neutrals and a California Super Lawyer.   Her website is www.dispute-solutions.com. 

Kshama A. Loya is a Leader in the International Dispute Resolution practice at Nishith Desai Associates, Mumbai.  

Kshama advises and represents clients in international commercial arbitration and investor-State arbitration (ad hoc and institutional). She also advises and represents clients on complex cross-border commercial disputes involving public and private international law; civil and criminal litigation; commercial litigation and litigation arising out of international and domestic arbitration in Indian courts.  

Kshama regularly appears as lead counsel in courts and tribunals in India, and in domestic and international arbitration proceedings. She has advised on issues arising in a range of industries including Energy, Mining, Infrastructure, Construction, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals and Life-sciences, Finance, Travel and Transportation, Automotive, Aviation etc. 

Kshama began her practice as a counsel in the Chambers of (present) Justice S.V. Gangapurwala, High Court of Bombay. She has previously worked in London on international commercial and investor-State arbitrations. Kshama completed Masters in International Commercial Laws at King’s College, London. She studied negotiation at Harvard Law School. She has also taken special courses on cross-examination in international arbitration in London, and in international investment law in Switzerland. 

Kshama frequently speaks at national and international conferences, and writes for reputed international publications. She actively engages in training of students and young attorneys in arbitration and advocacy. 

Kshama is an Executive Board Member of American Arbitration Association International Centre for Dispute Resolution Young & International (2020 – 2023). She is also Vice Chair, Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) Dispute Resolution & Arbitration Committee (2020-2024); Co-chair, IPBA Investment Arbitration Sub-committee (2020-2023); and Steering Committee Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Young Members Group, India branch (Since 2018). 

Out of office, Kshama is an avid reader, a graphology expert, a badminton player and a choreographer. She is a travel and experience enthusiast and loves to study distinct cultures. 

Ms. Mutaywea is a Bahraini attorney licensed before the Bahraini Cassation Court and the Constitutional Court.  She is the Resident Partner at Mena Chambers Law Firm and is an international arbitration practitioner and a litigation lawyer.  She offers more than 12 years of experience in various legal fields and advises clients on a wide range of issues including civil, commercial, corporate, finance, banking, investment, construction and real estate disputes.  In addition to advising clients, she is an experienced arbitration practitioner and has handled disputes under various arbitration rules including: ICC, DIAC, DIFC-LCIA, GCC Commercial Arbitration Centre, Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution and ICDR-AAA.  She regularly sits as arbitrator and serves as counsel and legal expert.

She holds a Bachelor of Law from ASU and a Master’s degree in international dispute resolution from Queen Mary University.  She also holds a Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration from CIArb and a Diploma in Management and Leadership from the Chartered Managers Institute London (CMI).  Aysha is a member of the Court of Arbitration at the ICC, the Panel of Arbitrators and Conciliators at ICSID and the Court of Sports (CAS).  She serves on the Board of Directors of ICC Bahrain and the Legal Advisory Committee at the Royal University for Women (Bahrain).

Prior to joining Mena Chambers as the Resident Partner in the Bahrain office, she worked at the Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution (BCDR) for six years where she worked with judges and international arbitrators on litigation and arbitration cases.  She oversaw and administered over a hundred cases as part of the case management team at BCDR and has dealt with various commercial disputes including banking, insurance, corporate governance, Islamic finance and construction disputes.

Rubie is a Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas
(Family Division), and is currently an Associate Professor, Law Department, University of The
Bahamas, where she has lectured in ADR, Mediation and Arbitration in the UWI-LLB Law
Programme. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK, a founding member
of the CIArb, Bahamas Branch, and a former Director of Education and Training for the CIArb
Bahamas Branch. She holds the status of CIArb Approved Faculty in both Arbitration and
Mediation and is a post-training Mediation Assessor.

With an extensive Arbitration practice, her credentialed training includes Family and Divorce
Mediation (Trinidad & Tobago), FIDIC contracts (ECV), Wealth Management, International Trade
and Investment Dispute Settlement (PGDip Queen Mary College, London), and the recent CIArb
Virtual Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration (2021). Rubie has a B.A and a M.A In Theology from Oxford University. She has a MBA from the Templeton Institute and is a named Templeton Scholar. She received her LL.B from King's College London and her LL.M (Distinction) from University College London. Rubie also has a B.A in Political Science and Economics from Queen's University, Ontario.  

Rubie has served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas,
and Chancellor of the Anglican Church in the Province of the West Indies (CPWI) and also
Chancellor in the Diocese of Nassau, Turks & Caicos Islands. Through her unique qualification
in Canon Law (LL.M. Cardiff), she has participated as a member of the Archbishop of
Canterbury’s Panel of Reference in the settlement of certain, then contentious ecclesial
matters.

Mercedes is a founding partner of Dispute Management, SL. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) -both in arbitration and mediation- and Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators. Mercedes is chair of the Mediation Commission of the Spanish Arbitration Club and coordinator of the Working Group on Quality and Best Practices of the Mediation Forum of the Spanish Ministry of Justice. She has seated as an arbitrator under the rules of ICC, ICDR, UNCITRAL and various national institutions, and is also on the lists of CPR, CIAC and WIPO. Her practice as a mediator is mostly ad hoc, having also been appointed in various matters by the ICC International ADR Centre. She has sat as member of Dispute Boards and is listed in the ICSID roster of conciliators (2020-2026). Among other positions held in the past, she has been member for Spain at the ICC International Court of Arbitration (2000-2018), Vice-Chairwoman of the Inter-American Commercial Arbitration Commission (2008-2014), member of the Board of Management of the CIArb (2006-2012) and member of the CPR European Advisory Committee (2007-2015). Mercedes is fluent in Spanish, English, French, Italian and Catalan She has been listed in Who’s Who Legal Mediation since the list’s inception (2011 to 2021) and in several issues of Who’s Who Legal Arbitration.

Sapna Jhangiani is a Queen’s Counsel, arbitrator and mediator with over 20 years’ experience in appearing before courts and tribunals, and sitting as an arbitrator, in commercial disputes seated in diverse jurisdictions such as London, Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Malaysia, the Cayman Islands and Mauritius. She has appeared or sat as arbitrator in over 100 arbitrations which were ad hoc or governed by all the main institutional rules, including the ICC, SIAC, HKIAC, SCMA, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA and DIAC.

Sapna has practised in London, New York, Dubai and Singapore and is dual-qualified as an English barrister, and an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore.

Sapna is consistently ranked in the leading legal directories, and was recently recognised by Asian Legal Business as one of Asia’s top 15 female lawyers. She was named in “Best Lawyers 2021” and “Best Lawyers 2022” for arbitration and mediation in Singapore, and was also included in the inaugural list of "Asia's top 100 Lawyers" published by the Asia Law Business Journal. Sapna is currently International Legal Counsel at the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Singapore, during which period she continues to accept appointments as an arbitrator and mediator.

Natalia Otlinger MCIArb is a Trainee Solicitor at HFW LLP in London (first seat – Ship Finance, second seat - Commodities Litigation) with a specific interest in international arbitration. Having obtained a Master's degree in Law from the University of Silesia in Poland, her passion for arbitration led her to London where she began working as an assistant to international arbitrator. She then completed GDL with MA at the University of Law and LPC LLM at the BPP University and obtained a Distinction from both of these courses. She also worked in PR positions at CIArb and DLA Piper.

Natalia became interested in ADR by participation in the Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Moot in Vienna and Foreign Direct Investment Moot in London. She has been involved in the Vis Moot competition since then as coach and arbitrator on various pre-moots in Prague, Warsaw, London, Riga and Hannover. She is also a Member and PR Officer of the London Branch Committee of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Member of ArbitralWomen."

Kim Franklin QC is a recognised independent international arbitrator specializing in the construction, engineering and infrastructure sectors, focussing on major projects and the resolution of high value, technically complex disputes involving project delay, PFI and FIDIC contracts.

Since taking silk in 2016, she acts predominantly as arbitrator, dispute board member and adjudicator, resolving disputes arising from complex projects in international arbitration, dispute boards and as UK construction adjudicator. 

A Chartered Arbitrator since 2000, Kim acts as party appointed, sole arbitrator and Tribunal Chair for arbitrations under institutional rules, including ICC, ADCCAC and DIAC in the UAE and GCC with experience of the ICC Expedited Procedure and as Emergency Arbitrator.

An accredited adjudicator with the CIArb, TeCSA, TECBAR, RIBA, and IChemE, Kim has a reputation for clarity, strong case management and sound strategic judgment. 

Ranse Howell is the director of international operations at JAMS ADR, the largest private dispute resolution provider in the world and works between London and Washington, DC. He leads a global team whose primary responsibility is to support JAMS’s efforts to promote a solution-based approach to commercial conflict. Ranse has also been involved in various D, E & I initiatives and continues to look for opportunities to promote and support inclusion in all ADR processes.

Ranse is an expert in negotiation and dispute resolution consultancy, who, while working for CEDR in London, provided enhanced negotiation, leadership and influencing skills to numerous in-house clients. Ranse has also worked with numerous international organizations providing mediation and dispute resolution training, including EIB, EBRD, UNHCR, IFC and ILO.

Ranse has a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the School of Business, University of Sussex. As a social-psychologist, his area of research stems from Social Identity Theory, with a focus on the impact that hidden (or nondisclosed identity) will have on interpersonal relationships. What needs further research and discussion, is how individuals will need to adjust to post-COVID interpersonal engagement with others, and the need to manage (hidden) identities will increase causing conflict and misunderstanding.  

Ranse also has a Doctor of Law (JD), School of Law from the City University of New York; a Master of Law (LLM) from the Straus Institute at Pepperdine University; a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the School of Social Work, Temple University; and a bachelor’s degree (BFA) from the School of Art, Temple University.

Ranse is currently an adjunct professor at the Straus Institute, Pepperdine University and a visiting lecturer in the department of advanced legal studies at the University of Westminster.

Juan Carlos Pinto Escobedo is a CIArb YMG Global Steering Committee Member, with more that 15 years of experience as an arbitrator.
He is a member of the Mexican Arbitration Center (CAM), Câmara de Arbitragem e Mediação de Santa Catarina – Brazil, Lima Chamber of Commerce-Perú, Dispute Resolution Center of Católica University of Perú CARC-PUCP, OSCE, CIP and others. Leaders League 2021 - Who´s Who 2022.

Commercial and Investment Arbitration. Construction Law, Public Contracts, Energy and Electricity. Post Degree Studies Washington College of Law (WCL - AU) and CEU San Pablo CIAMEN Madrid. Master's studies in Public Policies and management (PUCP). Arbitration in Public Contracts by ESAN University. 

LOY, as he is called, is a dual qualified lawyer called to the Nigerian Bar (Barrister and Solicitor) and the Bar of England and Wales (Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn). He has a
background in civil and commercial litigation having conducted trials before the various tiers
of the Nigerian courts and at all appellate level. In addition to his continued civil/commercial
advocacy work, his immediate and future interests lie at the intersection of ADR (Mutual
Agreement Procedure) and Arbitration (Mandatory Binding Arbitration or more commonly
known as ‘baseball arbitration’) mechanisms towards the effective resolution of cross-border
international tax disputes (OECD BEPS Action 14).
Lateef is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb); founding member of
CIArb Ibadan Chapter in Nigeria; and co-founder of the newly established Indonesia
International Arbitration Center (INIAC) headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Rupert Sydenham enjoys helping his clients to resolve complex construction and engineering disputes efficiently and effectively.  He particularly values the close working with his clients’ legal, commercial and technical teams that is typically required for successful outcomes.

Rupert heads Hogan Lovells’ construction and engineering disputes practice in London. Over an international career spanning more than 25 years, he has advised on projects in many industry sectors including transport (railways, airports, roads, ports, cable cars),  traditional and renewable energy (oil, gas, wind, solar, hydro), waste to energy, refineries and petrochemical plants, commercial and residential developments, hospitals, theatre stages and casinos.  He brings his wide experience to helping clients ensure projects are put and stay on track and, where disputes are unavoidable, in the conduct of formal and informal dispute resolution proceedings. He has represented clients in arbitrations under several of the major institutional bodies including particularly the ICC and LCIA.  He has advised on contracts based upon FIDIC, NEC, IChemE, ICE and many other standard forms in common use in the industry. 

Rupert is also ranked in Chambers legal directory for public procurement disputes. He has represented clients in several of the highest profile procurement cases reported in England over the past several years.