Ciarb's
Alexander Lecture
Ciarb’s Alexander Lecture is held every year in London as part of London Arbitration Week, and live-streamed to a global audience. Past speakers include some of the most eminent names in the fields of international arbitration and dispute resolution, including diplomats, lawyers and former Ciarb presidents.
Established in honour of John Russell Willis Alexander (1897-1985), who served for 40 years as a member of Council and was Ciarb's President from 1952 to 1955, the Alexander Lecture has a history of nominations and wins in the 'Best Lecture or Speech' category at the annual Global Arbitration Review (GAR) Awards.
This year's Alexander Lecture
Last Anchor or Next Casualty? International Arbitration in an Era of Polarisation, Fragmentation, and Unilateralism.
By Amb (r) Roberto Azevêdo FCIArb
Diplomat and former Director-General of the World Trade Organization
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"Last Anchor or Next Casualty? The question chose itself. It is the one companies keep putting to me, in different words, wherever I go."
Amb (r) Roberto Azevêdo FCIArb
Explore past Alexander Lectures
2025: Professor Dr Mohamed Abdel Wahab C.Arb FCIArb
2025: Professor Dr Mohamed Abdel Wahab C.Arb FCIArb
Arbitrating in an Age of Legal Fracture: Guarding the Realm and System Recalibration
Speaker: Professor Dr Mohamed Abdel Wahab C.Arb FCIArb
What was the lecture about?
This lecture highlighted the challenges posed by fractures and tensions between global, regional and domestic legal norms and systems – and how to remedy the fracture. It addressed how international arbitration can recalibrate to preserve the rule of law, foster constructive dialogue, induce trust across borders, and ensure dispute resolution continues to serve all stakeholders, including people and societies.
This lecture was nominated for ‘Best Lecture or Speech’ at the GAR Awards 2026.
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"I see that there is a degree of legal fracture; a tension between global, regional and domestic norms and systems. ‘Guarding the realm’ invites everyone to consider our global landscape as the realm to protect, taking into consideration regional and national interests and aligning them with the international legal order. The present fracture and the existing tension...do not serve the interests of humanity in the short, medium or long term." 2025 Ciarb President, Professor Dr Mohamed Abdel Wahab C.Arb FCIArb |
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"Rather than rehearsing familiar debates, [Mohamed] examined the pressures faced by arbitrators themselves - sanctions regimes, due process paranoia, legitimacy challenges, and the complexity of mega-disputes - while situating these challenges within broader questions of the rule of law and legal pluralism." Majid Pourostad MCIArb |
2024: Claudia Salomon FCIArb
2024: Claudia Salomon FCIArb
Guardian, Gatekeeper or Guide? Is an Arbitration Only as Good as the Arbitral Institution?
Speaker: Claudia Salomon FCIArb
What was the lecture about?
Delivered by the President of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce and the first woman to hold this role, Claudia discussed the role of arbitral institutions in protecting the integrity of the arbitral process, promoting the rule of law, and providing access to justice.
This lecture was nominated for ‘Best Lecture or Speech’ at the GAR Awards 2025.
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"With the proliferation of arbitral institutions worldwide, parties today have many choices. And because that choice matters, I wanted to explore...how the various approaches used by different institutions could impact the arbitral process. I also wanted to dive more deeply into the assumptions about the role arbitral institutions play in both preventing and resolving disputes to ensure we are meeting the rapidly evolving needs and expectations of the global business community." Claudia Salomon FCIArb |
2023: Toby Landau KC C.Arb FCIArb
2023: Toby Landau KC C.Arb FCIArb
International Investment Arbitration and the Search for Depoliticisation
Speaker: Toby Landau KC C.Arb FCIArb
What was the lecture about?
This lecture examined the role of depoliticisation in the genesis, development and justification of international investment arbitration. Toby analysed the origins of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) and how ISDS negatively impacts the Rule of Law, before charing a different course for reform.
This lecture won the award for ‘Best Lecture or Speech’ at the GAR Awards 2024.
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"The role of politics in international dispute resolution is both fascinating and complex. But despite its importance, it is rarely addressed head-on. In particular, the debate on the future of investor-state arbitration and its possible reform rages on. But much of the current thinking fails to grapple with the broader geo-political setting in which this form of dispute resolution was created and in which it now subsists." Toby Landau KC C.Arb FCIArb |
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"Toby was able to fundamentally excite my thinking processes with his illustrations and thought-provoking ideas. There was a very apparent setting aside of bias and a focus on developing the industry rather than masking the problems." Okikenna Osele ACIArb |
2022: Francis Xavier S.C. PBM FCIArb C.Arb
2022: Francis Xavier S.C. PBM FCIArb C.Arb
Resolving Intractable Inter-States Disputes: A Sisyphean Struggle?
Speaker: Francis Xavier S.C. PBM FCIArb C.Arb
What was the lecture about?
How does inter-states disputes resolution work, and what must change to create a safer world? Francis, a veteran in the field of international and treaty arbitration and a former Ciarb President, explored the mechanisms by which inter-states disputes are resolved, their efficacy and issues, before looking ahead to what must be done for a fairer world.
2021: Wendy Miles KC FCIArb
2021: Wendy Miles KC FCIArb
International Arbitration and Sustainable Investment: Facilitator or Foe?
Speaker: Wendy Miles KC FCIArb
What was the lecture about?
Delivered live from COP26 – the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, UK – this lecture explored how international arbitration can play a role in global efforts to mitigate the effects of, and adapt to, climate change, and how professional bodies like Ciarb may equip practitioners with the knowledge to handle climate-related disputes.
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"Wendy said things as they are and put climate issues in their true perspective. I have a mixed practice, including renewable energy and an interest in green investment finance. Wendy's address has helped me decide to focus on developing my practice to address issues related to climate change. The subject and consequences are too vital to current and future generations just to sit on the sidelines." Julian Wilkins FCIArb |
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"This Alexander Lecture was special. Climate change is our responsibility, and it is within our gift to transition to net zero and we all bear that responsibility. I have begun to reevaluate both my contribution to, and actions towards, preventing climate change. This Alexander Lecture will, I strongly believe, act as a catalyst for the near 1,000 attendees to evaluate and implement change. The time for action is now. ADR and Ciarb is answering the call." Leah Chengo Butala |
2020: Richard Susskind OBE
2020: Richard Susskind OBE
The future of dispute resolution
Speaker: Richard Susskind OBE
What was the lecture about?
Public and private systems for dispute resolution were under considerable strain. To overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to make dispute resolution more accessible, a new mindset was needed. Many hearings were already being conducted remotely, and a shift towards technology-enabled dispute resolution presented new opportunities. In this lecture, Richard advocated for online courts and digital justice services.
Explore Ciarb’s other events and lectures
