In memoriam: Karen Mills C.Arb FCIArb

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Karen Mills C.Arb FCIArb. On behalf of everyone at Ciarb, we send our sincerest condolences to Karen’s family, friends and colleagues.

Karen joined Ciarb in 1995, becoming a Chartered Arbitrator in 2000. She was a long-standing member of the Ciarb East Asia Branch Committee, joining it in 2021, and was founder of the Ciarb Indonesia Chapter. In addition, Karen was a highly valued member of Ciarb’s faculty, acting as tutor, assessor and course director across a range of courses both in Indonesia and in other countries. She was a strong supporter of young members of the Ciarb in progressing their careers.

She was a member of the New York Bar, and a member of the panels of arbitrators of various institutions including SIAC and HKIAC. Karen was also an active member of the Executive Board of ArbitralWomen, the first appointing authority of the Chinese-European Arbitration Institution, the IBA/TMI taskforce on investor-state mediation, and the Vis East Moot Foundation.

Karen was founding member, arbitrator and international counsel at KarimSyah, Indonesia. She practiced in Indonesia for over 35 years, covering both domestic and international arbitration, and working across sectors including investor-state disputes, financing and restructuring, resources, insurance, transportation, hospitality, information technology and general cross-border transactions. As counsel, she successfully represented the Indonesian government in several investor-state arbitrations, and also represented major domestic and multinational private and state-owned companies in such disputes. Over 150 of her papers have been published in professional books and journals.

Ben Giaretta, Deputy Chair of the Ciarb Board of Trustees said, “I knew Karen from my time living in Singapore. As well as being devoted to Indonesia, she was a very important and prominent member of the international arbitration community across South-East Asia and globally. She had a great sense of humour and she was very loyal and kind. It is very sad to hear of her passing.”

Glenn Haley FCIArb of the Ciarb East Asia Branch and responsible for the Indonesia Chapter said, “Karen will be greatly missed not only by the Ciarb family, but by the arbitration community in Indonesia (where she was a senior and well known practitioner and one of the driving forces in the establishment of the Ciarb presence in Indonesia) and by the arbitration community throughout the East Asia Branch footprint. Karen also was a great supporter of the Vis East Moot since its inception. Karen will be missed as a dear and faithful friend to many of us.”