KEYNOTE SPEECH:
CAVINDER BULL, SC
CEO | Drew & Napier LLC | Singapore
Cavinder Bull SC is the CEO of Drew & Napier. He has an active practice as an arbitrator and as arbitration counsel. He is on the Governing Board of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA), was Deputy Chairman of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) for 7 years and is presently Vice-President of the SIAC Court of Arbitration. He was a member of the World Bank Sanctions Board from 2018 to 2023, and is a former Vice-President of the Asia Pacific Regional Arbitration Group.
As an arbitrator, Cavinder has heard cases under the auspices of the ICC, KCAB, SIAC, LCIA, PCA, NAFTA and ICSID, to name a few. In particular, he is on ICSID’s Chairman’s Panel of Arbitrators and has heard numerous ICSID arbitrations and annulment cases.
Cavinder graduated with First Class Honours in law from Oxford University and subsequently earned an LL.M. from Harvard Law School. He is called to the Bar of England & Wales, Singapore and New York. He was appointed Senior Counsel by the Chief Justice of Singapore in 2008, one of a handful to have been appointed before the age of 40.
CONFERENCE REFLECTIONS:
YASMINE LAHLOU
Partner | Chaffetz Lindsey | New York City
Fluent in English, French and Italian, Yasmine Lahlou has over 25 years of experience in international arbitration and litigation and has been with Chaffetz Lindsey since 2009. Initially trained in Paris and admitted in New York, Yasmine is experienced in civil and common law systems. Yasmine has represented clients in arbitration proceedings conducted under the ICC, ICDR, LCIA, UNCITRAL and ad hoc rules. She has acted as a presiding, sole and co‐arbitrator in ICC, SCC, ICDR/AAA, CRCICA and LCIA arbitrations.
Yasmine is a member of the International Court of Arbitration of the ICC and co-chair of the ICC’s Working Group on Expedited Procedure Provisions.
For the third year in a row, Yasmine was named a “Global Elite Thought Leader” in North America by the 2025 Who's Who Legal Arbitration report and has been recognized in Chambers, Legal 500 and Super Lawyers. Yasmine was just recognized as Band 1 in Award Enforcement in the US by Chambers. Member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, member of the Advisory Council of Africa Arbitration, and retiring member of the board of directors of ArbitralWomen, she is also a Peer Review Board member of the American Review of International Arbitration (ARIA) at Columbia Law School.
PANELISTS:
MARKUS BURGSTALLER
Partner | Hogan Lovells | London
Markus Burgstaller is a partner at Hogan Lovells in London. He combines experience in public international law and EU law at the highest level of government with many years of experience in private practice. He acts for States, international organisations, businesses, and individuals in international disputes, mainly arbitrations under ICSID and UNCITRAL rules, and in proceedings before the CJEU. For his work Markus received the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers award for innovation in legal expertise – dispute resolution and, the award for "Most Important Decision" by Global Arbitration Review and was named "Lawyer of the Week" by The Times. Recognized as a leading individual in public international law in the UK and globally, Markus is frequently interviewed and published in international media such as the Financial Times, The Economist, The Times, the BBC, and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. He is nominated to the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators by the Austrian Government.
KRISTIN CAMPBELL-WILSON
Executive Director | Abu Dhabi International Arbitration Centre | Abu Dhabi
Kristin Campbell-Wilson is Executive Director at the recently established Abu Dhabi International Arbitration Centre (arbitrateAD). Kristin joined arbitrateAD in 2023 with the ambition to establish and grow arbitrateAD to become the leading centre in the MENA region. She brings two decades of international arbitration experience, most recently from the SCC Arbitration Institute (SCC) and before that from private practice. Kristin brings a wealth of operational experience from running case management teams responsible for 200+ commercial and investment arbitrations annually. She has also led many of the projects which put the SCC at the forefront of technological developments in the industry, such as the development and launch of the first digital platform for secure communications and file sharing in arbitration, and the product development and introduction of a groundbreaking new dispute resolution tool in 2021.
A sought-after speaker, Kristin shares insights at domestic and international events and her commitment to the field is evident through her current and past board and committee positions in multiple arbitration organizations, including the IBA Subcommittee on International Commercial Arbitration Case Law and IBA Arb40, and editorial boards, including Stockholm Arbitration Yearbook and European Investment Law and Arbitration Review.
Kristin holds an LL.M. from Stockholm University (2003) and an Executive MBA from Stockholm School of Economics (2023).
GÁBOR DAMJANOVIC
Managing Partner | Forgó Damjanovic & Partners | Budapest
Dr. Gábor Damjanovic is an international commercial arbitrator listed by over a dozen arbitral institutions worldwide and having conducted over 35 institutional and ad hoc arbitrations as chair and wing arbitrator. Additionally, Gábor is managing partner of one of the most highly regarded business law firms in Budapest, Forgó, Damjanovic & Partners Law Firm. He is very active in the International Bar Association (IBA), having attended conferences for 25 years and is a former chair of the IBA’s Professional Ethics Committee.
STEPHEN JAGUSCH KC
Partner | Quinn Emanuel | London
Stephen Jagusch KC has over three decades of experience exclusively in international commercial and investment treaty arbitration. He has been lead counsel in many of the world’s most high profile cases. He has been involved in disputes involving over 30 different sovereign states. A renowned strategist and advocate he is highly sought after by states, multinationals, ultra-high net worth individuals and family offices. Stephen is widely published in the area and routinely speaks at leading arbitration events globally.
NADJA JAISLI
Partner | Bär & Karrer AG | Zurich
Nadja Jaisli co-heads Bär & Karrer's arbitration practice and specializes in international commercial arbitration and litigation. She has gained particular experience in the banking and finance, the pharmaceutical and the construction industries and regularly handles complex disputes arising from M&A transactions, joint ventures and shareholders' agreements, license and supply agreements as well as inheritance disputes. In addition to her work as party counsel, Nadja Jaisli frequently sits as arbitrator.
Nadja Jaisli serves as a Vice President of the ICC Swiss Commission on Arbitration and ADR, as a member of the Swiss Nomination Committee that proposes arbitrator candidates to the ICC Court in Paris, and as a member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR. She is also a member of the Board of the Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA) and regularly speaks and publishes in the field of international dispute resolution.
NIAMH LEINWATHER
Secretary General | Vienna International Arbitral Centre | Vienna
Since 1 January 2022, Niamh Leinwather has taken office as the new Secretary General of the Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC). Of Irish origin, Niamh has both a common and civil law background (Bachelor of Civil Law, University College Dublin, Mag.iur., University of Vienna, Master of European Studies, University of Vienna). She was the first Irish woman to be admitted to the Austrian Bar in 2013 and has over a decade of experience in international dispute resolution at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Vienna where she acted as both counsel and arbitrator Niamh has held the office of Secretary Treasurer of the International Federation of Commercial Arbitration Institutions (IFCAI) since February 2023. In July 2024 Niamh was appointed to the Board of Directors of Arbitral Women and chairs the Education Committee. In October 2024 Niamh was invited to her alma mater as an Adjunct Professor of the Sutherland School of Law (University College Dublin).
JUDITH LEVINE
President | Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration | Sydney
Judith Levine is an independent arbitrator based in Sydney, Australia. She has arbitrated over 50 disputes including investor-state, commercial and sports cases. Prior to establishing Levine Arbitration in 2020, Judith spent five years in the arbitration group of White & Case in New York and served for over a decade as Senior Legal Counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. She previously worked at the International Court of Justice, the High Court of Australia and for the Australian Attorney-General. Judith is on the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators and is recognized as a “Global Elite Thought Leader” by Lexology (formerly Who’sWhoLegal). She has published and lectured widely on matters of public international law, arbitral procedure, and issues such as arbitrator ethics and climate related disputes. Judith also serves as President of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA).
MOJCA LOGAR
Director of Legal Affairs | Petrol Group | Ljubljana
After graduating from the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Law in 2004 I began my professional journey in the corporate world in the insurance industry, then moved to banking, and later transitioned to retail. Throughout my career, I continued to enhance my skills through further education. I completed my Master’s degree in Law from the University of Ljubljana in 2009 and passed the bar exam in 2011. In 2016, I also qualified as a bankruptcy administrator and in 2020 obtained the ICA Advanced Certificate in Business Compliance. Before joining Petrol Group, I worked at Lidl Slovenia, where I was Head of Legal & Compliance. As the General Counsel of Petrol Group, with diverse operations spanning retail, energy, and more, I lead the legal departments in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro.
MELISSA MAGLIANA
Partner | LALIVE | Zurich
Melissa is a partner at LALIVE specialized in dispute resolution and international commercial arbitration. She holds legal degrees in both US and Swiss law and advises and represents clients in arbitration proceedings under all major rules of arbitration. She also acts as arbitrator. Her expertise spans different industries, with a particular focus on disputes arising in the construction/engineering and life sciences sectors.
Melissa is a member of the LCIA Court, of the board of the Swiss Arbitration Association and co-chair of the IBA Arbitration Committee In-House Counsel Working Group. She represents Switzerland at the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) working group dedicated to dispute settlement.
SIMON MANNER
Principal | Manner Disputes | Hamburg
Dr Simon Manner is the principal of Manner Disputes. He has over 20 years of experience in international arbitration and litigation and has acted as arbitrator and as counsel in numerous domestic and international arbitrations under various institutional rules and handled, inter alia, construction, energy, post-M&A, and a variety of contract and other commercial disputes.
Before founding Manner Disputes, he was a partner with Manner Spangenberg, senior legal counsel with the Nordex Group, and associate and senior associate with Hanefeld in Hamburg.
Simon holds law degrees from Germany and Switzerland. He is a delegate to the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, member of the Arbitrator Appointing Committee of ICC Germany, and member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of International Arbitration. His working languages are English and German. Simon Manner is recognized in leading rankings, including JUVE (ranked as one of Germany’s top 30 arbitrators in 2024), Lexology Index, Best Lawyers, Leaders League and Legal 500.
DIETMAR W. PRAGER
Partner | Debevoise & Plimpton | New York City
Dietmar W. Prager is a litigation partner in Debevoise & Plimpton’s New York office. He focuses his practice on international arbitration. Dr. Prager has represented parties in numerous arbitrations throughout the world under the auspices of the ICC, ICSID, LCIA, AAA, ICDR and the PCA as well as in ad hoc arbitration proceedings. Dr. Prager’s recent representations include disputes involving mining projects, complex infrastructure projects, shareholder disputes, investment treaties, oil & gas projects, energy projects, the retail sector, the finance sector, sovereign debt and distribution agreements. Dr. Prager also regularly sits as arbitrator.
Dr. Prager is the Senior Vice Chair of the IBA Arbitration Committee. He is a member of the Board of the Vienna International Arbitration Centre (VIAC), a member of the KCAB International Arbitration Committee, and a member of the Advisory Council of the World Association of Mining Lawyers (WAOML). Dr. Prager also serves on the Vance Center Committee, the governing body of the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice. He is a former member and Vice Chair of the Executive Committee of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA) and former co- chair of the IBA Subcommittee on International Arbitration Case Law.
ROLF TRITTMANN
Partner | rothorn legal | Frankfurt am Main
Rolf Trittmann is a founding partner at rothorn legal, an international dispute resolution boutique. Rolf specialises in commercial litigation and arbitration, where he is recognised as one of the leading practitioners on a national and international level. He has acted as an arbitrator and as counsel before courts and arbitral tribunals in numerous proceedings, in particular in cross-border matters.
Since 2021, Rolf acts as Vice President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris.
VENUS VALENTINA WONG
Partner | Wolf Theiss | Vienna
Venus Valentina Wong is a partner with Wolf Theiss and co-heads the firm-wide arbitration practice. She focuses on commercial and investment arbitration with particular expertise in the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards and foreign judgements. Valentina acts as counsel and arbitrator and has served in various roles in approximately 90 arbitration and other ADR cases under the major rules, including ICC, LCIA, VIAC, DIS, Swiss Rules, ASEAC, CAS and UNCITRAL.
Valentina studied in Vienna, Amsterdam and Taipei and obtained degrees in law (Mag. iur., Dr. iur.) and sinology (Bakk. phil.). Her working languages are German, English, French and Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese). Valentina teaches at the University of Vienna, has authored and co-edited standard legal literature on arbitration and currently serves as the Alternate Austrian member of the ICC Court of International Arbitration.