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events

If you would like to organise an ERA Pledge launch event or get involved in ERA activities in your jurisdiction please contact us.
12th ICC MENA Conference in Dubai
The Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge was once again supported by Pledge Champions from the MENA Arbitration community, who this year included Laura Adams, Liliia Pylypchyk and Dr. Karen Seif. The Pledge Champions were thrilled to attend the 12th ICC MENA Conference on 27 February 2024,partnering with the ICC at this prestigious event, to raise awareness and garner support for the Pledge.
This year’s conference, which was over-subscribed, was themed Beyond 100: Arbitration, ADR and the Middle East, representing the ADR landscape in the Middle East over 100 years after the ICC Court was first established. The conference was attended by a cohort of world-renowned speakers and guests, with an engaging and thoughtful welcome address being made by Mahmood Hussain, Chairman of the ICC UAE Commission on Arbitration & ADR and Asli Yilmaz, Managing Counsel, ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris.
The conference covered a variety of topics,including a lively debate by esteemed panel lists Ahmed Ibrahim, Independent Arbitrator, Marcus Antoine Khoury, General Counsel, Alec Engineering, and Contracting, Clare Lavin, Partner, HKA, George Vlavianos, Partner, DLA Piper Middle East LLP and moderator Amani Khalifa, Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, who discussed the topical subject of “The wave of large-scale construction projects in the Middle East: choosing the adapted forum”.
Other interesting panel discussions included “Arbitrators as lawmakers and the legal traditions in the MENA region”. The conference concluded with a‘Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Challenge of Arbitrators’which looked at the array of issues frequently arising in the challenges of arbitrators. 
Visit: https://2go.iccwbo.org/icc-mena-conference-on-international-arbitration.html to view the full programme and speaker list and find out more about this conference.
ERA Pledge India Subcommittee organise outdoor networking event in India
On 01 February 2024, Sherina Petit, Chair of the Pledge India Group organised an outdoor networking event for the Indian women in arbitration at the Willingdon Sports Club Lawns in Mumbai. A Delhi networking event will follow in March during the Delhi Arbitration Week.
HONG KONG ARBITRATION FRIENDS: 2023’S HK ARBITRATION WEEK BOX OFFICE HIT, “BARBIE-TRADTION & KEN-FLICT RESOLUTION!
Lemonade and popcorn were available while “dolling out diversity” over conversations on gender, sexual orientation, cultural and disabilities inclusion in international arbitration.
Event: BARBIE-tration and KEN-flict resolution at HK Arbitration Week.
Facilitators:
Elizabeth Chan (陳曉彤) - Tanner De Witt and ArbitralWomen
Louise Barrington, JD, LLM, FCIArb - ArbitralWomen
Mary Thomson - ArbitralWomen
Andrew Rigden Green FCIArb FHKIArb FSIArb - Stephenson Harwood
Stella Hu - Dechert
Lucy Greenwood - Martinez Arbitration WilfredHo - White & Case
Sylvia Tee - Ashurst
Format: In-person (only) at Stephenson Harwood, 18th Floor, United Centre, 95 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong
Organiser: ArbitralWomen
17 October 2023
ICC-FIDICConference on International Construction Contracts and Dispute Resolution
The ERA Pledge was pleased to be at the ICC-FIDIC Conference on International Construction Contracts and Dispute Resolution in Paris on 12-13 October 2023.
Yaye Diabaté and Yehya Fouda, from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, represented the Pledge at the event.
12 -13 October 2023
ARBinBRIEF
On Wednesday, 11 October 2023 ARBinBRIEF held the 1st Episode of Season 3.
The event focused on the “Dos and Don’ts as an Arbitrator in Pro Se Arbitration” and featured Gisela Knuts (Independent Arbitrator) and Lauren Norman (Associate at Akinci Law Office), moderated by Deniz Ozyildiz Gedik (Associate at Akinci Law Office).
The event put a spotlight on what the arbitrators should keep in mind when sitting in a pro se arbitration in a 15-minute recorded conversation, followed by a 15-minute Q&A. It explored the issues that the arbitrators experienced in their cases which involved self-represented parties, the delicate balance between the arbitrators’ guidance and impartiality and finally our speakers’ invaluable advises for drafting an award in a pro se arbitration.
ARBinBRIEF is an initiative that provides a practical, concise, video guide on handpicked arbitration-related topics and features a diverse pool of female arbitrators. In 2022, ARBinBRIEF was recognized for its work by being shortlisted for the Global Arbitration Review Pledge Award. You can listen to previous episodes on theARBinBRIEF website, on YouTube, and via podcast on Spotify. Season 3 of ARBinBRIEF is supported by the ERA Pledge and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce International Arbitration Centre.
11 October 2023
ERA Pledge APAC Subcommittee October Social
Location: Kuala Lumpur
Date: 4 October 2023
Organisers: Louise Azmi & Anita Natalia
Facilitators/Speakers:
Sitpah Selvaratnam
Swee Im Tan
Participants:
Swee Im Tan
Sitpah Selvaratnam
Claudine Au
Shamala Devi Balasundaram
Hemalatha Ramulu
Elaine Yap
Anson Chee
Verene Tan
Celine Chelladurai
Lavinia Kumaraendran
Nalina Santhiran
Ling Li Woon
Anita Natalia
Louise Azmi
Tommy Lim
Key Takeaways:
- Imposter syndrome affects everyone, regardless of seniority. The key is to confidently put ourselves out there, knowing we can reach out for support if necessary. Together, we grow.
- Pairing as wings at conferences or events helps overcome the fear of networking. The cultural reluctance to promote ourselves is acknowledged. Match people attending events to ease into the process of branding.
- Shadowing in arbitration proceedings (subject to consent and approval of parties) would assist younger litigation practitioners in gaining exposure to the handling of arbitral proceedings.
- Collaborate in writing articles and for speaking engagements, by suggesting other or additional names.
- It was truly a night of learning, sharing and camaraderie. "Blowing out someone's candle does not make yours shine brighter." Be the guiding light you wished you had or wish to have.
Summary courtesy of Anita Natalia
4 October 2023
GAR Live London
The ERA Pledge was pleased to be at GAR Live London on 3 October 2023.ence, Lagos, from 31 May - 2 June 2023.
It was fantastic to see full gender equality in the excellent line up of speakers. Well done to Global Arbitration Review and co-chairs Jacomijn van Haersolte-van Hofand Lord Goldsmith KC.
Ashley Jonesand Massimiliano Bonifacino represented the Pledge. Thanks to all those who came to visit the stand to learn more about the Pledgeand sign up!
3 October 2023
ERA Pledge – Tea Talk
Location: International ADR Centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Date: 2 October 2023
Organisers: FJ&G de Saram
Facilitators/Speakers:
- Sitpah Selvaratnam - Co-Chair ERA Pledge APAC Subcommittee
- Christina Hettiarachchi - F J & G de Saram
- Lakshanthi Fernando - CMS
Participants:
- Ms. Sitpah Selvaratnam - Co-Chair - ERA Pledge APAC
- Mrs. Shehara Varia - Director - IADR Center
- Ms. Damithri Welikala - Assistant Sectary General- IADR Center
- Rt Justice Shiranee Thilakawardena - Arbitrator    
- Mr. Avindra Rodrigo, PC - Practitioner          
- Mr. Chandaka Jayasundere, PC - Practitioner        
- Dr. Ramani Jayasundere - Director for Gender and Justice - Asia Foundation
- Mrs. Renu Ranatunge - Senior Vice President Legal - Colombo Stock Exchange
- Mrs. Dilumi de Alwis - Practitioner    
- Mrs. Mokshini Jayamanne - Practitioner      
- Ms. Vishmi Fernando - Practitioner  
- Mr. Aruna de Silva - Counsel - F J & G de Saram
- Ms. Kasuni Jayaweera - Junior Counsel - F J & G de Saram
- Ms. Christina Hettiarachchi - Junior Counsel - F J & G de Saram
- Ms. Oshani Wijewardena - Senior Litigator - F J & G de Saram
- Mr. Drushika Michael Amirthanayagam - Senior Litigator - F J & G de Saram
- Ms. Nishel Boteju - Litigator - F J & G de Saram
Key Takeaways:
- The roundtable discussion was organised as a means of bringing the Pledge Sri Lanka, where like-minded individuals are able to share thoughts, experiences and ideas on improvingdiversity within the arbitration sphere in Sri Lanka on an informal basis.
- There is a lot of work to be done in Sri Lanka, particularly in relation to gender diversity and equality within the legal profession; as such, this event will be the first of many events that will be organised.
- There is also a dire need for support by women for women, whether it be in silos or groups, to discuss issues and assist each other in navigating through them.
- One of the key issues across the legal profession appears to be the retention of female lawyers in the practice, resulting in a lack of diversity within the profession as seniority increases.
- Increased visibility for junior lawyers, especially those moving from second counsel to lead counsel, is crucial in paving a pathway to make the transition from practitioner to arbitrator.
- There is a strong desire for existing issues relating to discrimination within the litigation sphere to not be brought into the arbitration sphere.
Summary courtesy of Christina Hettiarachchi.
2 October 2023
"Meet the experts" event at the IDRC
The ERA Pledge The Equal Representation for Expert Witnesses and Arbitration Pledges co-hosted the first London "meet the experts" event at the IDRC on 26 September 2023.
Dispute resolution lawyers had the chance to network with over 30 female experts and hear from leading practitioners Audley Sheppard KC, Anneliese Day KC and Kate Corby about the importance of diversity in the appointment of testifying witnesses. Kathryn Britten FCA and Ashley Jones spoke on behalf of the ERE and ERA Pledges.
The directory of female experts who attended the event can be downloadedhere:https://lnkd.in/eGMJ4SjU- a useful resource to have at hand when considering your next expert appointment.
With special thanks to all the sponsors and supporters for the event:3VB;AlixPartners;Accounting Valuation Experts LLP; Ankura;Baker McKenzie; BRG Enterprise Solutions; CIArb London Branch; Clifford Chance;Charles River Associates; @Equal Representation in Adjudication Pledge; The Expert Witness Institute; Exponent; IDRC; Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; FTI Consulting; Grant Thornton UK LLP; Greenberg Traurig, LLP; Keating Chambers; Mazars; J.S. Held LLC; HKA; Oxera Consulting LLP; Kroll; London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA); London Chamber of Arbitration and Mediation (LCAM);The Academy Of Experts; @UKA UK Adjudicators ;Omni Bridgeway; RICS; Secretariat; The Society of Construction Law; and whoswholegal.
26 September 2023
DINNER MEETING FOR CONVERSATION ON 1ST AND 2ND APPOINTMENTS BEIJING 
Event Recap of: Dinner meeting for Conversation on 1st and 2nd appointments
Location: Beijing, Xiangshangxiang, CP Centre
Date: 13 September 2023
Organisers: ERA Pledge APAC
Facilitators/Speakers
- Lijun Cao (Zhonglun)
- Stella Hu (Dechert)
Participants
- Chungang Dong (Jingtian & Gongcheng)
- Yulin Zhang (Linli Law)
- Feng Han (Senior in-house counsel)
- Youyou Shi (Deheng)
- Tara Liao (Denis Chang’s Chambers)
- Richard Yip (Denis Chang’s Chambers)
- Joanna Du (KWM)
- Wen Dai (Zhonglun)
Key Takeaways
- During the ERA dinner, senior arbitrators encouraged the group to gain more international experience as an arbitrator and shared ways to increase individual exposure and opportunities to secure appointments.
- The group also discussed international arbitration trends in China and shared personal experiences either as a junior arbitrator or as a practitioner, covering issues including handling arbitrations with non-participating party, managing arbitrator’s fees, ensuring effective service of arbitral proceedings and other interesting topics.
13 September 2023
Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge APAC Subcommittee Mentor Workshop No. 2: Tips for developing experience as a tribunal secretary or arbitrator
This event organised by Jo Delaney and Elizabeth Chan (陳曉彤) in the Pledge’s APAC Subcommittee took place on 6 September 2023
Facilitators/Speakers:
-Duncan Watson KC, Partner, Quinn Emmanuel
-Erika Williams, Independent Arbitrator, Williams Arbitration
Key Takeaways:
- The presenters discussed the different pathways their careers took to obtaining their first tribunal secretary and/or arbitrator appointment.
- Tribunal Secretary (TS) experience can be gained through acting as TS for a partner if you are in a firm or by contacting barristers or other independents who sit as arbitrators.
- There is TS training available through institutions such as HKIAC and ACICA which can result in being listed on their websites.
- TS work can lead to appointments as arbitrators.
- There are various networks available for both arbitrators and tribunal secretaries such as the Rising Arbitrators Initiative, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, including the CIArb Young Members Group, ArbitralWomen and the Tribunal Secretaries Network on LinkedIn.
- Building a career in arbitration is a long-term project, and time spent building foundational skills and credibility, including through acting as counsel, is time well spent.
Summary courtesy of Erika Williams.
6 September 2023
BREAKFAST MEETING FOR ARBITRATORS SEEKING 1ST AND 2ND APPOINTMENTS SINGAPORE
Event Recap of: Breakfast meeting for arbitrators seeking 1st and 2nd appointments
Location: Singapore, 1864 The Bar
Date:31 August 2023
Organisers: HSF & ERA Pledge
Facilitators/Speakers
-May Tai(HSF)
- Chiann Bao (Arbitrator)
Participants:
- Charis Tan (Peter & Kim)
- Thara Gopalan (TSMP)
- Kate Lan (Carrey Olsen)
- Kate Apostolova (Mayer Brown)
- Monisha Cheong (Wong Partnership)
- Jennifer Lim (Sidley)
- Khushboo Shahdadpuri (Tamimi)
- Alessa Pang (Wong Partnership)
- Una Khng (Helmsmanlaw)
- Brenda Horrigan (Arbitrator)
- Swee Im Tan (39 Essex)
Key Takeaways:
- During this ERA breakfast, we shared experiences sitting as arbitrators and our first appointments. We encouraged the group to seek out those opportunities and discussed ways to do so, for example by cultivating relationships with arbitral institutions and networking.
Summary courtesy of Kate Apostolova.
31 August 2023
7th ICC Africa conference, Lagos
The ERA Pledge was represented at the 7th ICC Africa conference, Lagos, from 31 May - 2 June 2023.
Our stand was led by one of Africa’s foremost Pledge Champions, Adedoyin Rhodes-Vivour SAN C.Arb!
31 May - 2 June 2023
Meet the Female Arbitrators
The ERA Pledge was pleased to hold an evening of networking to meet esteemed women arbitrators organised by the ERA Pledge Young Practitioners’ Subcommittee, Corporate Subcommittee, Bar Subcommittee and USA Subcommittee.
This event was held to help you increase your awareness of qualified arbitrator candidates and better serve your clients, company, or organization in the appointment process.
For more information click here.
20 March 2023
AIAC Roundtable Discussion
Examining Diversity: How far have we come?
On the 15th March we joined AIAC to commemorate International Women’s Day and AIAC’s commitment in spearheading workplace diversity and inclusion.
15 March 2023
ARBinBRIEF
Default in arbitration proceedings
Episode 10, Season 2 of ARBinBrief was held on Wednesday, 8 March at 15:00 CET and heard Funke Adekoya and Niamh Leinwather give an insider view, with Nata Ghibradze moderating.
For more information click here.
8 March 2023
ARBinBRIEF
Bifurcation, early or preliminary determination, summary disposal, expedited or fast-track procedures - whatever you call it - they involve important procedural choices about which issues to decide, in what order, how, with what evidence, and how quickly.  
ARBinBRIEF S2E5 on Wednesday, 7 December 2022 at 10:30 CET / 17:30 HKT / 22:30 NZ heard Yoshimi Ohara and Anna Kirk share their thoughts on expedited and related procedures, with Elizabeth Chan (陳曉彤) moderating.  
For more information click here.
7 December 2022
The ERA Pledge was delighted to support this year’s GAR Live: Women in Arbitration conference on 1 December 2022. This well-attended event showcased and gave a platform to outstanding women in the international arbitration sphere, allowing attendees to hear leading female private practice lawyers, funders, expert witnesses and general counsel debate and analyse the latest major developments in arbitration.
Keynote speakers included Juliet Blanch and Melanie van Leeuwen, and the full line-up of specialist speakers is available here.
1 December 2022
The members of the ERA Pledge APAC Sub-Committee were pleased to have organised an informal meeting in Melbourne for November 2022, as part of the Australian Arbitration Week in Melbourne.
November 2022
ARBinBRIEF
As an arbitrator, how do you deal with (potentially) illegally obtained or falsified evidence? How do you define illegally obtained or falsified evidence and how are you alerted to its existence?
Episode 4, Season 2 of ARBinBrief was held on Wednesday, 23 November at 10:00 CET and heard Olga Hamama and Brenda Horrigan give an insider view, with Dr. Nadja Harraschain moderating.
More information here.
November 2022
The Pledge Africa Sub-Committee were out in force at the AfAA Annual International Arbitration Conference in Ghana, which took place between 3-5 November 2022. Many thanks to co-chair Doyin Rhodes Vivour.
Click here to see some photos of the event.
3-5 November 2022
The ERA Pledge was excited to support the second edition of the Istanbul Arbitration Week.
Between 10-14 October 2022 a programme of differing hybrid sessions was held relating to international investment law and arbitration, bringing together arbitration advocates, neutrals and academics from all around the world. Attendees had the opportunity to hear leading experts discuss and debate the ever-changing landscape of international dispute resolution.
For more information see here.
10-14 October 2022
The ERA Pledge was proud to be supporting this years’ World Arbitration Update (WAU) between 26 and 30 September 2022, which updated the global community on key and novel topics of investment and international commercial arbitration, and public international law in a decentralised forum.
The WAU panels followed a dynamic format where a presenter first provided an update of the issue that the panel would address, including relevant treaty and international customary norms, as well as case law. Following this was an open discussion by the panellists, including practitioners, counsel for investors, counsel for States, arbitrators, academics and officials of international organisations and arbitration centres.
For more information see here.
26-30 September 2022
ARBinBRIEF is back!
On Wednsesday, 28 September 2022 at 3pm CEST, ARBinBRIEF kicked off its second season with a special event on Regional Diversity in International Arbitration!
The episode’s talented speakers May Tai, Sara Koleilat-Aranjo, Oluwaseun Philip-Idiok, and Ana Gerdau de Borja Mercereau explored why regional diversity is essential for the long-term legitimacy of international arbitration and examined concrete measures to ensure better representation of all legal cultures on arbitral tribunals. 
For more information see here.
28 September 2022
The ERA Pledge proudly announced its role as Partner of the International Chamber of Commerce Young Arbitration & ADR Forum (ICC YAAF) event on 8 September 2022.
The event featured a virtual Q&A with Claudia Salomon, President of ICC Court of Arbitration, which was followed by a broader panel discussion on diversity and inclusion.
For more information see here.
8 September 2022
The Italian members of the Pledge Steering Committee were pleased to present the Meet Your Female Arbitrator event on 5 July at 6:00pm CET, which featured Fabio Londero alongside Ulrike Gantenberg, Maxi Scherer and Mélanie Van Leeuwen.
For more information see here.
5 July 2022
The ERA Pledge APAC Subcommittee was delighted to announce the launch of the ERA Pledge in the Asia-Pacific
This launch event featured discussion on recent issues in arbitration within the Asia-Pacific region and the approach to increasing female participation in arbitration. During our three panel webinar, attendees heard from leading female arbitrators, legal counsel and in-house counsel about their perspectives on the arbitration practice within the region.
This session examined, among other points, the benefits of arbitration over litigation; recent developments in the courts’ approach to arbitration in the region; the ways to increase the number of Chinese language arbitrations seated outside the Mainland China; and the relevance of economic sanctions on arbitrators. We also evaluated the participation of female arbitrators and practitioners in the region.
Speakers included Swait Baghel, Senior Vice President at Blackstone, Helen Tang, Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills, Stella Hu, Counsel at Dechert, May Tai, Asia Managing Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills and Brenda Horrigan, Independent Arbitrator, Immediate past-President of the Australian Centre for ACICA and FCIArb. The three panels were moderated by Sitpah Selvaratnam and Kate Apostolova, Co-chairs of the APAC Sub-Committee and Ewa Kondracka, Secretary to the APAC Sub-Committee.
For more information see here.
5 July 2022
The Arbitration Pledge was excited to be partnering with the 7th ICC Asia-Pacific Conference on International Arbitration, which took place in Singapore on 22 June 2022.
This year, the Asia-Pacific Conference featured a wide-range of interesting and forward-looking topics, from pharmaceutical and biotechnology disputes, to corruption. This year’s conference also featured a variety of prominent speakers, including: Claudia Salomon, President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris, Donna Huang, Director of North Asia ICC Arbitration & ADR, ICC International Court of Arbitration, and Hon Mr Justice L Nageshwara Rao, Judge on the Supreme Court of India.
As well as a range of interesting panels and keynote speeches, speakers at this year’s Asia-Pacific Conference provided an overview of recent arbitration developments in the region and the Conference held a Fireside Chat on the global supply chain. Participants also had the opportunity to experience an Oxford Style Debate on the ‘No Win No Fee’ scheme.
Visit the event webpage to view the full programme and speaker list.
22 June 2022
The ERA Pledge was pleased to be holding a breakfast on the 21 June, to “Meet the Female Arbitrators” as part of a joint event with the ICC.
Welcome remarks were given by Claudia Saloman, President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, Alex Fessas, Secretary General of the ICC International Court of Arbitration and Kate Apostolova, Co-Chair of the APAC Sub-Committee and Senior Associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Further TED-style talks were given by Delphine Ho of the Arbitration Chambers and Anne Secomb of Secomb Arbitration.
For more information see here.
21 June 2022
The Africa Subcommittee was pleased to be a sponsor of the 6th ICC Africa Arbitration Conference which took place in Lagos from 1-3 June 2022.
The programme kicked off on 1 June with ICC Institute Advanced Level Training on Assessment of Damages by Arbitrators featuring Pledge Africa Subcommittee Co-chair, Adedoyin Rhodes-Vivour, followed by a 2-day conference which featured a number of interesting and topical sessions including Disruption and Technology in International Arbitration (panel included Africa Subcommittee member Stephanie Mbonu), and Collaboration, Inclusion and Representation in African Arbitration: Bridging the Anglo-Franco African divide (panel includes Africa Subcommittee member Ilham Kabbouri). Other sessions included African Arbitration in Review: Developments, Challenges and Future Opportunities; Challenges to the Enforcement of Arbitral Awards; New Trends in Energy Sector Disputes; Damages in International Arbitration: Valuation Approaches; Current Developments; Construction Disputes: Trends and Opportunities and many others!
The last session of the conference was a debate on double hatting in international arbitration featuring Constantine Partasides QC and Babatunde Fagbohunlu, SAN.
1-3 June 2022
The Pledge’s Middle East Sub-Committee was proud to present the hybrid event at Al Tamimi & Company, with institutional and in-house speakers discussing how diversity and inclusion on tribunals has made the arbitral process more efficient and cost-effective. Speakers included Antonia Birt, Prof Dr Nayla Comair-Obeid and was moderated by Sara Koleilat-Aranjo and Laura Hammoud.
For more information click here.
26 May 2022
The Pledge was proud to support the 10th ICC MENA conference on international arbitration which takes place between 16-17 May 2022 in Dubai, UAE. The conference featured experts in the field as well as representatives from the ICC International Court of Arbitration, and was preceded by the ICC Institute Advanced Level Training on Dispute Boards.
For more information click here.
16-17 May 2022
ARBinBRIEF presented a special episode dedicated to the war in Ukraine and the proceedings commenced by Ukraine against the Russian Federation at the International Court of Justice under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
We were honoured to have public international law specialists Emilie Gonin and Dr Maria Varaki discuss the legal questions raised in these proceedings in a 30-minute live episode which took place on 29 April at 15:00 CET.
This special episode was a collaboration between the ERA Pledge, Delos Dispute Resolution and Jus Mundi.
29 April 2022
Careers in Arbitration was pleased to support ARBinBRIEF Season 1, Episode 10 held on 20 April 2022.
To take enforcement risks into account? To what extent? And which factors should be assessed?
This episode of ARBinBRIEF was moderated by Dr. Nadja Harraschain, featuring Senka Mihaj and Adriana Braghetta on taking enforcement risks into account.
For more information click here.
20 April 2022
On 11 April at 9:00 CET the virtual Q&A “Call a Spade a Spade” Coffee Morning was hosted by Vienna International Arbitral Centre of the Austrian Federation Economic Chamber (VIAC) and KNOETZL.
On the occasion of the 29th Annual Vis Moot, Gisèle Stephens-Chu, Hafez Virjee, Sara Koleilat-Aranjo and Professor Emilia Onyema discussed the lack of diversity in international arbitration. The event was moderated by Niamh Leinwather and Patrizia Netal.
For more information click here.
11 April 2022
The HIAC is an annual conference hosted and organised by the Harvard International Arbitration Law Students Association (HIALSA). For the 8th HIAC, HIALSA opted to focus on the international nature of arbitration, with the title: “Clash of cultures? Civil and Common Law traditions in international arbitration”. The conference featured an ambitious program of 3 keynote speeches including by Dr Claudia Annacker and 6 panels with 21 speakers of over 16 different nationalities all on hand to discuss and analyse the constructive ways in which legal cultures are interrelated within international arbitration.
For more information click here.
31 March – 1 April 2022
The Paris-based members of the Pledge are organised a networking breakfast on 31 March during Paris Arbitration Week. This event was an opportunity to discuss and reflect on the concrete impact of the ERA Pledge. The event was prefaced by a keynote speech by Eric O’Donnell, Head of Legal Operations at TotalEnergies, who shared his perspectives on implementing diversity and inclusion policies.
31 March 2022
Parties incur costs throughout an arbitration. Are those costs recoverable? When can you recover costs, which costs, and to what extent can you recover them?
Episode 9 of ARBinBRIEF was held on Wednesday 23 February at 3pm CET and heard Maria Hauser-Morel and Dr Crina Baltag, FCIArb discussing the costs issues which arise in the course of an arbitration, and how parties, counsel and arbitrators should approach them. This episode was moderated by Mrinalini Singh.
More information here.
23 February 2022
Have you ever wondered whether and when witness evidence is useful for your arbitral tribunal in deciding the case?
Episode 8 of ARBinBrief was held on 9 February 2022 at 3pm CET and heard Amani Khalifa (Counsel, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer) and Rukia Baruti, PhD (Independent Arbitrator and Secretary General, African Arbitration Association) discussing how tribunals evaluate witness evidence. This episode was moderated by Nata Ghibradze.
More information here.
9 February 2022
The date of the arbitration hearing is approaching and procedural arrangements need to be made. Holding a pre-hearing conference may be an efficient way to facilitate the discussion between the tribunal and the parties.
Episode 7 of ARBinBRIEF was held on Wednesday, 26 January 2022 at 3pm CET, which featured Anna Masser and Efosa Ewere discussing when and how a pre-hearing conference can be used in preparation for the hearing. This episode was moderated by Olga Sendetska.
More information here.
26 January 2022
The Pledge supported an event on 24 January 2022 for the launch of the book “Force Majeure and Hardship in the Asia Pacific Region” hosted by editors, Dr. Harold Sippel and Dr. Kabir Duggal.
Details about the book and event are in the flyer here.
24 January 2022
When used properly, bifurcation can be an extremely effective case management technique. In the wrong circumstances however, it can lead to an increase in the duration and costs of arbitral proceedings.
The sixth episode of ARBinBRIEF on Wednesday 12 January 2022 featured Céline Greenberg and Emilia Onyema discussing why bifurcation is a useful tool, when it should (not) be used, and if tribunals should be more proactive and encourage parties to consider bifurcation. This episode was moderated by Luliana Lancu.
For more information click here.
12 January 2022
On 14 December 2021, Dana MacGrath and Gretta Walters delivered a presentation to the Arbitration Committee of the New York City Bar on the Arbitration Pledge and recent launch of the Pledge USA Sub-Committee.
14 December 2021
We were proud to support this year’s ICC Arbitration conference which took place between 12-14 December 2021.
The conference featured experts in the field as well as representatives from the ICC International Court of Arbitration, all on hand to engage with professionals wanting to keep pace with the latest developments.
The session on diversity and inclusion was hosted by Arbitration Pledge, ArbitralWomen and WOMEN WAY IN ARBITRATION - WWA LATAM and chaired by Claudia Salomon on 13 December at 5pm.
For more information click here.
12-14 December 2021
The Pledge Africa Sub-Committee is pleased to host a webinar series on arbitration and ADR in Francophone Africa, showcasing women practitioners from North to Sub Saharan Africa. Our speakers will provide their unique perspectives as counsel, arbitrator or arbitral institution representative, on dispute resolution trends and realities across the region.
The second event of the series “L’arbitrage et les MARD en Afrique francophone: évolutions, problématiques et réalités” took place on 8 December 2021 at 18:00 CET. Our speakers included Sabrina Aïnouz, Audrey Alévina, Salimatou Diallo and Sally El Sawah, with Sylvie Bebohi Ebongo and Gisèle Stephens-Chu as moderators.
For more information click here.
8 December 2021
Virtual hearings are becoming the new norm and seem to be here to stay. It is therefore important to understand the necessary organisational and technical skills for a successful virtual hearing.
The fifth episode of ARBinBRIEF featured Kate Apostolova and Luminita Popa discussing Conducting Virtual Hearings as a Sole Arbitrator on Wednesday 8 December 2021 at 11:00am CET. This live episode was moderated by Ibukunoluwa Owa.
For more information click here.
8 December 2021
Time to draft the Procedural Order No. 1. The fourth episode of ARBinBRIEF was held on Wednesday 24 November at 3pm CET and featured Krystle Baptista Serna, an independent arbitrator and consultant, who has experience in the best Iberian law firms and in handling complex international arbitrations, representing a new generation of specialized arbitrators.
This episode featured Dana MacGrath interviewing Krystle Baptista Serna on the most important and challenging issues to watch out for when drafting the Procedural Order No.1, with Vanessa Zimmermann de Meireles as moderator.
For more information click here.
24 November 2021
Amani Khalifa, co-chair of the African Subcommittee, spoke about the ERA Pledge at the 7th SOAS Arbitration in Africa Conference on 23 November.
For more information click here.
23 November 2021
The Case Management Conference was a golden opportunity to make the arbitration more efficient. To bifurcate or not? Can any issues be determined early? Should there be a joint list of issues?
Episode 3 of ARBinBRIEF featured Preeti Bhagnani interviewing Suzanne Rattray on these important strategic considerations on Wednesday 11 November at 8am NY / 2pm CET / 3pm Zambia / 9pm Hong Kong. This episode was moderated by Elizabeth Chan (陳曉彤).
For more information click here
11 November 2021
The second episode of Push for Parity Season 2 “The art of deliberations: tips from behind the scenes” was held on Thursday 28 October, and featured Niuscha Bassiri, Eva Kalnina, Sherina Petit, with co-hosts Lindsay Gastrell and Marta García Bel.
28 October 2021
The Pledge Africa Sub-Committee is pleased to host a webinar series on arbitration and ADR in Francophone Africa, showcasing women practitioners from North to Sub Saharan Africa. Our speakers will provide their unique perspectives as counsel, arbitrator or arbitral institution representative, on dispute resolution trends and realities across the region.
The first event of the series “Arbitrage et MARD dans l’espace OHADA : actualités et évolutions” took place on 28 October 2021 at 17:00 BST / 18:00 CET. The speakers included Aminatou Akobe, Bintou Boli/Djibo and Marie-Andrée Ngwe, with Sylvie Bebohi Ebongo and Gisele Stephens-Chu as moderating the event. The panellists were terrific, providing many practical and personal insights on the practice of arbitration and mediation and trends within their arbitral institutions.
Over 40 people attended the event, hailing from all over Francophone Africa (Benin, Togo, Tunisia, Gabon, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroun, Burkina Faso, Rwanda and Morocco) as well as a few Paris-based practitioners. The event has received excellent feedback!
28 October 2021
I am appointed as arbitrator: now what? The second episode of ARBinBRIEF took place on Wednesday 27 October. The episode featured Chiann Bao interviewing Fatima Balfaqeeh (MCIArb, MRICS, MCIPS) on what to do once you get your first appointment as arbitrator. Dara Sahab moderated.
27 October 2021
The Arbitration Pledge is delighted to co-organize the virtual workshop series “Demystifying quantum and expert evidence” together with EY and ArbitralWomen, with support from the Rising Arbitrators Initiative.

The most recent session of the series “The impact of COVID-19 on damages assessment” took place on 20 October 2021 at 09:00 BST and 21 October 2021 at 15:00 BST. It focused on the approaches experts may take, faced with the uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, to quantify damages in a disrupted market.
20 October 2021
The Pledge was promoted by Sylvia Noury and Stephanie Mbonu at the African Arbitration Academy session held on 19 October 2021.
19 October 2021
The ERA Pledge participated in a Webinar organised by the Arbitrator Intelligence 2021 Diversity Campaign entitled Assessing and Resolving Disparities in Arbitrator Appointments.Ashley Jones, Secretary of the Global Steering Committee and Corporate Subcommittee, participated in the webinar on behalf of the Pledge. More details about the webinar and the other speakers and supporting organisations can be found here. A recording of the event will be available shortly.
For more information on the AI Diversity Campaign, see here.
To provide arbitrator feedback, complete an AI Questionnaire (AIQ) here.
30 September 2021
It was our pleasure to launch the ARBinBRIEF series: a practical video guide with fortnightly 15 minute episodes of live conversations between two arbitrators discussing handpicked arbitration issues.The Kick-off event, Trailblazers: Where Ambition Meets Extraordinary, took place on Wednesday, 29 September 2021 at 3pm CET and featured a panel of highly accomplished women, who have not only focused on their own careers in international arbitration, but have also sought to achieve a purpose that goes beyond themselves.

The conversation featured Isabel Yishu Yang (Founder and CEO of ArbiLex), Dr. Nadja Harraschain (Founder of breaking.through), Madeline Kimei (Founder and CEO of iResolve), Amani Khalifa (Counsel at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, Member of the ERA Pledge Steering Committee) and Rekha Rangachari (Executive Director of the New York International Arbitration Center, Co-founder and Co-chair of the R.E.A.L initiative), and was moderated by Olga Hamama (Co-founder and Partner of V29 Legal).
More information here
The video series is hosted in collaboration with the ERA Pledge, Delos Dispute Resolution and Jus Mundi.
29 September 2021
The popular Push for Parity Series has returned with Season 2! P4P2 drills down on the practical skills you need to excel as an arbitrator at key moments in the proceeding. The three-part series will offer honest, valuable insights from seasoned practitioners about how to handle arbitrator interviews, deliberations, and writing the award.

The first episode of the series "Setting the stage: arbitrator interviews, conflicts and disclosures" was held on Monday 27 September 2021, with Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Leandro Meneses, Elena Gutiérrez García de Cortázar and Ina Popova, moderated by Krystle Baptista Serna and Isabel San Martín.
More information here
27 September 2021
In partnership with Squire Patton Boggs  the ERA Pledge was delighted to host a networking luncheon on the first day of Paris Arbitration Week. After an introduction from the firm’s Paris Managing Partner Carole Sportes, Claudia Salomon, President of the International Court of Arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), gave an inspiring speech on the theme of “seeing is believing”, which was followed by a presentation of the Pledge from Alison Pearsall, in-house counsel at Veolia and member of the Pledge Steering Committee. Alison provided an overview of the Pledge’s history, organization, achievements and current initiatives, including the Corporate Guidelines for Implementation of the Pledge (https://lnkd.in/dQstmWDi), the Checklist of Best Practices for the Selection of Arbitrators (https://lnkd.in/dJ88KAJc), and the activities of the newly-formed Young Practitioners Sub-Committee.
20 September 2021
The Arbitration Pledge YPSC was pleased to support Women in Arbitration (WIA) and Rising Arbitrators Initiative’s webinar on “How to get your first appointment as arbitrator” which is going “hybrid” on 17 September 2021 during  China Arbitration Week 2021. The webinar was conducted in Mandarin Chinese and the speakers included Joanne Lau (RAI, A&O), FEI LU (CIETAC), Xin An (SCIA), Huawei Sun (Zhong Lun Law Firm), Winnie Tam SBS SC JP (WIA, Des Voeux Chambers) and Ling YANG (HKIAC).
17 September 2021
On July 8, 2021, the AIAC Young Practitioners' Group and the Task Force on Gender Diversity in Arbitral Appointments and Proceedings held a live debate on the topic 'Are we still #chartingtheway?'
The debate was moderated by international arbitrator and mediator Louise Barrington, JD, LLM, FCIArb. Jennifer Ivers and Lilien Wong argued in favour of the motion and Ashley Jones and Daniel Chua argued against the motion.
8 July 2021
During the week 5 to 9 July 2021, the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) hosted its annual Diversity in Arbitration week. For information on the events that took place, see here
5–9 July 2021
The African Subcommittee of the Arbitration Pledge (supported by Association of Young Arbitrators and An African Promise) hosted an event in the 'Meet the African Female Arbitrator' series, featuring Samaa Haridi. The event was co-moderated by Folashade Alli, LL.M and Thembela Ndwandwe.
30 June 2021
ERA Pledge Steering Committee and Corporate Subcommittee members Kelly Herrera and Ashley Jones, together with Lee Rovinescu, presented to the CPR Institute Arbitration Committee on Monday 21 June on the ERA Pledge Corporate Guidelines. The focus was a practical discussion on the steps that parties and their external counsel can take to improve diversity in international arbitration, including in the arbitrator selection process.
21 June 2021
A meeting of the Pledge Global Steering Committee meeting took place on 16 June with representatives from the Pledge Subcommittees attending to give updates on their progress.
16 June 2021
On 25 May, Freshfields and the Corporate Subcommittee hosted a “meet the female arbitrator” event on the rise of climate change disputes and the role of arbitration, featuring Annette Magnusson, Crenguta Leaua, Edna Sussman and Wendy Miles QC, moderated by Will Thomas QC. The panel discussed many interesting angles to this topic, including:
  • the range of disputes that may arise in the commercial arbitration space as the world transitions;
  • the capacity of arbitration to implement change and enforce climate change standards and Net Zero commitments; and
  • the limits and opportunities for arbitration to play a role in the transition towards Net Zero
Members of the Pledge Corporate Subcommittee hosted breakout rooms with the speakers after the main discussion: Samantha Bakstad; Kate Wilford, Geoffrey David and Dana MacGrath
Over 70 in-house and external counsel attended the event. Details of the event are here
25 May 2021
The ERA Pledge Middle East Subcommittee officially launched on 8 April 2021. A panel made up of esteemed arbitration practitioners discussed (i) diversity in the Middle East arbitration community and (ii) how to make it as a female arbitrator in the Middle East. Co-chairs of the MENA Pledge Subcommittee, Prof Dr Nayla Comair Obeid and Antonia Birt, gave opening remarks and an introduction to the Pledge and the Keynote speech was given by independent arbitrator Wendy Miles QC. Thanks to all those that attended the event. There are photos of the event in the Gallery. (virtual event)
8 April 2021
A Pledge Asia event took place showcasing the following brilliant female arbitrator candidates experienced in the region: Queenie Lau, Chie Nakahara, Dr. Helena H. C. Chen, FCIArb, Sitpah Selvaratnam, Erin Miller Rankin, Louise Barrington, JD, LLM, FCIArb and Chiann Bao, moderated by Kate Apostolova. For more details click here
31 March 2021
The Arbitration Pledge Young Practitioners Committee hosted a really interesting webinar “Share the joy! An honest discussion about shared parental leave, parenthood responsibilities and career advancement in international arbitration” For more details, see here
18 March 2021
The Pledge India subcommittee invited Nathalie Voser of Rothorn Legal to share her experiences, advice, and journey as an arbitrator and founding partner of her firm. The session was moderated by ERA Pledge YPSC member Namrata Shah and Pledge India group members joined in from Mumbai, Delhi, Frankfurt and Dubai. Nathalie shared insights on the differences in civil and common law mindsets and how this impacts strategy, drafting and arguments in international arbitration. She shared practical advice on drafting and managing client relationships and discussed her approach to leadership, mentoring, hiring and retaining talent.
12 March 2021
The Arbitration Pledge Young Practitioners Committee is hosted a webinar - “Internalise Your Success and Show Up From Where You Are” - with professional coach Caroline Flanagan.
9 March 2021
The Arbitration Pledge is collaborating with UNSUITED to present UNSUITED Series, Season 3 focussing on Women in Law (organised by IDEX Legal and The Grey Matter). Female lawyers from South Asia and elsewhere will be sharing their personal and professional stories of their different journeys to success, highlighting their courage and resilience along the way. The first episode took place on 7 March with Madhavi Divan (Senior Counsel, Additional Solicitor General of India) and Nandini Khaitan (Partner, Khaitan & Co). Further episodes will be advertised here and on the Pledge LinkedIn account.
7 March 2021
Webinar entitled “Beyond billable hours” took place on 25 February.
25 February 2021
The Pledge co-organised the ICC MENA diversity session addressing the topic: “Effective Dispute Resolution: Why Diversity Matters?” together with ArbitralWomen. The session was moderated by Nassif Boumalhab, and on the panel were Amani Khalifa, Rekha Rangachari, Nasreen Bulos, and Hamideh Barmakhshad. Sara K. Aranjo and Dania Fahs gave introductory remarks and Antonia Birt closing remarks on behalf of The Pledge.
25 February 2021
9th ICC MENA Conference for the third year in a row hosted The Pledge booth, this time virtually. Conference participants were able to learn more about The Pledge and speak with Pledge representatives.
22–25 February 2021
The ERA Pledge African subcommittee hosted the third event in its 'Meet the female African arbitrator' series on 16 February 2021 at 6-7pm (GMT). The series was supported by the Association of Young Arbitrators and An African Promise. The event featured esteemed Nigerian arbitrator, Funke Adekoya, SAN and was co-moderated by Amani Khalifa and Stephanie Mbonu. Ms Adekoya heads the arbitration practice group at AELEX. With 45 years’ experience in commercial dispute resolution, she is frequently appointed to arbitral tribunals, either as sole or party appointed arbitrator conducting proceedings under the rules of the ICC, ICSID, UNCITRAL and LMAA. She has been involved in a range of disputes including disputes arising from gas sales agreements, oil rig supply contracts to joint ventures in construction and real estate. She also advises clients on award enforcement issues within Nigeria and leads the counsel team in arbitration related litigation.
16 February 2021
The Pledge India group ran a training session on closed door advocacy, led by Marion Smith QC and Karishma Vora (one of our Pledge India group members) of 39 Essex Chambers.
6 February 2021
GAR Interactive: Women in Arbitration event was held on 2 February 2021 co-chaired by Annette Magnusson and Domitille Baizeau. Founder of the Pledge, Sylvia Noury, was interviewed during the fireside chat session. The Pledge was a non-financial sponsor of the event. With an excellent cast of female speakers and an interesting programme the event was a great success. For more details, click here.
2 February 2021
In 2020 the ERA Pledge YPSC hosted the "Push for Parity" series which focused on launching a career as an arbitrator and offered honest conversation, concrete advice and answers to the hardest questions about succeeding as an arbitrator. Now you can access the recordings of the webinars using the links below:
September 2020 – December 2020
The ERA Pledge Young Practitioners Subcommittee hosted the fourth and final event of the #PushforParity series on 9 December. The event featured Dr Crina Baltag, Chiann Bao, Dyalá Jiménez, Thomas Sprange QC, and was hosted by Marta García Bel and Isabel San Martín. The speakers shared their professional success stories and the discussion explored their different career paths (academia, institution, government and law firm) to become arbitrators and what did (and what did not) help them transition into the arbitrator role.
9 December 2020
The ERA Pledge Young Practitioners Subcommittee hosted the third event of the #PushforParity series on 17 Nov at 10 am EST / 3 pm GMT / 4 pm CET / 11 pm HKT. The panel, comprised of Pledge African Sub-Committee member Sylvie Bebohi Ebongo, Christina Hioureas, Michele Potestà and Dr. Katherine Simpson FCIArb, shared their insights based on their first-hand experience on how to arbitrate your first case, with Lindsay Gastrell moderating the event.
Thanks go to YAWP - Young ArbitralWomen Practitioners, Women Way in Arbitration – WWA LATAM, Rising Arbitrators Initiative, American Society of International Law HKIAC Women in Arbitration Initiative, Young ICCA, Young International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), ICC YAF , CIArb (EAB) Young Members Group, International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) Y&I, HK45 Asia-Pacific Forum on International Arbitration, Young Singapore International Arbitration Centre (YSIAC), Association of Young Arbitrators (AYA), Club Español del Arbitraje -40 and Mujeres. Information about the event is available here.
17 November 2020
A 'Meet the female African arbitrator' event took place on 17 November 2020 at 6-7pm (GMT) as part of Dubai Arbitration Week 2020, the second event in a series organised by the ERA Pledge African Sub-Committee (supported by the Association of Young Arbitrators and An African Promise). The event featured esteemed Nigerian arbitrator, Dorothy Ufot, SAN, FCIArb (UK) and was co-moderated by Ilham Kabbouri and Isaiah Bozimo. Ms Ufot is the founding partner of the leading Nigerian firm Dorothy Ufot & Co. She has acted as an arbitrator in several complex, high-volume arbitrations in oil and gas, international construction projects, international supply contracts, infrastructure development, telecoms and financial services in arbitrations taking place in Africa, Europe and the UAE.
17 November 2020
The Pledge co-sponsored a diversity event with WWA Latam and Arbitral Women at the 18th ICC Miami Conference on International Arbitration. Information about the wider conference is available here.
09-13 November 2020
Sylvia Noury, head of Freshfields’ international arbitration, London and Kate Apostolova, senior associate, Freshfields-Singapore, participated in a webinar “On Gender Diversity in Arbitral Appointments and Proceedings”, an event supported by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre and the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association. For more information click here.
9 November 2020
Demystifying quantum and expert evidence’ workshop series, Session 1: the Ernst & Young / ERA Pledge YPSC / Arbitral Women Damages Training. The training was designed to offer guidance on how to determine quantum claims especially where assumptions by rival experts are significantly divergent.
4 November 2020
The Pledge officially launched in China at an event on diversity in international arbitration that took place during China Arbitration Week. The event was held in TianTong Law Firm courtyard in Beijing, only a wall away from the Forbidden City (the royal palace of ancient China). There were 9 speakers and about 30 guests. 8942 people watched this event online. Co-chairs of the Young Practitioner’s Steering Committee (YPSC), Sofia Klot and Maguelone de Brugiere, gave an introduction to the Pledge and the Keynote speech was given by SIAC Court Member, Jessica Fei. Thanks to YPSC member, Jiaying (Angela) Yan, for organizing this event on behalf of the Pledge. There are photos of the event in the Gallery.
23 October 2020
The Young Practitioners Sub-committee hosted the second panel session in its Push for parity series, entitled “practical tools for emerging arbitrators webinar”.
20 October 2020
Co-heads of the International Arbitration open commission of the Paris Bar hosted a webinar featuring the Paris-based members of the ERA Pledge Steering Committee at which they presented a new checklist of best practices, methods and tools for selecting arbitrators. 130 attendees joined the event along with speakers: Mireze Philippe, Gisele Stephens-Chu, Alison Pearsall, Maria Beatriz Burghetto, Laurence Kiffer, Caroline Duclercq and the moderator Valence Borgia. A copy of the checklist will be available from the Pledge website soon.
14 October 2020
Freshfields Paris arbitration group organised a virtual “meet the female arbitrator” event in conjunction with the Pledge, featuring five Paris-based women arbitrators, who discussed hot topics in arbitration. Over 50 people attended.
1 October 2020
The ERA Pledge Young Practitioners Subcommittee, with the support of 17 sponsor organizations, hosted a four-part webinar series entitled “Push for Parity: Practical Tools for Emerging Arbitrators”. The series is aimed at emerging arbitrators seeking to improve their profile and visibility, and  covers a variety of topics, from launching a career and securing a first arbitrator appointment to managing your first arbitrations. The first session took place on 23 September 2020, and feature representatives from leading arbitral institutions (Delphine Ho (SIAC), Madeline Kimei (Tanzania Institute of Arbitrators), Gabriele Ruscalla (ICC) and Wing Shek (LCIA)) who shared their knowledge of the appointment process.
23 September 2020
The African Subcommittee of the ERA Pledge (supported by the Association of Young Arbitrators and An African Promise) was excited t­­o announce the ‘Meet the female African Arbitrator’ limited seven-part series. The series kicking off with esteemed Kenyan arbitrator and advocate, Njeri Kariuki. Ms Kariuki is an advocate who has specialised in resolving disputes through arbitration and ADR. Ms Kariuki has been listed as a leading individual in Chambers Global and has been nominated by the Government of the Republic of Kenya to the Panel of Arbitrators at ICSID.
15 September 2020
The BIICL, in cooperation with Queen Mary University of London and Babcock University, organised the first “African Arbitration Day”, a conference on recent developments and topics of interest in international arbitration in Africa. The event was presented as two half-day webinars. As part of the line-up, Sylvia Noury chaired a panel on “dealing with investment treaty challenges”.
3 – 4 September 2020
The ERA Pledge hosted a virtual gender diversity event as part of the Asian International Arbitration Centre’s Diversity in Arbitration Week. The event featured a panel session with six female arbitrators followed by an audience Q&A.
14 July 2020
Pledge Steering Committee members Cecilia Carrara, Maria Beatrice Deli, Paolo Di Giovanni and Beatriz Saiz Marti organised a successful, Italian-focused “Meet Your Female Arbitrator” webinar. Speakers included Barbara Benzoni of Eni, Victoria Vines of Maire Technimont and Carolyn Lamm of White & Case.
15 June 2020
At the end of May, the newly formed ERA Pledge Young Practitioners Subcommittee held its inaugural meeting via Zoom. The ERA Pledge Young Practitioners Subcommittee is a group of energetic and talented individuals from all corners of the world working to spread the ERA Pledge's message of gender equality among the younger members of the arbitration community. They discussed some interesting ideas to bring the Pledge to our young peers, and to address the particular needs of younger arbitrators and female lawyers seeking to launch careers as arbitrators.
27 May 2020
Pledge member Aurélia Kamga organised an ICC YAF (Young Arbitrators Forum) event in Douala, Cameroon. The event focused on the topic of “Arbitration and Young Practitioners" and invited a panel of speakers to discuss a diverse range of topics, with a focus on promoting diversity in Arbitration. The Pledge initiative was shared, and resources were distributed to all the attendees, resulting in several new signatories. (Douala, Cameroon)
10 March 2020
The ERA Pledge was proud to support the 17th ICC Miami Conference on International Arbitration which took place on 10-12 November 2019. (Miami, USA)
10-12 November 2019
The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Nigeria Branch, held its 2019 Annual Conference in Lagos, Nigeria. Five hostesses were engaged to wear ERA Pledge t-shirts and face caps for the conference to promote the ERA Pledge, distribute diversity materials, and to enlighten the Conference delegates on the Pledge. The Conference was attended by over 600 participants (both national and international) and 134 participants signed the Pledge. The hostesses had one-on-one interactions with participants and reminded those who had previously signed the pledge of the actionable steps to be taken after signing the Pledge. (Lagos, Nigeria)
7- 8 November 2019
The New York State Bar Association’s Global Conference 2019 entitled “A world of many voices, united in our diversity” took place in Tokyo on 5 to 8 November 2019. The Pledge was proud to be a non-financial sponsor of the event. (Tokyo, Japan)
5-8 November 2019
Herbert Smith Freehills hosted the "Meet the Female Arbitrators" event in conjunction with The Pledge to kick off Hong Kong Arbitration Week. In a speed-dating esque format, 12 women arbitrators shared their expertise and experience in the industry. (Hong Kong, China)
18 October 2019
The Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration hosted a conference on ‘The Evolution of Arbitration in the Middle East and North Africa: Realities and Perspectives’, with a session on ‘Diversity in International Arbitration – Towards a More Inclusive Approach’. The aim of the session was to discuss the current practices regarding cultural, gender and other roots of diversity. The session explored the emerging markets for youth, female and other ethnical and cultural groups as arbitrators and the impact of these trends on the process. Speakers included Dr. Nayla Comair-Obeid, Mr. Ahmed Ouerfelli, Dr. Dalia Hussein and Ms. Chiann Bao. (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
14-15 October 2019
The newly-formed ERA Pledge Corporate Sub-Committee held its inaugural meeting. (London, UK)
15 October 2019
Clifford Chance hosted an event on developments in gender equality in international arbitration, with the aim of fostering active dialogue between all participants, and discussed the goal of increasing the number of female arbitrators in arbitration proceedings and ways in which we can get there. Experienced arbitrators offered their personal experiences, ideas and approaches. (Frankfurt, Germany)
4 September 2019
The Global Pledge Steering Committee met to discuss action points, past and upcoming events and new team members. (London, UK)
3 September 2019
Linklaters hosted the most recent “Meet the Female Arbitrators” event, aimed at the financial services community, in conjunction with The Pledge. In a speed-dating-esque format, female arbitrators each sat at an individual table with attendees moving between the tables to talk to the arbitrators about their experiences and expertise. The event was joined by some very distinguished women, including Dame Elizabeth Gloster, and feedback from the attendees was very positive. Teresa Laboucarié-Polak (Partner in Linklaters’ International Arbitration Practice) delivered the opening remarks and it was a fun and inspiring evening. (London, UK)
20 June 2019
The Pledge was promoted at the inaugural Africa Arbitration Academy hosted by Freshfields in London. The day began with an opening address delivered by Sylvia Noury and Stephanie Mbonu, following by sessions on investment treaty arbitration (presented by Natalie Sheehan and Ella Davies), construction disputes in Africa (presented by Bryan Dayton and Mohamed Eid) and annulment and enforcement of arbitral awards (presented by Gisele Stephens-Chu and Maxence Rivoire). The day concluded with a mentoring session with Prof Dr Mohamed Abdel Wahab and Mrs Funke Adekoya, SAN during which various issues were discussed including improving the visibility of African arbitrators on the world stage, tackling diversity, and improving local judicial support for domestic and international arbitration across Africa. (London, UK)
10 June 2019
The Finland Arbitration Institute (FAI) hosted the 15th IFCAI Biennial Conference in Helsinki. The IFCAI Biennial Conference is an international arbitration conference arranged biennially by the International Federation of Commercial Arbitration Institutions (IFCAI). The conference is hosted in turns by arbitral institutions that are IFCAI members. Currently, IFCAI consists of 52 member organisations worldwide. (Helsinki, Finland)
23 May 2019
Diversity Drinks Reception supported by the Pledge and ArbitralWomen during LIDW. (London, UK)
9 May 2019
Panel discussion on the art of advocacy in international arbitration hosted by Baker McKenzie, ICDR Young & International (ICDR Y&I) and Young ArbitralWomen Practitioners (YAWP). (New York, USA)
29 April 2019
We were a supporting organisation at a conference on adjudication and arbitration being held at the Scottish Arbitration Centre, Edinburgh. (Edinburgh, Scotland)
15 March 2019
Burford Capital LLC hosted the official UK launch of The Equity Project, supported by ArbitralWomen, at Somerset House, London. The Equity Project is a ground-breaking initiative designed to help close the gender gap in law by providing an economic incentive for change through a $50 million pool of capital earmarked for financing commercial litigation matters led by women. (London, UK)
15 November 2018
ArbitralWomen hosted a Gala Dinner in New York City to celebrate the ArbitralWomen Jubilee and the launch of the ArbitralWomen Diversity Toolkit™ with Keynote by India Johnson (CEO of American Arbitration Association). The Gala also celebrated the launch of the Women Pioneers in Dispute Resolution, 2d edition. The Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge was pleased to be an organisation sponsor of this event. (New York, USA)
8 November 2018
Cleary Gottlieb, ArbitralWomen, and the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge co-hosted an event on diversity, inclusion, and the challenges and opportunities for arbitration, featuring commentary and insights from diversity consultants and in-house and outside counsel. (New York, USA)
6 November 2018
The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Nigeria Branch held its annual conference and gala night at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, with over 600 attendees. In her welcome address, Steering Committee member Doyin Rhodes-Vivour, of Doyin Rhodes-Vivour & Co., spoke about efforts to improve diversity and inclusion in the arbitration community, and encouraged participants to visit the diversity stand present at the conference and take the Pledge.
25-26 October 2018
Norton Rose Fulbright Shipping Arbitration Pledge networking evening. The event continued Norton Rose Fulbright’s Arbitration Pledge series, and commenced with a speed networking roundtable where attendees had the opportunity to meet with a number of female shipping arbitrators.
17 October 2018
Pledge and ArbitralWomen hosted breakfast in Salvador, with panel discussions on gender differences in relationships of professional subordination, and unconscious bias in the appointment of arbitrators.
18 September 2018
HFW, Quadrant and 20 Essex Street hosted an Arbitration Pledge event, facilitating the introduction of female commodities arbitrators to those law firms likely to appoint them. It was the second in a series of ‘Meet Female Arbitrator’ events. The first focussed on IA, the next will focus on the shipping sector.
4 July 2018
The Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge hosted another Quantum Experts Seminar Series, sponsored by Debevoise & Plimpton and ArbitralWomen, on 14 June 2018 at 4 Place de L’Opera, 75002 Paris. The discussion topic was Valuation fundamentals in the context of loss assessment, and was led by Battine Edwards (Deloitte) and Delphine Sztermer (Accuracy).
14 June 2018
The Pledge had an exhibition stand at the 7th Helsinki International Arbitration Day held in the Finnish capital and the topic of the day was ‘Shaping the Future of International Arbitration’. The seminar gathered leading international arbitration experts from Finland and around the world to discuss the future of international arbitration and how dispute resolution can be tailored to continue to meet the users’ expectations of speed, efficiency and technology.
24 May 2018
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer hosted GAR’s Who’s Who Legal Future Leaders: Arbitration Conference, at its London office on 9 May 2018. The Pledge had an exhibition space and signatories were collected at the event. The first session of the conference included a fireside chat with leading arbitrator and Steering Committee member Juliet Blanch, who spoke about future trends in arbitration, including the need to strive for greater diversity (of all kinds) in arbitration. The event was co-chaired by Pledge signatory and Freshfields Counsel, Leilah Bruton.
9 May 2018
The 6th ICC MENA Conference was held in Dubai on 6-8 May 2018, where the Pledge hosted an exhibition space, and a significant number of new signatories were collected from amongst attendees. (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
6-8 May 2018
On April 27, the Peruvian Arbitration Institute hosted a panel discussion in Lima, on the Evaluation of Diversity in International Arbitration in light of the Second Anniversary of the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge. Lupe López moderated the panel which addressed, among other things, the impact of diversity on the legitimacy and acceptance of arbitration as a method of dispute resolution, the main actors responsible for ensuring greater diversity  and recent efforts undertaken in Latin America to bring about equal representation in arbitration. The other panelists were Claudia Benavides (Baker McKenzie Colombia, Partner), Lucía Olavarría (Ministry of Energy and Mining in Peru, Advisor), and Javier Robalino (Ferrere Abogados Ecuador, Partner). A team consisting of Lupe López, Rafael Sánchez Ríos, Kathy Ibarra, and Rosina Muller Bernar assisted with organizing the panel discussion.
25-27 April 2018
The Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand held an event to celebrate its commitment to ensure equal representation and opportunity in dispute resolution. Pledge Steering committee co-chair Wendy Miles QC addressed attendees. (Wellington, New Zealand)
23 April 2018
The Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA) Academic Council and the American Society of International Law (ASIL) held their annual half-day conference in Washington, DC, and this year’s theme was “Diversity and Inclusion in International Law.” Conference attendees included noteworthy arbitrators, representatives of various arbitral institutions, private practitioners, third-party funders, and students. A number of conference participants – approximately 75% of whom were women – shared their thoughts on the Pledge initiative, and keynote speaker Lucy Reed as well as panelist Lucy Greenwood and conference co-chair Caroline Richard, were among those who actively encouraged all attendees to sign the Pledge. The conference organizers generously provided a Pledge exhibition space near the general registration area, and Pledge signatures were collected throughout the event.
4 April 2018
The NYU International Law Society hosted a panel discussion on the Past, Present, and Future of the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge. Among many points of discussion, the panelists addressed the history of women in arbitration and the Pledge, what do institutions and firms do to fulfill their commitment to the Pledge, and goals for the future. Panelists include Steering Committee members Mirèze Phillipe (ICC Paris, Special Counsel) and Noiana Marigo (Freshfields, Partner), as well as Giovanna Micheli (ICDR, Director), Dana C. MacGrath (Sidley Austin LLP, Counsel), Christina L. Beharry (Foley Hoag LLP, Counsel), Ulyana Bardyn (Dentons US LLP, Senior Managing Associate), Elliot Friedman (Freshfields, Partner), Rafael Carlos del Rosal Carmona (ICDR, International Case Counsel), Preeti Bhagnani (White & Case LLP, Associate), and Lupe López (Freshfields, Senior Associate). The discussion was live-tweeted from the Pledge’s twitter account (@ERAPledge), signatures were collected, and a reception followed.
2 April 2018
Male, Female or simply ‘Expert’: What does it take to be an expert? FTI Consulting, 200 Aldersgate Street, London EC1A 4HD. (London, UK)
14 March 2018
The ERA Pledge was successfully launched in Nigeria at the Lagos Osun Hall, Transcorp Hilton hotel, Abuja. The event, hosted by Mrs Doyin Rhodes-Vivour, was well-attended by distinguished members of the Judiciary (including Justices of the Supreme Court, Justices of the Court of Appeal, Judges of High Courts and Customary Court of Appeal); representatives of international, regional and domestic arbitral institutions; prominent arbitration practitioners; arbitration users; in-house counsel; academia and other stakeholders in the arbitral community. The Director General of the LCIA, Dr. Jacomijn van Haersolte-van Hof, was also in attendance. Representatives of the stakeholders were invited to make comments on the ERA Pledge during dinner: Hon. Justice Mary U. Peter-Odili JSC CFR of the Supreme Court of Nigeria; Chief Bayo Ojo SAN CON, founder of International Centre for Arbitration and Mediation, Abuja (ICAMA); Lise Bosman, Senior Legal Counsel, Permanent Court of Arbitration & Executive Director, ICCA; Mr. Babatunde Fagbohunlu SAN, the Chairman of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce International Arbitration Centre (LACIAC) and Mrs. Sola Adegbonmire, member of the Nigerian Sub-committee on the ERA Pledge. The Launch event was sponsored by Doyin Rhodes-Vivour & Co, George Etomi & Partners, Aluko & Oyebode, Kayode Sofola & Associates (K. S. Legal), Sofunde Osakwe Ogundipe & Belgore, Janada International Center for Arbitration and supported by members of the Nigerian Subcommittee. (Abuja, Nigeria)
25 October 2017
GAR Live: ISDS
The Pledge is supporting GAR Live: ISDS on 5 June 2024 in London.The conference will discuss the need-to-know developments in investor state dispute settlement, with plenty of networking opportunities. Find out more: https://events.globalarbitrationreview.com/O5Qnz3?Refid=spon-out
Date and time: Wednesday, 5 June
05 Jun 2024
GAR Live Women in Arbitration
The ERA Pledge is delighted to be supportingthis year’s GAR Live Women in Arbitration to be held on 7 December in Paris.
Designed as a platform to promote and celebrate the outstanding women practicing international arbitration, the day has been described as a wonderfully unique opportunity for arbitration practitioners to hear highly topical discussion that spotlights the female talent in the field. Bringing together panels of the leading arbitrators, private practice lawyers, expert witnesses and funders, the conference is an excellent opportunity to hear from the leading women in the field. 
Members of the Pledge Corporate Subcommitteewill be representing the Pledge at the event. Please visit the Pledge stand tospeak to them.
Date and time: Thursday, 7 December
07 Dec 2023
DEVELOPING MY CAREER AS AN ARBITRATOR: MENTOR WORKSHOP
APAC Arbitration Pledge is organising three mentor workshops for arbitration practitioners keen to develop their careers as an arbitrator.
The workshops will be held virtually focusing on a topic to discuss as a group with two mentors facilitating the discussion. Each workshop will be 90 minutes.
We have suggested broad topics for the first two workshops. We invite participants to provide suggestions on what issues they would like to discuss and what topics they would like to discuss in the third workshop.
Please join these workshops by registering at the link below. Spaces for each workshop are limited to 20 people.
For registrations and suggestions on the third workshop: please email helen.catena@hfw.com
Mentor Workshop #1: Improving my personal brand as an arbitrator
Date: 10 August 2023
Time: 12:30pm – 2pm SGT
Facilitators: Jo Delaney and Lucy Martinez
Mentor Workshop #2: Tips for developing experience as a tribunal secretary or arbitrator
Date: 6 September 2023
Time: 5:30pm – 7pm SGT
Facilitators: Duncan Watson and Erika Williams
Mentor Workshop #3: To be determined by popular vote
Date: 15 November 2023
Time: 5:30pm – 7pm SGT
Facilitators: Sitpah Selvaratnam and May Tai
For more information, click here.
10 Aug - 15 Nov 2023