If you would like to organise an ERA Pledge launch event or get involved in ERA activities in your jurisdiction please contact us.
25 May 2021 Meet the female arbitrator event on climate change disputes and arbitration 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 extent to which climate change disputes are currently being resolved by arbitration; - 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
8 April 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)
18 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
12th 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.
9 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.
7 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.
25 February 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.
22-25 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.
16 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.
6 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.
2 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.
September 2020 – December 2020 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:
9 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.
17 November 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.
09-13 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.
9 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.
4 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.
23 October 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.
20 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”.
14 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.
1 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.
23 September 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.
15 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.
3 – 4 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”.
14 July 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.
15 June 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.
27 May 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.
10 March 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
10-12 November 2019 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)
7- 8 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)
5-8 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)
18 October 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)
14-15 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)
15 October 2019 The newly-formed ERA Pledge Corporate Sub-Committee held its inaugural meeting. (London, UK)
4 September 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)
3 September 2019 The Global Pledge Steering Committee met to discuss action points, past and upcoming events and new team members. (London, UK)
20 June 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)
10 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)
23 May 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)
9 May 2019 Diversity Drinks Reception supported by the Pledge and ArbitralWomen during LIDW. (London, UK)
29 April 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)
15 March 2019 We were a supporting organisation at a conference on adjudication and arbitration being held at the Scottish Arbitration Centre, Edinburgh. (Edinburgh, Scotland)
15 November 2018 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)
8 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 ArbitralWomen held a full-day diversity conference hosted by the American Arbitration Association for the launch of the AW Diversity Toolkit™. Led by esteemed panelists, discussions included: (i) identifying unconscious bias, how it impacts arbitration and arbitrators; (ii) the business case and moral case for diversity in international arbitration; (iii) not just a women’s issue – who is affected by unconscious bias and how; (iv) what institutions, corporations and organizations can do to increase diversity; (v) diversity by inclusiveness; and (vi) practical ways to recognize and deal with unconscious bias – pitfalls and how to overcome them. The Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge was pleased to be an organisation sponsor of this conference. (New York, USA)
6 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)
25-26 October 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.
17 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.
18 September 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.
4 July 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.
14 June 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).
24 May 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.
9 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.
6-8 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)
25-27 April 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.
23 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)
4 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.
2 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.
The ERA Pledge Young Practitioners Subcommittee (YPSC) is delighted to announce they have entered into a partnership with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) to provide ERA members with discounted training.
