HKIAC MID-YEAR UPDATE

HKIAC MID-YEAR UPDATE

Growing Caseload, Reconstitution of Standing Committees, New Hire

As we pass the mid-point of 2017, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) takes the opportunity to update users on recent developments at the Centre.

Growing Caseload

The first half of the year has been exceptionally strong. By June 2017, HKIAC had received almost twice the number of new arbitration matters that it had received by the same time last year or in 2015.

Reconstitution of Standing Committees

In May 2017, HKIAC appointed new members to two of its standing committees; the Appointments and Proceedings Committees. The decision-making role of these two Committees constitutes a fundamental component of HKIAC’s daily case management work. Their core functions include appointing arbitrators (including emergency arbitrators); issuing reasoned decisions on challenges; confirming arbitrators’ hourly rates and fees; as well as deciding procedural applications under, inter alia, HKIAC’s Administered Arbitration Rules, including applications for expedited proceedings, consolidation, and the joinder of parties.

The Committees’ functions are performed as and when required in a case, rather than at pre-scheduled meetings, with decisions typically reached within two days of requests being raised by the Secretariat. 

The Committees are comprised of local and international dispute resolution experts including members of global law firms, in-house counsel, and the bar. Members include experts across multiple industries and legal jurisdictions, with both common law and civil law backgrounds.

The new members of the Appointments Committee are: Timothy Hill (Hogan Lovells), Liu Jing (Hui Zhong Law Firm), José-Antonio Maurellet SC (Des Voeux Chambers), and Nicolas Wiegand (CMS Hasche Sigle). The new members of the Proceedings Committee are: Catherine Mun (Li & Partners), Sheila Ahuja (Allen & Overy), Helen Shi (Fangda Partners), and Cameron Hassall (Clifford Chance). 

The Chairperson of HKIAC, Matthew Gearing QC, Global Co-Head of the International Arbitration Group at Allen & Overy, long-serving member of HKIAC’s Council, and former Chair of HKIAC’s Proceedings Committee, says: “The involvement of the Committees means that HKIAC’s case administration is efficiently overseen by a diverse group of leading figures in the regional and international dispute resolution community.”

HKIAC thanks outgoing members for their dedication during their terms, namely Teresa Cheng SC (Des Voeux Chambers), Fei Ning (Hui Zhong Law Firm), Philip Yang, and Anthony Houghton SC (Des Voeux Chambers). Kathryn Sanger (Herbert Smith Freehills) continues to serve as Chair of the Appointments Committee while her term on the Proceedings Committee has come to an end. A full list of current members of the Appointments and Proceedings Committee is set out below.

New Hire

HKIAC is also pleased to announce the return of Kiran Sanghera. She will spearhead HKIAC’s outreach programme and activities in relation to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.  Prior to her return to HKIAC, Kiran was Director of Litigation Funding at Harbour Litigation Funding where she was responsible for developing the third-party funding market across Asia. Kiran previously worked as counsel at HKIAC, administering arbitrations involving parties from Asia, Europe and the Americas. She was also responsible for promoting HKIAC’s dispute resolution services and Hong Kong arbitration in Latin America. 

HKIAC Secretary-General, Sarah Grimmer, says that “with an increasing and diverse caseload, ambitious plans for the future, and the hire of highly qualified additional staff at HKIAC, the outlook for HKIAC is positive and exciting.”

Current Members of HKIAC’s Proceedings and Appointments Committees

Media Contact
Diana Li
Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre
Tel: (852) 2525 2381
Fax: (852) 2524 2171
Email: dli@hkiac.org