HKIAC Appoints New Managing Counsel

NEWS FLASH
HKIAC Appoints New Managing Counsel

18 September 2015

The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) has appointed Maria-Krystyna Duval to the position of Managing Counsel. She commenced the role in August 2015.

Ms Duval joins HKIAC with substantial experience in the field of international arbitration, having worked with several major international law firms in Paris and London as well as a number of international organisations. She has experience advising on a wide range of proceedings including international commercial and investment arbitrations conducted under the ICC, LCIA, SCC, UNCITRAL and ICSID Rules as well as associated court proceedings. She also has considerable experience advising on fraud, corruption and bribery issues as well as international human rights. 

Ms Duval is a Visiting Fellow in the Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College, London where she has been teaching on the L.L.M Programme since 2011. Ms Duval holds a Certificate in International Arbitration from Cornell University and Paris I Sorbonne, a Masters in Political Science from the Paris Institut d’Etudes Politiques and a Masters in International Business and Politics from New York University’s Stern School of Business and Department of Politics. Ms Duval is a native English and French speaker, is highly proficient in Italian, German and Russian, with intermediate Spanish and Mandarin skills. She is a Solicitor Advocate admitted to practice in England.

In joining the HKIAC Secretariat, Ms Duval will support the work of Secretary General Chiann Bao to promote the use of HKIAC arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution worldwide. She will be assisted by Deputy Managing Counsel Joe Liu and will oversee the administration of arbitrations undertaken by Counsel Kiran Sanghera, Aditya Kurian and Jay Santiago, as well as Deputy Counsel James Ng and Nicole Lee. 

With the addition of Ms Duval, the HKIAC Secretariat now includes common law and civil law lawyers qualified in five jurisdictions, who are able to administer cases in eleven languages including English, Mandarin, French, Russian, Spanish, German, Italian, Korean, Cantonese, Hindi and Filipino. 

HKIAC’s Secretary General, Chiann Bao, says “we are delighted to welcome Maria to the HKIAC team.  Maria has significant experience as a practitioner from several jurisdictions as well as in academia and in the non-profit industry.  Her linguistic prowess will be able to cater to parties from a broad range of jurisdictions and we are keen to expand our reach with Maria on board.”

VV Veeder QC, an arbitrator and barrister at Essex Court Chambers and a former colleague of Ms Duval at King’s College, says “Maria-Krystyna was a highly valued member of our teaching team at the Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College, University of London – knowledgeable, patient, efficient and much-liked by students and professors alike. She is much missed; but our loss is , happily, HKIAC’s gain”.  

Laurence Craig, Senior Counsel and a former colleague of Ms Duval at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe in Paris, says “Maria-Krystyna has used her multi-talented skills in law firms, teaching and consulting with international organizations. I have no doubt that she will contribute greatly to the HKIAC and its mission in international arbitration”. 

Ms Duval replaces Ruth Stackpool-Moore who has recently joined a UK based global litigation fund to set up their Asia-Pacific office in Hong Kong.  “Ruth was an amazing colleague of over the past two years and we wish her well in her new endeavours.  I am sure that there will be an opportunity for us to work with her in her new capacity and I look forward to doing so”, Bao says. 

Media Contact
Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre
Gen Bai
Tel: (852) 2525 2381
Fax: (852) 2524 2171
Email: gen@hkiac.org