HKIAC announces updates to Council and Committees

PRESS RELEASE

HKIAC announces several updates to the Council, Nominations Committee, Appointments Committee, Proceedings Committee, and Finance & Administration (F&A) Committee. 

New Members to HKIAC Council

Upon the recommendation of HKIAC’s Nominations Committee, the HKIAC Council approved the appointment of the following new Council Members (in alphabetical order):

Heidi Chui (Partner, Stevenson, Wong & Co / Allbright Law (Hong Kong) Offices);

Victor Dawes SC (Barrister, Temple Chambers);

Tony Dymond (Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton);

Helen Tang (Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills).

Heidi Chui is a partner at Stevenson, Wong & Co., heading the firm’s Dispute Resolution Department and Banking and Finance. She is also a Senior Partner of AllBright Law (Hong Kong) Offices LLP.  Heidi is a Council Member of the Law Society of Hong Kong and a member of the Arbitration Committee.  As a GBA lawyer and an arbitrator, she is on the panel of the HKIAC and various other arbitration institutions.

Heidi Chui: “I am deeply honoured to serve as a Council Member of the HKIAC. This role presents a valuable opportunity to contribute to the development of arbitration in Hong Kong, a jurisdiction renowned for its commitment to excellence as an international dispute resolution hub. I look forward to collaborating with my fellow Council Members in upholding Hong Kong's status as a premier destination for arbitration and dispute resolution.”

Victor Dawes SC is a barrister at Temple Chambers.  He is the current Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association and a Recorder of the High Court. He appears regularly as counsel in arbitrations and related court applications, and sits as arbitrator in a wide range of commercial disputes.

Victor Dawes: “I have served on the HKIAC Proceedings Committee for four years and am delighted to be able to work with everyone at the HKIAC again.”

Tony Dymond is a partner in Debevoise & Pimpton, and a member of the International Dispute Resolution Group. Tony is Co-Chair of Debevoise & Pimpton’s Asia Arbitration practice, advising on complex, multijurisdictional disputes, in both arbitration and litigation.

Tony Dymond: “Over more than 25 years advising on disputes in Asia, I’ve seen first-hand the important role the HKIAC plays as one of the world’s leading  arbitral institutions, in thought leadership, in education and training, and in promoting ADR globally, as well as in administering  an extraordinarily wide range of arbitrations, mediations and adjudications.  It is an honour to be asked to serve on its Council.”

Helen Tang is a partner in Herbert Smith Freehills' Greater China arbitration team. She has rich experience handling complex cross-border disputes, with a focus on international arbitration seated both in and outside of mainland China. Helen is widely recognised as a leading individual for arbitration in China.

Helen Tang: “I am delighted to be appointed as a HKIAC council member. This is a great honour and also a wonderful opportunity for me to work with other leading arbitration practitioners to promote and further develop HKIAC as a leading arbitration institution at a global level.”

On the Council appointments, HKIAC Co-Chairs David W. Rivkin and Rimsky Yuen, GBM, SC, JP comment: “HKIAC continues the tradition of appointing Council Members who are distinguished arbitration practitioners from Hong Kong and from around the world.  We greatly appreciate the contribution of our outgoing Council members and look forward to the expertise and diverse experience that our incoming Council members will bring to the role.”

The full list of Council members can be found here.

HKIAC thanks outgoing Council members: Jianan Guo, José Maurellet SC, Andrea Menaker, Ronald Sum, Robert Tang GBM, SBS, QC, SC, JP.

New Chair of the Proceedings Committee

HKIAC is also pleased to announce the appointment of John Choong as Chair of its Proceedings Committee, effective 3 October 2024.

The Proceedings Committee determines various procedural matters under HKIAC’s rules including contested applications for expedited proceedings, consolidation, and joinder; challenges to arbitrators; and whether, on a prima facie basis, arbitrations shall proceed.

John Choong is a Partner at Freshfields in Hong Kong and a Council member of HKIAC.  He succeeds Ms. Briana Young, Professional Support Counsel at Three Crowns, who chaired the Proceedings Committee for three years.

Joanne Lau, HKIAC Secretary-General, says, “We are honoured to have John chairing the Proceedings Committee.  John is a leading arbitration practitioner and was closely involved in the rules revision process leading to the publication of the 2024 HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules.  We are grateful to Briana for her insightful leadership and significant contribution to the Proceedings Committee during her term.”

On his appointment, John comments, “It’s a real pleasure and privilege for me to be appointed to chair the Proceedings Committee, and an honour to be taking over from Briana.  The Proceedings Committee plays a pivotal role in arbitrations conducted under the HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules, and I look forward to working with the distinguished members of the Committee – comprising both practitioners from across the globe and in-house counsel – in upholding the high standards for which HKIAC is known.”

New appointments to other committees

In addition to the above, HKIAC has appointed the following new members to its Nominations Committee, Appointments Committee, Proceedings Committee and F&A Committee:

Nominations Committee

• Matthew Gearing KC (Fountain Court Chambers / Temple Chambers) (Chairperson)
• Sarah Grimmer (Twenty Essex)
• Fei Ning (Hui Zhong Law Firm)

The full list of the Nominations Committee members can be found here.

Appointments Committee

Duncan Watson KC (Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP)

The full list of the Appointments Committee can be found here.

Proceedings Committee

• John Choong (Freshfields) (Chairperson)
• Benny Lo (Des Voeux Chambers)

The full list of the Proceedings Committee members can be found here.

F&A Committee

• Ernest Yang (DLA Piper)
• Ing Loong Yang (Independent Arbitrator)
• Benjamin Johnson (FTI)

The full list of the F&A Committee members can be found here.

HKIAC thanks all outgoing committee members, including (i) Neil Kaplan and Chiann Bao, as outgoing Nominations Committee chair and member; (ii) Chie Nakahara, as outgoing Appointments Committee member; (iii) Briana Young and Cameron Hassell as outgoing Proceedings Committee chair and member; (iv) John Choong and Mustafa Hadi as outgoing F&A Committee members.

About HKIAC Council and Committees

HKIAC is governed by its Council, which is composed of leading businesspeople and professionals from around the world who possess a wide variety of skills and experience.  HKIAC also has an International Advisory Board to provide guidance and advice to HKIAC on a policy level. 

Under the Council, there are three standing committees, which operate under the auspices of the Executive Committee.  These are the Proceedings, Appointments, and Finance and Administration Committees.  These committees deal with matters concerning the business operations of HKIAC as well as the functions entrusted to HKIAC under its arbitration rules and in accordance with its role as appointing authority under the Hong Kong Arbitration Ordinance (Cap 609).

Media inquiries:

Marnie Shaw

mshaw@hkiac.org

+852 25252381