ICCA announces new Office Holders and Governing Board Members
We are pleased to announce the election of two new appointments to the ICCA Executive Body, as well as four new members to our Governing Board, who will all take office on 1 April 2024.
Abby Cohen Smutny, Global Head of International Arbitration at White & Case LLP in Washington D.C., will fill the position of Vice-President. Elected to the ICCA Governing Board in 2022, Ms Cohen Smutny served as ICCA Treasurer from 2023, and acts as Co-chair of ICCA’s Task Force on Standards of Practice in International Arbitration. Outgoing ICCA Vice-President Loretta Malintoppi continues to serve on the ICCA Governing Board until the end of her second term in 2027.
Samaa Haridi has been elected to replace Ms. Cohen Smutny as ICCA Treasurer. Ms Haridi, a Global Disputes Partner at King & Spalding in New York, was elected to the ICCA Governing Board in 2022, and serves on the Young ICCA Committee. From 1 April 2024, the Executive Body will be composed of Stanimir Alexandrov (President), Audley Sheppard (Vice-president), Abby Cohen Smutny (Vice-president) and Samaa Haridi (Treasurer).
ICCA also welcomes four new Governing Board Members: Pierre Bienvenu (Canada), Kate Brown de Vejar (Australia; Mexico), Ndanga Kamau (Kenya; the Netherlands) and Tom Sikora (Poland; United States). The new Board Members will take office for an initial four-year term, replacing Jean Kalicki, Michelle MacPhee, Michael Moser and Klaus Sachs, all of whom have now served two terms on the Board (the maximum permitted under ICCA’s Bylaws).
Speaking to the new appointments, ICCA President Dr Stanimir Alexandrov said "ICCA is delighted to welcome a new Vice-President and Treasurer, along with new appointees to the Governing Board. These distinguished arbitration experts will bring extensive experience and innovative ideas to ICCA's initiatives, further enhancing our capacity to address complex challenges and drive meaningful progress in the field. Additionally, I extend my gratitude to the outgoing Governing Board Members for their valuable contributions to ICCA and the field of international dispute resolution."
The following current Members have been re-elected to the Governing Board for a second and final four-year term: Domitille Baizeau, Toby Landau, Fernando Mantilla-Serrano and Sylvia Noury.
The election process for the ICCA Governing Board begins with nominations by sitting Governing Board Members and the identification of a shortlist by ICCA’s Nominations and Membership Committee. This Committee comprises Mohamed Abdel Wahab (Chair), Funke Adekoya, Abby Cohen Smutny, Judith Gill, Meg Kinnear, Sylvia Noury, Guido Tawil and Lise Bosman (ex officio). The candidates are then recommended to and approved by ICCA’s Executive Body. Thereafter, the candidates are elected by two-thirds majority of the full ICCA Governing Board. The incoming Governing Board members reflect the regional, gender, and age diversity required by ICCA’s Bylaws for consideration in electing new members to the Governing Board, in line with ICCA’s diversity and inclusion policy.
ICCA’s Governing Board will next meet at the upcoming ICCA Congress in Hong Kong. Taking the theme 'International Arbitration: A Human Endeavour’, the Congress will bring the international arbitration community together in Hong Kong 5-8 May 2024. To register for the Congress visit: https://icca2024.hk/.