ICC UK Annual Arbitration & ADR Conference: Dispute Resolution in a Geopolitical World

09:30-10:00

Registration

10:00-10:05

Welcome remarks

• Guy Pendell, Partner, CMS, and Chair of ICC United Kingdom Arbitration and ADR Committee, London
• Campbell Jackson, Partner, EY, London

10:05-10:25

Keynote address

• Speaker TBA

10:25-10:35

Update on Recent Developments in ICC Arbitration and ADR

• Ana Serra e Moura, Deputy Secretary General, ICC International Court of Arbitration

10:35-11:45

Session 1: Comparative Regional Perspectives and the Future of International Arbitration in a Geopolitical World

International arbitration is increasingly shaped by geopolitical developments. Sanctions, armed conflict, investment screening, economic fragmentation and technological competition are creating new legal and commercial risks while challenging arbitration’s traditional strengths, including neutrality, enforceability and procedural efficiency. This panel will examine how courts, arbitral institutions and practitioners across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific are responding to these developments. Through a comparative regional lens, panellists will explore the practical implications for parties and tribunals, examine the resilience of the international arbitration framework, and consider what these developments mean for the future of cross border dispute resolution.

Moderator: Georges Affaki, Justice of the Qatar International Court, International Arbitrator, Professor of Law, and Counsel, Paris / Doha / Hong Kong

Panellists:

• George Burn, Partner, CMS, London
• Sarah Vasani, Independent Arbitrator, Vasani Arbitration, London

11:45-12:10

Networking break

12:00-13:00

 Session 2: Mediation in a Geopolitical World: Navigating Complexity Through Collaborative Dispute Resolution

As geopolitical tensions reshape international commerce, businesses are increasingly looking beyond arbitration alone to resolve complex cross-border disputes. Mediation can provide flexible, commercially focused solutions where sanctions, political instability, disrupted supply chains or regulatory divergence place long term business relationships under strain. This panel will explore how mediation is evolving alongside arbitration, the growing support for mediation from courts and arbitral institutions, and the circumstances in which mediation can offer advantages, as well as its limitations, in resolving disputes arising from an increasingly fragmented global economy.

Moderator: Richard Little, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland, London

Panellists:

• Will Thomas KC, Partner, Freshfields, London
• Rosemary Jackson KC, Mediator and Conciliator, Keating Chambers, London
• TBC, Partner, EY
• In-house counsel, TBC

13:00-14:00

Lunch and networking break

14:00-14:40

Session 3: ICC YAAF – Building the Next Generation of Dispute Resolution Professionals

Learn about the ICC Young Arbitration and ADR Forum (YAAF), a global network connecting arbitration and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) professionals aged 40 and under. This session will explore how YAAF supports the development of emerging practitioners through networking, knowledge sharing, skills development, and access to the international arbitration community. Whether you’re new to arbitration or looking to expand your global professional network, discover how YAAF can help you build connections and advance your career in dispute resolution.

14:40-15:40

Session 4: Strategic Sectors in a Geopolitical World: Energy, Infrastructure and Investment Disputes

Heightened geopolitical tensions, economic fragmentation, sanctions and state intervention are reshaping investment decisions and commercial relationships across strategic sectors. Energy, infrastructure, critical minerals, advanced manufacturing and major cross border projects are increasingly affected by political risk, regulatory intervention and competing national priorities, giving rise to complex international disputes.

This panel will examine how arbitration is responding to these evolving challenges through the lens of sectors that are central to the global economy. Drawing on experience from major infrastructure, energy and investment disputes, panellists will explore the practical implications of geopolitical risk for governments, investors and multinational businesses, and consider how parties can manage disputes in an increasingly uncertain and fragmented world.

Moderator: Samantha Rowe, Partner, Debevoise and Plimpton, and Vice Chair of ICC United Kingdom Arbitration and ADR Committee, London

Panellists

• Christopher P. Moore, Partner, Cleary Gottlieb, London / New York
• Nadja Al Kanawati, Counsel, King & Spalding, London
• Ryan Williams, Principal, Cornerstone Research, London

15:40-16:10

Networking break

16:10-17:10

 Session 5: Navigating Geopolitical Risk from the In-house Perspective

Geopolitical risk has become a permanent feature of international business, requiring companies to rethink how they manage disputes across jurisdictions. Legal departments are increasingly balancing legal risk with commercial priorities while responding to sanctions, regulatory divergence, supply chain disruption and emerging technologies. Bringing together senior in-house counsel and leading practitioners, this panel will explore how businesses are adapting their dispute resolution strategies, what clients now expect from arbitration and ADR, and how legal teams can manage disputes more effectively in an increasingly fragmented geopolitical landscape.

Moderator: Kate Wilford, Chair: ICC United Kingdom Corporate Counsel Group and Principal, Legal: Sustainability Regulatory and Corporate Disputes, Anglo American, London

Panellists

• Rich Feely, Associate General Counsel & Senior Vice President, Shell, London
• In-house counsel (Mining), TBC
• In-house counsel (Technology), TBC
• In-house counsel (Consumer goods), TBC

17:10-17:30

Keynote Address:

• Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice in England and Wales, London

17:30-17:35

Conference close

• Duncan Bagshaw KC, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright, and Vice Chair of ICC United Kingdom Arbitration and ADR Committee, London

17:35-19:30

Networking drinks