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Young ITA

Young ITA promotes the involvement of young professionals (under 40) in the international arbitration community through programs, publications and other activities, including:

  • Young Lawyers Roundtables presented annually during the Annual Workshop, the ITA-IEL-ICC Joint Conference on International Energy Arbitration in Houston and the ITA Americas Workshop in Latin America.
  • #YOUNGITATALKS programs and events for young practitioners in other cities in North America, South America (Spanish-speaking jurisdictions), Brazil, Mexico and Central America, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Africa and Asia.
  • The annual Young ITA Writing Competition and Award.
  • The annual Young ITA Mentorship Program teaming students and early career professionals with eminent mentors for a year of collegiality and insight. The program is available to both English, Spanish, and French speaking participants. Submit your application to become a mentor, facilitator, or mentee here. 
  • The Young ITA Newsletter designed to keep us in touch, help keep you abreast of the latest developments in arbitration, and make you aware of the opportunities Young ITA has to offer.

Membership in Young ITA is free and open to all young arbitration practitioners, law students, and other professionals under 40 years old with an interest in international arbitration.

For more information about Young ITA, contact Young ITA chair Karima Sauma (Chair) and Ciara Ros (Vice Chair).

Young ITA Leadership

Young ITA is delighted to announce 35 new and returning appointments to its leadership team. Young ITA has had a packed two years of events (both in person and virtual) and seen an increase in membership to over 3000 individuals across over 100 countries. Young ITA has also seen the introduction of our annual Global Forum and a revamp of the newsletter. Young ITA has created a number of new roles to ensure we can continue to provide our members with the most useful and interesting events, articles and workshops, across the widest range of regions. We are excited to announce that our previous leadership positions have been expanded to include co-chairs for all of our regional leadership positions, as well as introducing new roles for External Communications Chair, Internal Communications Chair and Programming Chair. We would like to say a big thank you to our outgoing leadership team for their fantastic services for the past two years and congratulations to our new (and returning) chairs, we look forward to another successful two years working with the ITA and continuing to expand on educational and leadership opportunities for young arbitrators.

Karima Sauma
Chair
Counsel
DJ Arbitraje
San Jose, Costa Rica

Young ITA Chair - Karima Sauma is part of the arbitration team at DJ Arbitraje. She is an adjunct professor at ULACIT University and LEAD University in San José, and regularly acts as arbitrator, tribunal secretary, counsel and legal expert in various types of cases.

Previously, she was the Executive Director of the International Center for Conciliation and Arbitration of the Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce. Before joining CICA, she worked as an Advisor with the Dispute Settlement Team of the Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Trade, where she was part of Costa Rica’s defense team in claims filed under various treaties and free trade agreements. She was also a member of the negotiating team for treaties involving investment and dispute settlement provisions. Prior to joining the Ministry of Foreign Trade, she worked with the arbitration group at a well-known international firm in Washington, DC. Karima received her J.D. with honors from the University of Costa Rica. She also holds an LL.M from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. She is admitted to practice law in Costa Rica and the State of New York.

Ciara Ros
Vice Chair
Vinson & Elkins LLP
London, UK

Young ITA Vice Chair - Ciara Ros is a senior associate in the International Dispute Resolution practice group of Vinson & Elkins RLLP in London. She was recognized as a Key Lawyer for International Arbitration by the Legal 500 in 2022 and was included in the INvolve – The Inclusion People list of Top 100 Women Future Leaders Role Model 2022. Ciara spent six months in the V&E Houston office and worked in the Dubai office for three years after qualification. She represents clients across a wide range of industries, including energy, construction, infrastructure, mining, wreck salvage, banking and financial services, and telecoms. Her focus is on energy and infrastructure, mining, construction disputes, and international commercial arbitration. Ciara also advised clients on project finance, and mergers and acquisitions within the energy, aviation, infrastructure and telecoms sectors during her tenure as an associate in the Dubai office, giving her a unique cross-practice view with significant transactional and disputes experience. She is admitted to practice as a solicitor in England and Wales. Ciara read Jurisprudence at the University of Oxford and sits on the board of the International Centre of Dispute Resolution (Y&I).

Thomas Innes
Programs Co-Chair
Steptoe & Johnson UK LLP
London, United Kingdom

Programs Co-Chair - Thomas Innes is a Partner at Steptoe & Johnson UK LLP, based in London. He advises and conducts advocacy on a wide range of international and commercial disputes. In particular, he acts as counsel in investment treaty disputes and international commercial arbitrations. Thomas is recommended in The Legal 500 UK (2023, Public International Law, Next Generation Partners) and in Chambers UK (2023, International Arbitration, Up and Coming).

Lidia Rezende
Programs Co-Chair
Chaffetz Lindsey LLP
New York, USA

Programs Co-Chair - Lidia Rezende is an Associate at Chaffetz Lindsey, LLP in New York, where she represents clients in international and domestic commercial arbitrations under the ICC, SCC, UNCITRAL, LCIA, and AAA rules, and in litigation before U.S. courts. Her cases focus on matters of construction, infrastructure, oil and gas, insurance and reinsurance, Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), complex contract disputes, and matters at the intersection of common and civil law. Prior to joining Chaffetz Lindsey, Lidia practiced for five years at a mixed law and engineering boutique firm in Brazil, working side by side with civil engineers in complex construction matters. Lidia received an LL.M degree from NYU Law in 2015 and an LL.B degree from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in 2010. She is admitted to practice both in New York and Brazil and is a native Portuguese speaker.

Enrique Jaramillo
External Communications Co-Chair
Locke Lord LLP
Houston, Texas

External Communications Co-Chair - Enrique Jaramillo focuses his practice on international arbitration and domestic litigation in a wide range of industries, including energy, construction and life sciences. In addition to matters relating to dispute resolution, Enrique also advises clients on cross-border legal issues in the fields of energy and environmental law involving jurisdictions in the United States, Europe, Africa and Latin America. Enrique also advises governments in the development and drafting of policies, legislation and contracts applicable to the energy sector.

Enrique had a diverse and extensive education, which allows him to take a comprehensive approach to complex, multijurisdictional legal issues. He holds a civil law degree (J.D. equivalent); two LL.M. degrees in Law and Economics, granted by the University of Hamburg (Germany) and the University of Bologna (Italy); and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Houston Law Center. Enrique has also held positions as Thought Leadership Chair of the Young ITA, Executive Editor for the ITA in Review, and Assistant Editor for Latin America for the Kluwer Arbitration Blog. He has published various contributions in the fields of international arbitration, environmental law, and commercial and economic law.

Meredith Craven
External Communications Co-Chair
White & Case LLP
Houston, Texas

External Communications Co-Chair - Meredith Craven is an international arbitration and disputes attorney at White & Case LLP in the Houston office, where she represents public and private companies in commercial and investment disputes and advises on dispute and investment risks in contemplated actions and transactions. She also represents clients in enforcement, set-aside, and related litigations in state and federal courts. Meredith obtained her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and is qualified in New York and Texas.

Philip Tan
Internal Communications Co-Chair
White & Case
Singapore

Internal Communications Co-Chair - Philip Tan is an associate in White & Case’s International Arbitration practice. Based in Singapore, Philip acts as counsel in commercial and investment treaty arbitrations, focusing on energy and construction disputes. He has represented clients in complex, cross-border arbitrations under various rules, including ICC, SIAC, UNCITRAL and ICSID. He also speaks and writes regularly on developments in international arbitration, with an emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region. Philip received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, and is qualified in New York, District of Columbia, Singapore, and England & Wales.

Harriet Foster
Internal Communications Co-Chair
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
London, United Kingdom

Internal Communications Co-Chair - Harriet Foster is a Senior Associate and Solicitor-Advocate in the International Arbitration team at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe in London. She advises on a wide range of commercial and investment treaty arbitrations across the energy, infrastructure and technology sectors, including under the ICC, LCIA, ICSID and UNCITRAL rules. Harriet has also represented clients on specialist public international law matters, such as on the law of the sea. She received her Bachelor of Laws from King’s College London, is admitted to practice as a solicitor in England and Wales and has rights of audience for civil proceedings before the English courts.

Derya Gürzumar
Young ITA Thought Leadership Co-Chair
Ankara,Turkey

Young ITA Thought Leadership Co-Chair - Mrs. Derya Durlu Gürzumar is an attorney-at-law registered to the Istanbul Bar Association.

She holds LLB and LLM degrees from Bilkent University Faculty of Law, in Ankara, Turkey, and a diploma in advanced studies in international arbitration, from the University of Lucerne and University of Neuchâtel. She also holds a number of international arbitration certificates, awarded by various academic and professional institutions, including the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), University of Düsseldorf, University of Cologne, and Humboldt University of Berlin.

Mrs. Durlu Gürzumar is a PhD candidate at the University of Neuchâtel, in Switzerland, and is the current chair of the Artificial Intelligence Working Group of International Bar Association’s (IBA) Alternative and New Law Business Structures Committee. She is concurrently the advisory board member of this committee. Mrs. Durlu Gürzumar also heads the editorial team of Vindobona Journal, a peer-reviewed journal on international commercial law and arbitration, as the senior editor-in-chief.

Being an ardent “Vis-mootie” since 2007, Mrs. Durlu Gürzumar has been one of the few law students to receive two successive Honorable Mentions in the Martin Domke Best Oralist Award, in the 16th and 17th Willem C. Vis Moot competitions. She coached her alma mater’s moot team in 2021, which became the first Turkish university to reach the top 16 university teams during the oral rounds in the 28th Vis Moot and reach the semi-finals during in the 18th Vis East. She has been arbitrating the written and oral phases of various international and domestic arbitration competitions since 2010, including the Vis Moot and the Vis East Moot, Jessup, ICC Moot, FDI Moot, and ISTAC Moot.
Mrs. Durlu Gürzumar’s practice and research interests have focused on dispute resolution/arbitration, AI/LegalTech, competition law, internet/IT law, and white-collar irregularities.

She has co-authored a book on "Fundamental Concepts of Anglo-American Law", and has been publishing extensively in the foregoing fields.

Mevelyn Ong
Young ITA Thought Leadership Co-Chair
Sullivan & Cromwell
New York, USA

Young ITA Thought Leadership Co-Chair - Mevelyn Ong is a senior associate at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York, where she focuses primarily on international arbitration, with a secondary practice in managing cross-border anti-corruption/sanctions investigations. She previously worked in Australia and East Asia, including as Deputy Counsel to the Secretariat of the ICC International Court of Arbitration. She has a particular interest in the intersections between political risk, business and human rights, and international investment law. She is dual-qualified to practice in both New York and Australia, and holds Bachelors of Laws/Arts (LL.B/BA) with First Class Honours from the University of Melbourne (Australia), a Certificate in Global Arbitration Law and Practice from Queen Mary, University of London (U.K.) and a Masters of Law (LL.M) from Columbia University (U.S.A).

Sylvia Sámano Beristain
Young ITA Mentorship Co-Chair
Hogan Lovells
Mexico City, Mexico

Young ITA Mentorship Co-Chair - Sylvia Sámano Beristain is an associate at the Litigation and Arbitration practice in Hogan Lovells. Her practice also includes acting as counsel, arbitrator, and Secretary of the Tribunal in commercial arbitrations, and has interned at the ICC Hong Kong office. Previously, she acted as Secretary General of the Arbitration Center of Mexico where she administrated more than 70 commercial arbitrations.

She holds an LL.M in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution from Hong Kong University and a law degree specialized in commercial law from National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She has experience in civil, commercial, mining, natural resources, and energy law. In the academic field, she teaches arbitration at the postgraduate program at UNAM as well as in the bachelor program at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Ruxandra Esanu
Young ITA Mentorship Co-Chair
Dechert
Paris, France

Young ITA Mentorship Co-Chair - Ruxandra Irina Esanu is an associate at Dechert's Paris office. She centers her practice on international arbitration matters, working on both investment treaty and commercial matters. She has acted in over 20 international arbitrations arising out of the oil & gas, mining, telecommunications, real estate and construction sectors. Ms. Esanu has experience in arbitrations governed by a range of procedural rules, including the ICSID, ICC, UNCITRAL and GAFTA rules, as well as in ad hoc proceedings. Ms. Esanu has also acted in annulment proceedings under the ICSID Rules. Ms. Esanu is a French-qualified lawyer, and a graduate of the Sciences Po Paris Law School.

Michael Fernandez
Young ITA North America Co-Chair
Rivero Mestre
New York, USA

Young ITA North America Co-Chair - Michael A. Fernández is Partner in the New York office of Rivero Mestre LLP and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law.

Michael has is a litigation and arbitration practitioner whose practice is focused on complex and cross-border commercial litigation, international commercial and investor-state arbitration, and corporate internal investigations.

Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, Michael has experience representing foreign and domestic companies and individuals in matters covering a broad range of industries, such as Bitcoin and related technologies; commodities; construction and real estate; food and beverage; gaming; financial services; moving and storage; and oil and gas.
Prior to joining Rivero Mestre, Michael practiced at leading international law firms where he focused on complex commercial litigation, international arbitration, and investigations, and at a national firm where he focused on federal and New York state litigation.

Michael has published articles and spoken on various topics pertaining to international commercial and investment arbitration.

Michael is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and is admitted to the arbitrator rosters for the American Arbitration Association (AAA), the Costa Rica Center of Conciliation and Arbitration (CICA), the Arbitration Center of Mexico (CAM), and the Conflict Resolution Commission of the Chamber of Industry of Guatemala (CRECIG).
Michael received his B.A. from Yale University in 2007, where he was awarded the Albert Bildner Yale Class of 1937 Prize for an outstanding essay on Latin America. He received an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 2012.

Michael received his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2012, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and recipient of a Parker School Certificate for Achievement in International and Comparative Law. He was also a managing editor for the Journal of Transnational Law and treasurer of the Latino Law Students Association.

Juan Pomes
Young ITA North America Co-Chair
Washington, D.C.

Young ITA North America Co-Chair - Juan’s practice focuses on investment-state and commercial arbitrations in Latin America. He has advised clients in multiple arbitration proceedings under ICC, ICSID, ICSID Additional Facility and UNCITRAL rules concerning disputes across a wide variety of sectors including oil and gas, electricity, infrastructure and mining. He has also acted as secretary of international arbitration tribunals in ICC and ICDR cases concerning disputes in the infrastructure and the pharmaceutical sectors. Juan is currently representing clients in major mining, oil & gas and electricity-related disputes in Latin America. He holds a law degree from the University of Buenos Aires and an LLM from the University of Illinois. He is admitted to practice in New York, the District of Columbia (as a Special Legal Consultant), and Buenos Aires.

Rodrigo Barradas Muñiz
Young ITA Central America Co-Chair
Von Wobeser y Sierra, S.C.
Ciudad de México, México

Young ITA Central America Co-Chair - Rodrigo Barradas Muñiz is a Senior Associate in Von Wobeser y Sierra’s dispute resolution team in Mexico City. Rodrigo acts as counsel in commercial arbitration cases under all major arbitral rules, and has particular experience in the energy and public works sectors. He also represents clients in complex, high-value disputes before domestic courts. Rodrigo is dual-qualified in Mexico and New York, and holds a law degree (J.D. equivalent) from Escuela Libre de Derecho and a master’s degree (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School. Prior to joining Von Wobeser y Sierra, Rodrigo worked for Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP in New York. He is currently Adjunct Professor of International Litigation and History of Law at Escuela Libre de Derecho, and writes regularly on international commercial arbitration and dispute resolution.

Eduardo Lobatón
Young ITA Central America Co-Chair
Hogan Lovells
Ciudad de México, México

Young ITA Central America Co-Chair - Eduardo Lobatón Guzman focuses his practice on international commercial and investment arbitration. He has advised clients in the financial, insurance, food, construction, energy, automotive, and IT industries, among others. Since joining Hogan Lovells, Eduardo has represented and advised clients in ICSID, ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, CANACO and Arbitration Center of Mexico (CAM) arbitrations. He is the former Head Coordinator of the Young Arbitrators Forum of CAM/CANACO. Eduardo graduated top of his class and summa cum laude from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM). He received an LL.M. from Columbia Law School, where he graduated as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and was a recipient of the Parker School Certificate for Achievement in International and Comparative Law. He holds a certificate in transnational legal studies from the Georgetown Center for Transnational Legal Studies.

Santiago Lucas Pena
Young ITA South America Co-Chair
Bomchil
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Young ITA South America Co-Chair - Santiago Lucas Pena is a senior associate in the international arbitration department at Bomchil, Buenos Aires. His practice focuses on complex litigations and arbitrations. He has acted in several arbitrations under the main international rules (ICC, ICDR and UNCITRAL, among others) and participated as attorney and secretary of arbitral tribunals. He graduated with honours from Universidad de Buenos Aires, and obtained a postgraduate diploma in arbitration as well as a master’s degree in corporate law from Universidad Austral. He is an assistant professor on civil and commercial contracts at Universidad de Buenos Aires and at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella.

Nazly Duarte
Young ITA South America Co-Chair
Arbitration and Conciliation Center of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce
Bogota, Colombia

Young ITA South America Co-Chair - Nazly Duarte is currently a Senior Counsel at the Arbitration and Conciliation Center of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce. She is an attorney admitted to practice law in Colombia and the State of New York. She received her J.D. with honors from Externado de Colombia University and she holds an LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center where she was a merit scholar. Nazly has experience representing clients before national courts as well as in national and international arbitration proceedings. Nazly has worked as an Associate for the best dispute resolution law firms in Latin America focusing on the infrastructure, energy, and technology sectors. She also has experience working as a Legal Consultant at the Inter-American Development Bank, Legal Extern at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) of the World Bank, and as a Legal Fellow at New Markets Lab, a non-profit organization dedicated to legal and regulatory reform in developing markets.

Guilherme Piccardi
Young ITA Brazil Co-Chair
Pinheiro Neto
Sao Paulo, Brazil

Young ITA Brazil Co-Chair - Guilherme Piccardi is a Brazilian attorney specialized in international dispute resolution, with focus on arbitration, mediation, commercial litigation, and corporate investigations. He is a senior associate at Pinheiro Neto Advogados' litigation practice in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, and has worked as a foreign temporary associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell's New York office during the period of August 2019 to December 2020. Guilherme has received his Bachelor of Laws degree from the Law School of the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, and is currently pursuing an LL.M. degree at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. He is a member of the Brazilian Bar Association, São Paulo Section, to which he was admitted in 2012.

Tiago Beckert Isfer
Young ITA Brazil Co-Chair
Guandalini, Isfer e Oliveira Franco Advogados
Curitiba, Brazil

Young ITA Brazil Co-Chair - Tiago Beckert Isfer is a founding partner at Guandalini, Isfer e Oliveira Franco Advogados in Curitiba, Brazil, where he represents clients in the construction, transportation, technology, banking, education, and health sectors, as well as public procurement and administrative contracts. He is and has been head counsel in many complex litigations, up to 9 figures, with experience in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, and Curitiba. He is a listed arbitrator at ARBITAC, having also contributed as a member of its Administrative Council. He has led the legal management and restructuring of an important state-owned company (METRÔ-DF), presided the Administrative Law Committee at the Federal District Bar Association (OAB/DF), been invited by the Federal Justice Council to participate as a specialist at the I Administrative Law Conference, and taught Private International Law and Administrative Law at University of Brasília – UNB. He obtained a Master’s Degree in Private International Law and International Commerce at Université Panthéon-Assas, Paris 2, with honorable mention.

Robert Bradshaw
Young ITA UK Co-Chair
Latham & Watkins
London, UK

Young ITA UK Co-Chair - Robert Bradshaw is Counsel in LALIVE’s London office, where his practice focuses on international commercial and investor-State arbitration. He has represented clients in diverse sectors including energy, mining, media, information technology, food processing, hospitality and pharmaceuticals. In addition to the Young ITA, Robert is active in Young ICCA, ICC Young Arbitrators Forum, LCIA Young International Arbitration Group and CIArb Young Members Group, and publishes regularly. Prior to joining LALIVE, he was an associate in the Paris office of Hogan Lovells. Robert is a graduate of the University of Birmingham, where he studied LLB Law with German, and BPP Law School, where he completed his LPC and LLM.

Thomas Lane
Young ITA UK Co-Chair
Latham & Watkins
London, UK

Young ITA UK Co-Chair - Thomas Lane is an associate at Latham & Watkins, where he is a solicitor-advocate in its London office. He has particular experience in Investor-State arbitrations, having worked both with investors and states to secure major successes (including a USD 6 billion victory for Ukraine). Thomas has also worked on numerous commercial arbitrations and high-value matters before the English courts. He also operates a busy advisory practice focused on sanctions and export controls. Before entering the law, Thomas was a broadcast journalist at the BBC’s United Nations Bureau in New York.

Georgios Fasfalis
Young ITA Western Europe Co-Chair
Linklaters
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Young ITA Western Europe Co-Chair - Georgios is a Managing Associate in the Linklaters Litigation, Arbitration & Investigations practice. He is a dedicated specialist in the field of commercial and investment arbitration and represents multinational companies and states in arbitration proceedings. Georgios’ experience includes involvement in numerous arbitrations conducted under, among others, the ICC, ICSID, LCIA, NAI, SIAC and UNCITRAL Rules, and subject to several applicable laws. He also regularly advises clients in relation to investment treaties and public international law matters. Georgios is frequently involved in arbitration-related matters, such as setting aside and enforcement proceedings. His experience also includes acting as assistant to arbitrators in commercial and investment arbitrations. Prior to working at Linklaters, Georgios has also worked for a renowned international arbitration boutique and the legal department of a Dutch multinational.

Georgios is a Greek-qualified lawyer. He holds a LL.B. from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and has a specialised LL.M. in investment law and arbitration from the University of Amsterdam. Georgios has also followed specialised courses on investment law, and investment protection at the University of Barcelona. He regularly acts as a speaker in international arbitration events and publishes insights on international arbitration matters. Georgios has also been named in previous editions of Legal 500 for Arbitration in the Netherlands.

Ruediger Morback
Young ITA Western Europe Co-Chair
King & Spalding
Frankfurt, Germany

Young ITA Western Europe Co-Chair - Dr. Rüdiger Morbach is an associate in King & Spalding's Frankfurt office and a member of the firm’s Trial and Global Disputes Group. He represents clients in domestic and international arbitration proceedings and before German courts, in particular in complex cross-border proceedings with a connection to Germany. Rüdiger studied law at the University of Tübingen (Germany) and at the Université Aix-Marseille (France), where he obtained the maîtrise en droit. He holds a binational Ph.D. degree of the University of Würzburg and the Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas. His doctoral thesis on Public Competition Policy in International Arbitration was awarded with the 2022 “Prix des Affaires” of the Franco-German University (DFH-UFA) and a 2023 “Prix de thèse" of the Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas. During this Ph. D. studies, Rüdiger was a visiting researcher at the Centre de recherche sur la justice et le règlement des conflits (Paris) and at UNIDROIT (Rome), as well as a research assistant and Vis Moot coach at the Chair of Global Business Law, International Arbitration Law and Private Law (Würzburg). Rüdiger regularly publishes on topics related to international arbitration and is particularly interested in the aviation sector. He speaks English, French and German.

Karolina Czarnecka
Young ITA Eastern Europe Co-Chair
Queritius
Warsaw, Poland

Young ITA Eastern Europe Co-Chair - Karolina Czarnecka is an International Arbitration Associate at Queritius. She has represented clients in commercial and investment arbitration cases, under various institutional rules. She also has experience in M&A and banking law. Karolina acts as a Mentor in the Mentorship Programme at the Istanbul Arbitration Centre, a Mentee in the Young ICCA Mentoring Programme, and an Ambassador for Arbitrator Intelligence in the CEE region. She is also a member of the Arbitration Youth Forum (AFM below 40) at the Arbitration Court at the Polish Chamber of Commerce in Warsaw. She graduated from Sciences Po, Paris, where she completed a LLM degree in Transnational Arbitration and Dispute Settlement, and Kozminski University, Warsaw, with a master in law degree. She is currently pursuing her PhD degree at University of Warsaw focusing her thesis on business and human rights arbitration.

Željko Loci
Young ITA Eastern Europe Co-Chair
Moravčević Vojnović & Partners
Belgrade, Serbia

Young ITA Eastern Europe Co-Chair - Å½eljko Loci is an Associate at Moravčević Vojnović & Partners in cooperation with Schoenherr in Belgrade mainly focused on Corporate/M&A and Dispute Resolution department. He holds LLB degree from University of Belgrade, Faculty of Law and pursues LLM degree in International Business Law within the same university. In 2021/2022, Željko participated at 29th Willem C. Vis Moot Competition on behalf of University of Belgrade which, apart from numerous pre-moot awards, won Pieter Sanders Award – First Runner-Up, having the 2nd best Memoranda for Claimant. He is a repeated holder of State Scholarship and Dositeja Scholarship. He has knowledge of both theoretical and practical commercial and investment arbitration, having actively wrote articles addressing latest rules of ICC, SIAC, HKIAC, LCIA, CIETAC and ICSID and partaking in filings for arbitration.

Magda Kofluk
Young ITA Middle East Chair
Stephenson Harwood
Dubai, UAE

Young ITA Middle East Chair -Magda is a construction arbitration specialist based in Dubai within Stephenson Harwood's international arbitration and construction and engineering practice groups. She has represented clients in over a dozen complex and high-value arbitrations relating to international construction projects across all major industries including energy, infrastructure, real estate, airports, and rail. She is experienced in proceedings under the ICC, DIAC and QICCA rules, as well as in pre-arbitration negotiations and dispute board proceedings. Her experience includes representing a Middle Eastern sovereign government in multiple arbitration proceedings concerning a major infrastructure project in the region with more than US$2 billion in dispute. She has also been a lead counsel on multiple high-value construction arbitrations under the ICC Rules. Magda was shortlisted as "Construction Lawyer of the Year" at the LexisNexis Middle East Women in Law Awards 2023. She is frequently requested to speak at construction and legal conferences in the market. Magda is also a champion of promoting diversity and inclusion within both the legal and construction industries. She serves as a mentor for her younger colleagues at the Women in Law Foundation and Chartered Institute of Arbitration UAE Branch. She is passionate about giving back to the arbitration community and is one of the ambassadors of the Arbitration Lunch Match initiative and regularly serves as an arbitrator for the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot helping law students to kick start their arbitration careers.

Hamid Abdulkareem
Young ITA Africa Co-Chair
Three Crowns LLP
London, UK

Young ITA Africa Chair - Hamid Abdulkareem, counsel in the London office of Three Crowns, is an experienced arbitration practitioner and litigator, having regularly advised multinational companies on an extensive range of disputes, particularly within the energy and natural resources sector. Hamid is a current Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s Insolvency and International Arbitration Working Group and a member of the Lagos Court of Arbitration’s Young Arbitrators Network’s Advisory Board. Hamid has been recognised in Who’s Who Legal: Future Leaders for Arbitration and as a National Leader for arbitration in Nigeria, having been described as “an exceptional advocate” who is “sharp as a tack” and “definitely one to watch”. Hamid is also recognised in The Legal 500 UK for international arbitration and public international law. He is qualified in Nigeria and was educated at the London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of Ilorin, Nigeria.

Edith Twinamatsiko
Young ITA Africa Co-Chair
JOJOMA Advocates
Kampala, Uganda

Young ITA Africa Chair - Edith is a partner with the Kampala, Uganda-based firm JOJOMA Advocates. She is the founder of the Women in Arbitration Initiative, which aims to encourage diversity in Alternative dispute Resolution and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK. Edith is a duo-qualified advocate of the High Courts of Uganda and Kenya and Courts Subordinate thereto, with 7 years of experience in legal practice. She holds both a Law bachelor's degree and a postgraduate diploma in legal practice. Edith is a member of Uganda Law Society, the Law Society of Kenya, and the East Africa Law Society. She is also a member of the East African Law Society committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution and the Association of Young Arbitrators.

Juhi Gupta
Young ITA India Co-Chair
Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co
New Delhi, India

Young ITA India Co-Chair - Juhi Gupta is a senior associate at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. She is based in New Delhi and is qualified in India. Juhi has diverse international commercial arbitration experience under various arbitral rules. Her arbitration experience also includes domestic arbitration and related court proceedings as well as acting as a tribunal secretary. A graduate of National Law School of India University, Bangalore and a LL.M. graduate from Harvard Law School, she previously completed her training contract from Allen & Overy, London. She is also a certified mediator. Juhi regularly writes on different topics related to arbitration in India and dispute resolution.

Shreya Jain
Young ITA India Co-Chair
Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co
Mumbai, India

Young ITA India Co-Chair -Shreya is a principal associate in the international arbitration practice at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, Mumbai. Shreya’s experience includes commercial and investor-state arbitration under nearly all major international arbitration rules and seated in a variety of jurisdictions, such as Mumbai, Singapore, London, New York, Washington D.C, Kigali, Abu Dhabi and Stockholm. A graduate of National Law School of India University, Bangalore and Harvard Law School, Shreya is qualified to practice in India and New York. She won the world championship of the Philip C. Jessup Moot Court Competition in 2013 and later worked at Cooley LLP, New York, before returning to India. Shreya currently serves as Assistant Editor (South Asia) at the Kluwer Arbitration Blog, Rapporteur at Young OGEMID and Secretary of the Harvard Club of Mumbai. She is also a member of the mentorship program at Young ICCA and previously co-founded the India chapters of VYAP and ENERAP. Shreya regularly speaks and writes on contemporary issues in international arbitration, dispute resolution and diversity.

Anne-Marie Doernenburg
Young ITA Asia Co-Chair
Nishimura & Asahi
Tokyo, Japan

Young ITA Asia Co-Chair - Anne-Marie Doernenburg is an associate at Nishimura & Asahi in Tokyo specialising in international arbitration, public international law and cross-border dispute resolution. She represents clients in commercial and investment arbitrations under major arbitration rules, advising both corporations and governments. Anne-Marie is admitted in Germany (Rechtsanwalt) and England & Wales (Solicitor). Brought up in a trilingual environment and fluent in six languages, Anne-Marie is passionate about working with clients and colleagues from all over the world. Before moving to Japan, Anne-Marie was based in Washington, DC, Paris and London while working for Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP as well as in Munich. As Young ITA’s ambassador in Asia, Anne-Marie looks forward to continue encouraging dialogue between young arbitration practitioners in both Asia and the West.

Alice Wang
Young ITA Asia Co-Chair
Pinsent Masons
Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Young ITA Asia Co-Chair - Alice is a senior associate in Pinsent Masons’ global international arbitration practice group.

Alice worked in Australia and Hong Kong with top tier international law firms, as well as with the in-house legal teams of multinational companies. Her practice area focuses on the contentious aspects of projects, acting for main contractors, sub-contractors and employers in arbitration and court proceedings on oil and gas, building and other civil engineering projects. Alice advises large infrastructure and energy projects located in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and South America. In particular, she represents clients in international arbitrations conducted in HKIAC, ICC, SIAC, LCIA, and other major arbitral institutions.

Daniel Allman
Young ITA Oceania Co-Chair
Norton Rose Fulbright
Sydney, Australia

Young ITA Oceania Co-Chair - Daniel Allman is Special Counsel at Norton Rose Fulbright in Sydney. Daniel specialises in cross-border dispute resolution and represents clients in international commercial and investment arbitration, as well as complex commercial litigation. He is dual-qualified in Australia and New York. Daniel was previously an associate at Covington & Burling in New York, and has worked as a consultant to a UN agency on business and human rights in Southeast Asia and as a solicitor at another leading firm in Australia and on secondment in China. Daniel received his LL.M. from Columbia University and his LL.B. and B.A. from the University of Melbourne. He served as managing editor of Columbia FDI Perspectives and writes frequently on arbitration, investment, and trade.

Alexandra Einfeld
Young ITA Oceania Co-Chair
Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Sydney, Australia

Young ITA Oceania Co-Chair - Alexandra Einfeld is a Senior Associate at Corrs Chambers Westgarth in Sydney, whose practice focuses on commercial and construction arbitration. Alexandra’s practice also includes representing parties in litigation and adjudication proceedings, primarily in the energy sector. Previously, Alexandra was based in Dubai specializing in Middle East-based commercial and construction disputes.