The Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge (“Arbitration Pledge” or “ERA Pledge”) has announced that, as of 9 March 2022, the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (“ICCA”) is the new official host of the ERA Pledge Female Arbitrator Search Tool. This collaboration between the Arbitration Pledge and ICCA is an exciting next step for the ERA Pledge Female Arbitrator Search Tool! As many in the arbitration community may know, The ERA Pledge Female Arbitrator Search Tool is a resource that was launched in 2016 which allows practitioners and parties who require assistance in their search for diverse arbitrators to identify qualified female arbitrators to hear their cases. Arbitrator search requests are submitted to the ERA Search Committee on a confidential basis by submission of a completed arbitrator search request form on the ICCA website here. The ERA Search Committee, a sub-group of the ERA Steering Committee. and is comprised of more than 20 members from dispute resolution organisations who work on a volunteer and independent basis. No members of the ERA Search Committee are employed by law firms. Arbitrator request forms are sent directly to the independent ERA Search Committee, which responds by providing a list of female candidates based on the criteria set out in the arbitrator search form. The ERA Search Committee does not recommend arbitrators (nor does the Arbitration Pledge or ICCA) but rather provides a list of female candidates responsive to the request form. Additionally, no member of the ERA Search Committee may be listed as a potential candidate on the list provided in response to a request form. To achieve the ERA Pledge call for appointment of female arbitrators on an equal opportunity basis, it was considered that arbitration users may sometimes need assistance. Therefore, to further facilitate their search for female arbitrators, The ERA Pledge provides links to a few organisations that list female arbitrator profiles on their respective websites. If users require further assistance, the online request form allows parties and counsel to complete the form to indicate the expertise and criteria sought to enable the ERA Search Committee to prepare a list of potential female candidates. The ERA Search Committee may include on a list of potential female arbitrator candidates some women who are less well-known in the arbitration community but have the relevant experience and profile responsive to the request form. The ERA Search Committee does not contact any potential female candidates and no women who on a list provided by the ERA Search Committee are aware that their names have been included on a list. It is entirely within the discretion of the arbitration user to contact any female candidate on a list provided by the ERA Search Committee. We are excited about this latest collaboration between the Arbitration Pledge and ICCA to promote women and diversity in international arbitration. Submitted by Mirèze Philippe, ArbitralWomen co-founder, Member of the ERA Pledge Steering Committee and of the ERA Search Committee

ArbitralWomen held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) virtually on Tuesday, 1 February 2022, attended by women from all over the world. Board Secretary Gaëlle Filhol called the meeting to order at 16:00 GMT, 17:00 CET. President Dana MacGrath gave introductory remarks, noting that her term as President will conclude on 30 June 2022, and took a moment to reflect on her time as President. She shared that it has been an honour to lead ArbitralWomen through some very difficult times, not the least of which has been the global pandemic, and that the Board maximised the ArbitralWomen platform to support women during this challenging period while continuing ArbitralWomen’s usual programming in different, innovative ways. ArbitralWomen could not have achieved all that it has without a fabulous team of ArbitralWomen Directors, Members, and allies. In the past four years, the ArbitralWomen Executive Committee took significant steps to modernise the governance of ArbitralWomen, including most recently the preparation of the 2022 ArbitralWomen By-Laws. At the same time, the Board expanded ArbitralWomen’s presence globally, augmented ArbitralWomen’s programmes, and launched new programmes even during the pandemic. ArbitralWomen has tried to embrace more deliberately the new generation of women in arbitration. Additionally, ArbitralWomen partnered with many other organisations to promote diversity in ADR and has supported other, relatively new, diversity organisations and initiatives in their efforts to launch successfully. Dana concluded her remarks by noting that ArbitralWomen will celebrate its 30th anniversary in November 2023 and her hope is that we will all join in celebrating ArbitralWomen’s rich history of promoting women and diversity at our 30^th anniversary celebrations. Finally, she shared that she was extremely proud of how ArbitralWomen continues to thrive and wished the future leadership team of ArbitralWomen much success. Next, Vice President Louise Woods presented on the ArbitralWomen 2022 By-Laws. Louise explained that the 2022 By-Laws are the culmination of several months of work by the By-Laws Amendment Taskforce, which she led herself as Vice President, and thanked the Taskforce (which included volunteer members of the ArbitralWomen Executive Committee, Board and Advisory Council) for their comments and suggestions. She noted that the amended By-Laws have been accessible to ArbitralWomen Members on the website portal since 12 January 2022. She explained that the amendments were aimed at three main goals: (1) to build on recent improvements to ArbitralWomen’s governance, (2) to improve, clarify and streamline certain processes, and (3) to record in the By-Laws policies and procedures that already existed in practice. She then walked members through the specific amendments and summarised the key revisions. Thereafter, she took questions and comments, and the issue of approval and adoption of the 2022 By-Laws was put to a vote, with an overwhelming majority – in fact unanimous – vote in favour of approval and adoption of the new By-Laws. Next, several members of the Board of Directors reported on the work of their committees in 2021.  Juliette Fortin reported on her work as Treasurer and on the finances of the organisation. Rekha Rangachari reported on the work of the Cooperation Committee and Global Events. Maria Beatriz Burghetto reported on the work of the Newsletter team. Gisèle Stephens-Chu reported on the revamped Parental Mentorship Programme. Dana MacGrath reported on the News Committee’s work. Amanda Lee reported on social media. Elizabeth Chan reported on the work of YAWP and the selection of the new 2022 YAWP Steering Committee. All 2021 Committee Reports will be made available to members in due course together with minutes of the 2022 AGM. After the reports by Directors on their committees’ work, President Dana MacGrath provided a high-level overview of the 2022 Board election process and shared a slide that illustrated the key dates of the process, which appears below. More information regarding the 2022 Board election process will be shared with the ArbitralWomen Membership in due course. At the close of the meeting, members participated in a networking session, at which new ArbitralWomen members were invited to introduce themselves. Several other members shared news and their areas of expertise at the networking session. The event concluded at 19:30 CET.

Since its kick-off session in December 2020, the revamped Parental Mentorship Programme, led by Board members Louise Woods, Gisèle Stephens-Chu and YAWP Steering Committee member Katie Hyman, has been holding group discussions by videoconference every two months. The forum is a support network for parents and prospective parents providing ArbitralWomen members with the opportunity to discuss the specific concerns and challenges of parenting while maintaining and developing an international arbitration career. The content of the discussions is confidential among meeting participants to encourage an open discussion and a free exchange of ideas. The group meetings are small enough that each participant has an opportunity to share her individual experiences and provide a comfortable atmosphere to connect. Kathryn Siebke has attended several of the sessions and thoroughly enjoys the solidarity the programme provides. “As a mother of three and partner in a law firm, my life is a constant balancing act where I often feel that a barrier needs to be set between the two – those whom I work with should not be bothered with my obligations at home, and my family life should not be impacted by my career,” Kathryn Siebke commented. “Obviously this is not a feasible reality, even more so in these pandemic times. The Parental Mentorship Programme is a wonderful outlet to discuss the aspects of being a working mother that are unique to the international arbitration field, and offers support for those tough decisions that sometimes need to be made. It is also a pleasant networking opportunity in an informal setting to really get to know other working mothers around the world and the ways they have managed the work-life balance.” Rikki Stern, who has also attended several of the sessions, highly recommends the programme. “The Parental Mentorship Programme is a unique forum in which participants can have honest conversations about the challenges of balancing a highly demanding profession with motherhood,” Rikki Stern explained. “The Programme allows participants to share creative solutions, and has debunked many of the myths as to what is required for success.” Stern notes that she “always leaves the sessions feeling inspired by the examples of the Programme’s participants, who are leading highly successful careers in international arbitration while also having a full family life.” Another participant, Monika Prusinowska, has especially enjoyed a variety of perspectives offered by other Programme participants: “We all face similar challenges as working mothers, but we may also have different ways of approaching them. The exchange of experience among those attending the sessions has exposed me to a variety of solutions to the issues I currently cope with in terms of my professional and private life transition. It is often more difficult to see options just by yourself. I leave each session feeling inspired and simply stronger.” Gisèle Stephens-Chu notes that “the programme allows women of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds to connect, share their experience and support each other. The challenges of parenting and pursuing a career in international arbitration are global, and there is much to learn from colleagues across the globe on how to raise children in the new normal.” The next Parental Mentorship event will take place on 3 March 2022, at 9am GMT. For our next event, we welcome Dilber Devitre, who replaces Katie Hyman as YAWP Steering Committee member. Growing interest in the revamped Parental Mentoring Programme has increased the number of new ArbitralWomen members joining the organization, as the programme is only open to ArbitralWomen members. If you are a member of ArbitralWomen and wish to participate or have suggestions on how to further optimise the programme, please reach out to Louise Woods, Gisèle Stephens-Chu or Dilber Devitre! Co-Organisers of the ArbitralWomen Revamped Parental Mentorship Programme: [caption id="attachment_96536" align="aligncenter" width="1078"] Left to Right: Louise Woods, Gisèle Stephens-Chu, Katie Hyman[/caption]

The Vis East Moot, now in its 19^th season, has a new face on the team.  ArbitralWomen’s Sherlin Tung, a partner with Withersworldwide in Hong Kong, joins the Vis East Moot Foundation as a Member and occupies the newly created post of Deputy Director. Sherlin needs no introduction to anyone connected with Vis East, as she has for many years been a stalwart.  As Vice-President and then President of the Moot Alumni Association (MAA), she was responsible for organising the social activities around the Vis East Moot. She was an integral part of last year’s virtual organization.  She also may hold the record for the number of virtual arguments arbitrated, filling in at the last minute for absent arbitrators. [caption id="attachment_96521" align="alignright" width="236"] Sherlin Tung[/caption] Sherlin is the key person in the development of the brand-new Vis East website, with its new system for the organisation of teams, arbitrators and arguments, being rolled out this year. The system makes it easier for arbitrators to indicate their availability and to return their comments on the Memoranda and their scores during the oral competition.  Sherlin is also involved in many other aspects of the Vis East administration. A devoted supporter of the Moot since she competed in Vienna in the 16^th Vis Moot, Sherlin says she owes her professional and personal success to the Moot: “Without the Vis Moot, I would not be working in a field that I love, surrounded and supported by an amazing group of people.”  Vis East Director and ArbitralWomen Co-Founder Louise Barrington remarked, “With the challenges of Covid, our new website, and staff reorganisation, I don’t know how we could have survived the past few months without Sherlin. She has made a huge commitment to paying back the benefits she reaped as a part of the Vis community.  Sherlin is a godsend to Vis East.” Orals Week for the 19th Vis East Moot (3^rd Virtual Vis East) is from 27 March to 3 April 2022.  The Vis East needs more arbitrator/judges and is recruiting former “Mooties” and other arbitrators and arbitration counsel to judge the nearly 300 arguments taking place over 6 days. Women and Asians are underrepresented among the arbitrators and therefore particularly welcome. To register, go to https://cisgmoot.org and click on Arbitrator Registration.

The new members are from diverse professional and geographical backgrounds and include Sanaa Babaa (Director at EY in London), Krystle Baptista (Independent arbitrator in Madrid), Manini Brar (Independent arbitrator in New Delhi), Dilber Devitre (Associate at Homburger in Zurich), Olga Sendetska (Associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Frankfurt), and Jae Hee Suh (Senior associate at Allen & Overy in Singapore). They will join ArbitralWomen Vice President Louise Woods (YAWP Chair and partner at Vinson & Elkins in London) and ArbitralWomen Board members Elizabeth Chan (YAWP Co-Director), Patricia Nacimiento (YAWP Co-Director and partner at Herbert Smith Freehills in Frankfurt) and Cherine Foty (YAWP Steering Committee Liaison and senior associate at Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, D.C.) in leading YAWP’s initiatives. The new Steering Committee has been appointed for a 2-year term, from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2023. “I am pleased to welcome the 2022 ArbitralWomen YAWP Steering Committee and wish to thank ArbitralWomen Vice President Louise Woods as Chair of YAWP and the outgoing Steering Committee members for all their hard work,” commented ArbitralWomen President Dana MacGrath. YAWP Chair and ArbitralWomen Vice-President, Louise Woods, says “I am delighted to welcome the incoming 2022 Steering Committee members. YAWP’s activities and profile have grown significantly in the last two years, thanks in large part to our outgoing Steering Committee members’ hard work, enthusiasm and dedication to the organisation’s purpose of promoting young female practitioners.  Our diverse and highly-experienced new Steering Committee members are a testament to the quality of women practising in international arbitration today.  I am very excited to see what the future holds for YAWP, and our younger members, under their leadership.” YAWP Co-Director, Elizabeth Chan, says, “I’m excited about the energy and creativity that the new YAWP Steering Committee members will bring to our mission of making international arbitration a more inclusive space for young female practitioners - and indeed, for everyone. We want to help young women practitioners to raise their profiles, to access opportunities, and to participate in skills-building training that will help them succeed in their careers.” YAWP, the first young networking group established solely for female practitioners, was launched in 2016 by Gabrielle Nater-Bass, former Vice President of ArbitralWomen and partner at Homburger in Zurich. It provides a platform for female practitioners under 40 across the globe to network, develop their careers in arbitration and ADR, and address challenges that typically arise in the early stages of practice. Recent YAWP initiatives include the YAWP Speaker Panel, which seeks to expand opportunities for YAWP members to participate as speakers or in other relevant roles in arbitration and ADR events; the ArbitralWomen-YAWP Parental Mentorship Programme, which provides a forum for members to share their concerns, experiences and tips on managing professional and parental commitments; and the YAWP Training Workshop Series on Expert Topics, which provides interactive workshops in a small-group setting on topics such as business valuation, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on damages quantification, fraud in financial reporting, and third-party funding. Further information on YAWP and its activities can be found here. All ArbitralWomen members under the age of 40 automatically become members of YAWP. Those interested in joining are invited to join ArbitralWomen here. ArbitralWomen also thanks the outgoing YAWP Steering Committee members for their invaluable service and contributions: Aanchal Basur (Partner at AB Law in New Delhi), Katie Hyman (Partner at Rimon Law in Washington D.C.), Montserrat Manzano (Partner at Von Wobeser y Sierra in Mexico City) and Annabelle Möckesch (In-House Counsel at Implenia in Zurich). Please join us in congratulating the 2022 YAWP Steering Committee Members. ArbitralWomen is an international non-governmental organisation for the promotion of women and diversity in international dispute resolution. Over the past 29 years, ArbitralWomen has developed many programmes and opportunities to support and promote women in international dispute resolution as well serving as a leader in the efforts to overcome gender bias in the legal profession.

19 January 2022 ArbitralWomen congratulates its members on their appointment to leadership positions with the Arbitration Committee of the International Bar Association! ArbitralWomen member Samaa Haridi has been selected to serve in the leading role of senior Co-Chair of the IBA Arbitration Committee. Vice Chairs of the IBA Arbitration Committee include ArbitralWomen members Chiann Bao, Kate Brown de Vejar, and Noradèle Radjai. In addition, ArbitralWomen member Patricia Saiz González will serve as Diversity and Inclusion Officer and ArbitralWomen member Jennifer Permesly will serve as Website Officer of the IBA Arbitration Committee. We also congratulate ArbitralWomen members who have been selected to lead various subcommittees of the IBA Arbitration Committee. ArbitralWomen members Caline Mouawad and Maxi Scherer will lead the Investment Arbitration Subcommittee as co-chairs and ArbitralWomen Board Member Sara Koleilat-Aranjo will lead the In-House Counsel Group.

“We are delighted to see these ArbitralWomen members serving in IBA leadership positions. They are highly talented and respected international dispute resolution professionals who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to their respective committees,” commented ArbitralWomen President Dana MacGrath. “ArbitralWomen takes this opportunity to congratulate all of the women and men taking leadership positions within the IBA and to thank those who previously served and are stepping down for their substantial contributions to the organization.”

Submitted by Dana MacGrath, ArbitralWomen President and Independent Arbitrator, MacGrath Arbitration