by Gladwin Issac, Associate, S&R Associates, Mumbai, India

Crina Baltag, In-Charge of Publications at Rising Arbitrators Initiative (RAI) and Senior Lecturer in International Arbitration at Stockholm University in Stockholm and Kabir Duggal, Member of the Support Network of RAI’s Executive Committee, and Senior International Arbitration Advisor at Arnold & Porter in New York meet Alexander Fessas, Secretary General of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC Court) in the next episode of RAI’s “Interview the Institution” Series.

In this short talk with Crina and Kabir, Alex tells us about how his childhood fascination for ancient history led him to discover the exciting new world of international arbitration, his thoughts on initiatives like RAI and the significant role they play in supporting candidates in getting their “first break”. He sheds light on the “behind-the-scenes” process of appointment of arbitrators by the ICC Court and the valuable support that various national committees provide in this process. Alex then discusses the various factors that the ICC Court takes into account to arrive at the right fit for a case and updates us on the latest appointment trends at the world’s leading arbitral institution. While he acknowledges that there is much to be done on the diversity front, he assures that diversity remains a core value at ICC and the ICC Court has consistently delivered on its commitment to promote regional, gender as well as generational diversity in the pool of arbitrators so far and would continue to do so. Lastly, Alex provides very useful advice on how upcoming arbitrators can put their training and skillsets to use to grab their first appointment as well as the key future trends they should be looking at to kickstart their arbitrator careers.

Watch the full recording of the interview on the RAI website available here.