The Advisory Council consists of experienced arbitrators who are recognized specialists in the field. Members of the Advisory Council represent a vast number of jurisdictions including Paris, Rome, Dubai, London, New York, Hong Kong, São Paulo, Mexico City, Singapore, Cairo. RAI intends to expand this list.

RAI Co-Chairs

Yves Derains

Yves Derains, a founding partner at Derains & Gharavi, has over 40 years’ experience in commercial and investment arbitration as arbitrator and as counsel.

Yves is a former secretary general of the ICC Court, the chairman of the ICC Institute of World Business Law and the former President of the Arbitration Court of the Jerusalem Arbitration Centre (JAC) that was created by the Israeli and Palestinian ICC national committees. He was the Vice President of the Centre of Arbitration and Mediation of the Canada-Brazil Chamber of Commerce in São Paulo between 2015 and 2018.

Yves successfully led the review of the ICC Rules of Arbitration adopted in 1998 and participated in the review of the 2012 Rules. He offers clients a double perspective through his long-standing experience as arbitrator and counsel. His skills are highly regarded particularly in Latin America, where he regularly conducts arbitrations in Spanish and Portuguese. Yves is on the arbitrators’ lists of numerous arbitration institutions and speaks at conferences all over the world. He is the author of various publications on international arbitration and international commercial law.

Carolyn Lamm

Carolyn Lamm regularly serves as lead counsel in high-stakes, cutting-edge cases, successfully resolving significant international arbitrations involving international corporates and sovereign clients. She also serves as lead counsel in arbitration-related litigation matters.

Her practice concentrates on international dispute resolution through international arbitration, litigation and international trade proceedings. She advises clients in matters with ICSID and its Additional Facility, and other international arbitral proceedings involving States, as well as commercial arbitral fora including AAA/CDR, ICC, Vienna Centre, Stockholm Chamber, Swiss Chamber and in federal court litigation. She teaches International Investment Arbitration at the University Of Miami School Of Law in the White & Case LLM program in International Arbitration.

Carolyn was appointed by President Clinton to the US Panel and later by the Government of Uzbekistan to the Uzbek Panel of Arbitrators for ICSID arbitration. She was a member of the American Arbitration Association Executive Committee and Board, and is currently a member of the ICCA Governing Board, a member of the Council of the American Law Institute (Advisory Committee for the Restatement of International Arbitration and a Counselor for the Restatement Fourth on Foreign Relations) and has served as an arbitrator in AAA International Rules, ICSID and NAFTA Chapter 11 disputes. Carolyn is a founding member of the American Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce and currently serves as Chairman of the Board.

Carolyn is a past President of both the District of Columbia Bar and the American Bar Association. She is currently serving as the American Bar Association's Representative to the International Bar Association. Additionally, Carolyn is Vice President of the American Bar Endowment and will serve as President beginning August 2020.

Prior to joining White & Case, she was employed by the US Department of Justice under the Attorney General's Program for Honor Law Graduates and served as a trial attorney in the Fraud Section, Civil Division, before obtaining the position of Assistant Director, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division.

Other Members

Andrea Carlevaris

Andrea Carlevaris is a partner at BonelliErede and an adjunct professor of international law. Between September 2012 and May 2017, Andrea has been the Secretary General of the ICC International Court of Arbitration and the Director of the ICC Dispute Resolution Services. He is currently the President of AIA (the Italian Arbitration Association), a member of the Board of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, EFILA (the European Forum of International Law and Investment), IMI (International Mediation Institute), a founding member and member of the Advisory Board of Arbit (the Italian Forum for International Arbitration and ADR) and a member of the Steering Committee of the International Arbitration Commission of UIA (Union International des Avocats) and of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR. Between 2009 and 2012, he was a member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration.

Andrea is the author of a monograph on conservatory and provisional measures in international arbitration and of numerous articles on international law, conflict of laws and international arbitration. He regularly contributes to several journals, serving on the Board of Directors of the European International Arbitration Review, Rivista dell'arbitrato, Diritto del commercio internazionale and Giustizia civile.

Andrea also provides support to the Events team of the Rising Arbitrators Initiative.

Chiann Bao

Chiann Bao, a member of Arbitration Chambers, practices as an arbitrator and mediator and has served as tribunal chair, co-arbitrator, sole arbitrator, and emergency arbitrator in ad hoc arbitrations as well as institutional arbitrations under the ICC, UNCITRAL, SIAC, HKIAC, KCAB and SCIA rules. She is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a CEDR-accredited mediator. In addition to private practice experience both in Hong Kong and New York, Chiann has significant institutional experience and currently serves as a Vice President of the ICC Court of Arbitration. She is also the chair of the ICC Commission’s Task Force on ADR and Arbitration and a member of the ICC’s Belt and Road Commission. From 2010 to 2018, she served as the Secretary General of the HKIAC and was subsequently appointed as a Council Member of the HKIAC. Chiann is an honorary senior fellow at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law.

Chiann supports the Institutional Liaison Task Force of the Rising Arbitrators Initiative.

Dana MacGrath

Dana C. MacGrath is an Investment Manager and Legal Counsel at Omni Bridgeway, responsible for leading the company's investments in international arbitration matters out of the United States. She joined Omni Bridgeway in 2019 from Sidley Austin LLP, where she was a partner focusing on international arbitration and litigation in aid of arbitration, including compelling arbitration and judicial enforcement of arbitral awards.

Dana has long been a champion of diversity in international dispute resolution. Dana is President of the ArbitralWomen, on the Steering Committee of the ERA Pledge (Arbitration Pledge) and the Steering Committee of REAL, Racial Equality for Arbitration Lawyers.

Dana has long been an adjunct law professor at Brooklyn Law School teaching a seminar on International Commercial Arbitration and coaching the Brooklyn Vis Moot team. Dana also serves as arbitrator in commercial disputes.

Dana regularly speaks and writes on international arbitration and arbitration funding issues. She recently co-authored a chapter on Third-Party Funding and Covid-19 in International Arbitration and the Covid-19 Revolution published by Kluwer in late 2020 and articles on the U.S. Circuit Court split on the application of 28 USC § 1782 to foreign private commercial arbitrations.

Dana provides support to the Support Network of the Rising Arbitrators Initiative.

Essam Al Tamimi

In 1989, Essam Al Tamimi established Al Tamimi & Company. As Chairman of the firm, Essam has over 34 years’ experience in litigation and arbitration in the UAE and the GCC countries, covering almost all fields of law, both private and public law.

Essam is a former member of the ICC Court having also served as Vice-Chair of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, Paris, former Chair of the ICC UAE Commission on Arbitration and ADR, now member of the Steering Committee of the ICC UAE Commission on Arbitration and ADR, served as Chairman and is Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is the Founder of the UAE Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has also served as President of the LCIA Arab Users Council. Essam currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the DIFC Arbitration Institute (DAI).

Essam received Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding contribution to the Gulf Legal Market, as well as receiving the Life Time Achievement Award from Chamber & Partners in 2019. He assisted federal and local governments in drafting laws and regulations relating to the Telecommunications Law Authority, Dubai Internet and Media City. He supported the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry in drafting the Federal Industrial Law and implanting regulations. He also contributed to drafting of the relevant laws for establishing several Free Zones in the UAE and assisted the Dubai International Financial Centre Authority in drafting a number of new laws and regulations.

Essam is actively involved in the development of arbitration laws and the training and development of arbitration across the region. He is the author of a number of leading UAE dispute resolution publications including Arbitration Law in the United Arab Emirates (1997), A Practical Guide to Litigation and Arbitration in the UAE (2003), United Arab Emirates Court of Cassation Judgments 1989-1997 (2003) and United Arab Emirates Court of Cassation Judgments 1998-2003 (2005).

Gabriela Alvarez-Avila

Gabriela Alvarez-Avila is a partner in the International Arbitration group at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle, S.C. in Mexico City. She has acted as counsel for foreign states in investor-state arbitrations conducted under the Arbitration Rules of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). She has also acted as counsel and arbitrator in ICC arbitration commercial cases and as sole arbitrator in an arbitration conducted under the Arbitration Rules of the Centro de Arbitraje de México (CAM). She has been designated by Mexico in the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators.

Gabriela has been recognized for her work in international arbitration by Chambers Global, Chambers Latin America and Legal 500Latin America. She speaks regularly at leading conferences on international commercial and investment arbitration in Mexico, Latin America and Europe. She is a member of the Arbitration Commission of CANACO, a member of the Board at the Centro de Arbitraje de Mexico and a member of the Instituto Mexicano de Arbitraje. Since 2017, she has been the Chair of the Investment Arbitration Committee of the Mexico ICC Arbitration Commission. She is also one of the twelve board members of Abogadas MX,a leading Mexican NGO.

Isabelle Michou

Isabelle Michou is a Partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, based in Paris. Her practice focuses on international arbitration and international law. She acts for both large corporations and States and has developed substantial expertise in a range of industries, including in telecoms, energy, aerospace,large-scale infrastructure projects and hospitality. She has appeared before numerous high-profile arbitral tribunals, under the auspices of the major institutional rules including ICC, ICSID, LCIA,Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, as well as ad hoc arbitrations under the UNCITRAL Rules.

Isabelle also appears in arbitration-related proceedings before the French courts, in cases involving issues of sovereign immunities, interlocutory, interim or conservatory relief, enforcement and challenges of arbitral awards. She is regularly appointed arbitrator under the ICC Rules or other rules.

Isabelle teaches international arbitration at Sciences Po Law School in Paris and is a visiting lecturer at the School of International Arbitration of the London Queen Mary University. She is French and Canadian, and is dual qualified as a Paris Avocat and a Solicitor of England & Wales.

Isaiah Bozimo

Isaiah Bozimo is the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Delta State. As the State’s Chief Legal Officer, he leads a team of 218 State Counsel, who work across five zones. Under his leadership, the Ministry of Justice is dedicated to upholding the rule of law, enhancing efficiencies in the administration of justice, and protecting the civil rights of all Deltans.

Immediately preceding his appointment as Attorney-General, Isaiah was a Partner at Broderick Bozimo & Company, a practice specialising in arbitration and litigation. His reputation for delivering high-value settlements and victories has earned him recognition by Who’s Who Legal as a Future Leader in Arbitration.

Isaiah has represented state-owned entities, corporations, and high-net-worth individuals in both arbitration and litigation. He has also served as Sole Arbitrator and Co-Arbitrator under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Lagos Court of Arbitration (LCA), the Lagos State Multi-Door Courthouse (LMDC) and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

He serves on the Council of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law and leads the Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Thematic Area of the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER). In addition, he has contributed to international publications, books, and guides in the field of International Commercial Arbitration, such as the 40 Under 40 International Arbitration (2021), Rethinking the Role of African National Courts in Arbitration (2018), the Delos Guide to Arbitration Places, and the New York Convention Guide.

Isaiah is an alumnus of Queen Mary, University of London, the London School of Economics, and the University of Central Lancashire.

Mohamed S. Abdel Wahab

Mohamed S. Abdel Wahab is the Founding Partners & Head of International Arbitration, Construction and Energy Groups at Zulficar & Partners Law Firm; Chair of Private International Law and Professor of International Arbitration (Cairo University); Vice-President, ICC International Court of Arbitration; Member of the ICCA Governing Board; Senior Vice-Chair, IBA Arab Regional Forum; Member of the CRCICA Advisory Committee; Vice Chair, ISDS Academic Forum; Member of the MIAC Advisory Board; Member of the CIMAC Court of Arbitration; Member of the Board of Trustees of the CIArb; Member of the SIAC African Users’ Council; Dean and Member of the Advisory Council of the Africa Arbitration Academy; International Expert Member of the China Permanent Forum on Construction Law; Member of Arbitrator Intelligence’s Board of Advisors; Fellow of the National Centre for Technology and Dispute Resolution at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA; and Member of the Governing Board of International Council on Online Dispute Resolution (ICODR).

Mohamed is former Court Member of the LCIA (2014-2019); former President of LCIA’s Arab Users’ Council (2016-2018); former Vice President of the IBA Arbitration Committee (2015-2018); former President of the Egypt Branch, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) (2018); former Member of the CIArb’s Board of Management (2018); former Chair of the CIArb’s Technology Sub-Committee (2012–2014); former Member of the CIArb’s Practice and Standards Committee (2012 – 2018); former Committee Member of the IBA Investment Arbitration Sub-Committee (2016–2017).
Mohamed served as ‘Arbitrator’, ‘Counsel’ and ‘Legal Expert’ in more than 200 cases involving African, Asian, Canadian, European, Middle Eastern and US parties. He featured in cases under the auspices of the AAA-BCDR, CRCICA, DIAC, DIFC-LCIA, ICC, ICSID, LCIA, LMAA, RCICAL (Nigeria), SCC, SIAC, as well as in ad hoc UNCITRAL proceedings. He is recognized as a world-leading arbitrator and arbitration practitioner on international investment and international commercial arbitration, Egyptian and Arab laws, Islamic Shari’a, and online dispute resolution. His expertise in cross border multi-jurisdictional and highly complex transactions and disputes is broad where he featured in proceedings governed by Bahraini, Egyptian, English, French, Iraqi, Jordanian, Kuwaiti, Libyan, Moroccan, New York, Nigerian, Omani, Pakistani, Qatari, Saudi, Spanish, Swiss, Syrian, Italian and United Arab Emirates laws, as well as the general principles of law. He was the African Personality of June 2018 by Africa Arbitration, and by the Lagos Court of Arbitration in May 2019. He received the LAW Magazine 2017 Best Legal Practitioner Award, the 2018 ASA International Arbitration Advocacy Prize, the 2019 AYA Hall-of-Fame African Arbitrator Award and the 2020 Client Choice International Award. He features in Who’s Who Legal Thought Leaders: International Arbitration (2017 - 2020). He also features in AFRICA’s 100 list of leading African arbitration practitioners by I-ARB (Africa). The Legal 500 (2019) states he is ‘one of the best in the world’. WWL: Arbitration (2020) says he is “at the top of the market” and “a very well-prepared, exceptional arbitrator”. WWL: Construction (2019 -2020) says he is “a leading heavyweight construction law specialist whose analytical skills are second to none”. Client Choice International (2020) by Lexology says: “Mohamed outshines his competitors; he is world-class. He is one of the most brilliant legal brains of his generation and impressive, proactive, a very good speaker, and a very impartial and independent arbitrator”. He is the co-editor of the leading treatise “Online Dispute Resolution Theory & Practice” (2012) which received the CPR Award for best dispute resolution work in 2013.

Mohamed provides support to the Support Network of the Rising Arbitrators Initiative.

Renato Stephan Grion

Renato Stephan Grion is a lawyer educated and trained in Brazil, U.S. and France, and has broad experience in international arbitration. He currently serves as President of the ICC Arbitration and Mediation Commission (Brazil). He worked as Assistant Counsel at the Secretariat of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris before joining the São Paulo office of Pinheiro Neto Advogados in 2007, where he became a partner in 2013. He specializes in international arbitration and practices in a variety of commercial arbitration cases under most of the major institutional rules (as well as in ad hoc arbitrations). He is a guest lecturer in international arbitration at the Pontifi´cia Universidade Cato´lica de Sa~o Paulo (COGEAE) and is the author of many articles on the subject. He lectures regularly in Brazil and abroad about international commercial arbitration and is a member of the ICC Latin American Arbitration Group.

He is listed in the following legal practice guides: The International Who’s Who of Arbitration; Who’s Who Legal – Brazil; Chambers Latin America; Chambers Global; Expert Guides; Latin Lawyer 250; GAR 100 - Global Arbitration Review. In 2011, Global Arbitration Review indicated him as one of the 45 most prominent international arbitration practitioners under the age of 45 worldwide (“GAR 45 under 45”).

Tai-Heng Cheng

Tai-Heng Cheng is global co-head of the international arbitration practice at Sidley. He is a pre-eminent arbitration practitioner whom clients across industries turn to for sound strategic advice in managing risk,and successfully addressing and solving a myriad of complex business issues. He has earned a reputation being a stellar advocate, having won 9-figure awards for clients both in commercial and investment treaty arbitrations, and successfully carried out worldwide enforcement campaigns to collect judgements and awards.

With 20 years of experience, he is also a trusted advisor to companies and boards. He uses the full range of legal tools to create leverage in disputes, investigations and government enforcement matters. His clients span many industries including, energy and infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, real estate,manufacturing and financial services.

In addition to handling matters throughout the United States, he spends substantial time in Europe, Asia and Latin America representing clients. Tai collaborates closely with other lawyers in the global arbitration practice and leverages the full Sidley platform to provide value-added service for clients.

Tai has extensive experience serving as tribunal chair or co-arbitrator in more than a dozen arbitrations before major international arbitral institutions across multiple continents, and is a member of the arbitration panels of arbitration institutions in North America, Europe and Asia.

Wendy Miles

Wendy Miles is a specialist in international arbitration and dispute resolution with a focus on private and public international law.

With over 25 years of experience, Wendy has advised on international law matters and conducted arbitrations under all the major institutions and ad hoc. She has advised a wide range of multinationals, including corporates, sovereign States and State entities and multilateral State organisations.

Wendy has assisted clients across numerous sectors, including energy, natural resources, banking, insurance, financial services,gaming, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, licensing,telecommunications and construction. She has sat as arbitrator since 2005, as sole, co-arbitrator and chair under most major arbitral institutions.

In the field of climate change and finance, Wendy acts as global coordinating counsel to various major corporates in relation to climate change transition, disclosure, reporting, compliance and investment. She regularly advises investors and States in respect of climate related physical, transition and litigation risk. She works closely with a number of States in relation to climate transition regulatory structures to mobilise finance and formulate climate investment policy. She also works closely with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and has represented it at the Conferences of the Parties on climate since 2015.