Promoting institutionalization and international best practices: SCCA Reshapes its committees with 6 internationally renowned arbitration practitioners

Promoting institutionalization and international best practices: SCCA Reshapes its committees with 6 internationally renowned arbitration practitioners

Published Date: 22/06/2021

The Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (“SCCA”) is adding additional high-profile ADR experts to its Rules Advisory Committee (“RAC”) and its Committee for Administrative Decisions (“CAD”). These additions will further promote SCCA’s objective to provide first-class rules and services that are transparent, consistent, and adhere to international best practices.

This step by SCCA complements the appointment of a new SCCA Board of Directors in March of 2021 pursuant to a royal decree. The Board, now in its third term, includes eminent international arbitration experts from Saudi Arabia and around the world, including experts in law and Shari’ah as well as business sector leaders.

To ensure the independence of the SCCA committees and the governance of their work, three new members with long-standing experience in institutional arbitration and a global reputation have joined RAC. They fill the vacancies left by two former members who have been appointed to the SCCA Board of Directors. RAC has now has 15 members.

 

 

The new members are: Mr. James Hosking (New Zealander/American; Founding Partner at Chaffetz Lindsey LLP, New York. Dr. Matthew Secomb (Australian; Partner at White & Case Pte. Ltd., Singapore. Prof. Dr. Mohamed S. Abdel Wahab (Egyptian; Partner and Head of International Arbitration, Construction and Energy at Zulficar & Partners, Cairo; former Vice President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration; former Court Member of the LCIA).

In addition, three new members who have held senior positions in some of the most preeminent arbitral institutions in the world joined CAD. The new members are: Dr. Ziad Bin Abdulrahman Al-Sudairy (Saudi; International Arbitrator; Principal of The Law Office of Ziad A. Al Sudairy; former Chairman of the Board of SCCA. Ms. Annette Magnusson (Swedish; Co-Founder of Climate Change Counsel, Stockholm; former Secretary General of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC)). Ms. Sarah Lancaster (Australian/British; Chambers Director of Arbitration Chambers (London, Hong Kong and New York); former Registrar of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)).

 

 

RAC was established in December of 2019 to advise SCCA on its Rules and Procedures. It includes internationally highly reputed ADR experts and industry leaders from around the world, including independent international arbitrators, legal advisers who have worked in preeminent arbitral institutions, attorneys from Saudi and foreign companies, and law professors from international renowned universities.

 CAD was established in September of 2020 to provides parties access to a neutral and specialized decision-making authority that makes consistent and transparent decisions in short order to resolve impasses to keep the arbitration proceeding on track. Its decision-making authority encompasses the determination of (1) arbitrator challenges, (2) disputes concerning the place of arbitration, and (3) disputes concerning the number of arbitrators in both SCCA-administered and non-SCCA-administered (ad hoc) arbitration proceedings.

SCCA Chairman Dr. Walid Bin Sulaiman Abanumay emphasized that “the SCCA’s quest to strengthen its international standing in the alternative dispute resolution industry has been at the core of the SCCA’s identity and its various activities since its establishment.” He further added that “this is reflected in the diversity of the SCCA Arbitrator and Mediator Rosters and the nature of the arbitration and mediation cases that SCCA has administered.”

“This international richness,” Dr. Abanumay said, “is reflected in the names on the SCCA’s Board of Directors, RAC, and CAD, as well as the good international reputation that SCCA has earned among industry leaders around the world. These advantages enable SCCA to continue advancing in its work and upgrading its services to a level that makes it the best international partner in the region and the preferred regional option for alternative dispute resolution services."