This will be conducted in English and according to Riyadh local time. 

We are pleased that the 3rd International Arbitration Summit ― Riyadh will be back in KSA once again on Wednesday 5 November 2025 at the Marriott Riyadh Diplomatic Quarter.  This year, we will continue to bring in a group of local and international speakers to the summit, whom will be presenting on various topics in relations to international arbitration and corporate crime as well as share the upcoming trends and provide updates to assist businesses to avoid arbitration.  It will also be an excellent platform to mingle with fellow legal professionals in the region.  For more information, please refer to the flyer.  Download

Registration is now open.  We are offering complimentary pass to in-house legal professional (non law/consulting firm only) and discounted rate is available for law / consulting firms.  For more information, please refer to the registration below. 

If you are interested to sponsor or speak at the event, contact Jason at jason.sinclair@legalplus-asia.com for package details.  For registrations details, contact Bettina at legalpluseventsasia@legalplus-asia.com.

Program
The organiser reserves the right to change the program without prior notice.

• Welcome Message by Chairman
  Paul Key KC, Essex Court Chambers London
• Welcome Address by Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration
  Representative from Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration
• Keynote Session: Meeting the Expectations and Needs of its Global Users – has International Arbitration succeeded?
  Hilary Heilbron KC, Brick Court Chambers
  
• Regional Grand Panel: Enforcement of Awards Updates in the KSA, MENA, UK and EU. Important Regional Issues to Consider and How To get Your Award & And Be Paid!
  Moderator: Dr. Gordon Blanke, International Arbitrator, Blanke Arbitration
  Panellist:
  • Yulia Barnes, Managing Partner, Barnes Law
  
• Managing Cross-border Insolvency Disputes with KSA & International Companies
• Arbitration Decoded — A Unique Vision from the Tribunal, the Institution and the Boardroom
  • Niall Clancy, Partner, Simmons & Simmons
  • Philippe Cavalieros, Partner & Global Head, International Arbitration Practice, Simmons & Simmons LLP
  
• 1st Grand Panel: Construction Disputes in The Midde East: Expert Witness, Damages, Quantum & Avoidance Tips
  Moderator: Sean Hugo, Senior Managing Director, Vertex
  Panellists:
  • HK Suresha, Senior Partner and Country Head, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Masin
  • Nick Oury, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
  • Adam El Shalakany, Senior Partner, Shalakany Law Office
  
• 2nd Grand Panel: Art of Negotiation: Tactical Issues in Why Arbitration, Why Mediation and Why Not? Increase in ADR Methods in the KSA & Middle East
  Moderator: Leonora Riesenburg, Independent Chartered Arbitrator and Accredited Mediator, INTADR DMCC
  Panellists:
  • Julian Cohen, Arbitrator & Barrister, Resolution Chambers
  • Yulia Barnes, Managing Partner, Barnes Law
  • Marcus Khoury, Head of Legal, Averda
  
• Managing Construction Disputes in HK & Asia
  Julian Cohen, Arbitrator & Barrister, Resolution Chambers
• Digital Assets: Asset Tracing & Investigations – Protect Your Company!
  
• 3rd Grand Panel: Rise of M&A & Joint Venture Disputes in 2025 and Expectations in 2026
  Moderator: Euan Lloyd, Partner, Al Tamimi & Company
  Panellists:
  • Nesreen Osman, Partner, Pinsent Masons
  • Stuart Paterson, Managing Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
  
• 4th Grand Panel: Energy Disputes In the Region: New Trends, Tarriff Effects & ECT Updates & Considerations
  Moderator: Hilary Heilbron KC, Brick Court Chambers
  Panellist:
  • Fatima Ghaith, Legal Expert
  • Marcus Khoury, Head of Legal, Averda
  

Speakers

Paul Key, K.C., Chairman

Essex Court Chambers London

Paul Key K.C. is recognised as one of the leading QCs at the English Commercial Bar. He has particular expertise and specialism in arbitration, both international commercial arbitration and investment treaty arbitration (including ICSID). He also regularly appears in arbitration-related Court matters, including appearing in the English Supreme Court in Jivraj v Hashwani. He has been ranked in the top tier (band 1) rankings for arbitration for over 10 years and has consistently been identified as one of the leading figures in that field (“a real arbitration expert”, “few can rival his expertise, ability and knowledge in the field of arbitration”, “the first port of call for important arbitration disputes”, “an arbitration guru”). He has appeared as advocate in over 300 major international arbitrations worldwide, as well as appearing regularly before the English Courts (at all levels) and foreign Courts on arbitration matters. In addition to his extensive experience in international commercial arbitration, he is one of the very few English QCs to have real expertise in investment arbitration. He has been lead counsel in a very large number of BIT / investment arbitrations, acting both for and against States. He is Visiting Professor in international arbitration law at King’s College, London, and has lectured and published widely in this field. He has been a longstanding representative of the UK on the ILA International Commercial Arbitration Committee and is also a delegate for the UNCITRAL Working Group on Arbitration.

Biography

Hilary Heilbron KC, Keynote Speaker & Moderator - 4th Grand Panel

Brick Court Chambers

Hilary Heilbron KC has been appointed as an arbitrator in over 130 international arbitrations, many as Chair, with a range of different applicable laws, seats, institutional rules and subject matters, both ad hoc and under institutional rules. She brings to this role her extensive prior experience as counsel in commercial cases in which capacity she acted for a wide range of national and international clients. Her expertise includes energy disputes (oil, gas, water, nuclear and solar power); joint ventures and share purchase and subscription, corporate mergers and acquisitions; pharmaceutical; telecommunications; banking and finance; insurance; international sale of goods, hotel management as well as other issues arising from international commercial contracts. She is a past member of the LCIA Court and the ICC UK Arbitration and ADR Committee and a former member of several task forces on international arbitration.

Biography

Dr. Gordon Blanke, Moderator - Grand Regional Panel

International Arbitrator, Blanke Arbitration

Dr. Blanke has extensive and wide-ranging experience in all types of international commercial and investment arbitration in both common- and civil law jurisdictions, having acted as advising counsel and arbitrator under most leading institutional arbitration rules (including the ICC, LCIA, DIAC, DIFC-LCIA, ADCCAC, GCC, SCC and JAMS arbitration rules) and ad hoc (including the GAFTA, LMAA and UNCITRAL Rules) in arbitrations seated in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia in relation to a variety of industry sectors, including aviation, private equity, banking and finance, construction/real estate, commodities, hospitality, travel/leisure, cosmetics, IT, telecoms, oil and gas, maritime/shipping etc. Dr. Blanke has also been appointed to the ADGM, ADCCAC, CIETAC and CRCICA Panel of Arbitrators. In the 2014 and 2015 editions of The Legal 500, Dr. Blanke has been recommended for international arbitration in the UAE and is praised as “very professional” in The Legal 500 2016. He is also recommended, including for construction arbitration, in The Legal 500 EMEA 2019. More recently, Dr. Blanke has been ranked in the Legal 500 Private Practice Arbitration Powerlist - Middle East Region 2023. Dr. Blanke is listed as a leading arbitration specialist in Who’s Who Legal 2015 and 2016, Who’s Who Arbitration – Future Leaders 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 and in Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration 2021 and as a Global Leader in arbitration in Who’s Who Legal 2022, 2023 and 2024 and recommended for arbitration in the Lexology Index 2025. He is further known for his expertise in international antitrust arbitration, having been an active member of the former ICC Task Force for Arbitrating Competition Law Issues. Dr. Blanke has sat as Chairman, Sole Arbitrator and Co-arbitrator in over 80 ICC, LCIA, SCC, DIFC-LCIA, DIAC, ADCCAC, AjCCCA and ad hoc (including UNCITRAL and LMAA) arbitrations, including international commercial, construction, real estate, corporate, shipping and other disputes of varying sizes, governed by English, Italian, Swedish, Qatari and UAE law. Dr. Blanke is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in London, England. The 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 editions of Chambers & Partners Global list Dr. Blanke as one of the Most in Demand Arbitrators in the UAE.

Biography

Sean Hugo, Moderator - 1st Grand Panel

Senior Managing Director, Vertex

Sean, a Senior Managing Director at Vertex, brings to the table extensive expertise as a Testified Delay and Disruption Expert. His proficiency spans the specialized domains of delay and disruption analysis. Prior to assuming this role, Sean held key project-based positions, including Site Engineer, Project Manager, Project Controls Manager, and Planning Manager, on complicated projects. Sean has significant EPC experience in Oil and Gas in both a dispute setting and practical work experience. As an Independent Delay and Disruption Expert, Sean has been entrusted with drafting numerous expert reports, testifying and undergoing cross examination, offering unbiased opinions on construction project delay and disruption. He is well-versed in adhering to the best practice protocols outlined in AACE International Recommended Practice No. 29R-03 and the SCL Delay and Disruption Protocol. Additionally, Sean has undergone formal training in expert witness testimony and advanced cross-examination techniques. Sean's expertise has been recognized through his appointments as an independent delay/disruption expert under the arbitration rules of ICC, DIAC, QICCA, and LCIA. His contributions in this capacity have led to him being recognized by WWL under the category of Arbitration Future Leaders – Expert Witnesses.

Biography

Leonora Riesenburg, Moderator - 2nd Grand Panel

Independent Chartered Arbitrator and Accredited Mediator, INTADR DMCC

Leonora Riesenburg is an Independent Chartered Arbitrator and Accredited Mediator at INTADR DMCC, Dubai, and an International Tenant at 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square in London. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), a Fellow of Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution (AIADR), and stands as a leading figure in international arbitration, mediation and adr in Middle East, Asia, and the UK. Leonora specialises in complex disputes across key sectors, notably in investment, infrastructure, construction, real estate, joint ventures, banking and finance, and receives routine Chairmanship appointments. Her affiliations with prestigious arbitral institutions—among them the ICC, LCIA, SIAC, DIAC, ADCCAC, SCCA, MIAC, AIADR—further solidify her standing as a leading figure in international arbitration. Leonora’s leadership is reflected in her previous roles as Branch Chair of CIArb UAE, as an Elected Member of the Board of Management for CIArb London, and member of DIFC Courts Arbitration Division Working Group. She is a member of LCIA Arabs Users’ Council and a member of the Swiss Arbitration Association. Leonora is a highly in demand faculty member for the CIArb globally and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in the MENA Region and in the UK, playing a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of dispute resolution practitioners. Her global influence extends through her service with leading institutions worldwide, including in Asia, the Governing Council of the Hyderabad Arbitration Centre (HAC) in India as well as the Global Advisory Panel for Musaliha International.

Biography

Euan Lloyd, Moderator — 3rd Grand Panel

Partner, Al Tamimi & Company

Riyadh-based partner Euan Lloyd leads Al Tamimi & Company’s Construction & Infrastructure practice. Qualified as a solicitor in both England & Wales and New South Wales, Euan has practised across a wide range of civil and common law jurisdictions throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. He also served as Group General Counsel for a global construction and engineering company for more than four years. This combination of private practice expertise and senior in-house experience gives him a unique, commercially grounded perspective that clients value on complex, high-stakes projects. Euan brings extensive experience in both contentious and non-contentious construction matters, including arbitration, court proceedings, expert determination, and mediation or conciliation, and advises on high-value concession agreements, construction contracts, O&M agreements, and consultancy arrangements across power, utilities, infrastructure, building, and large-scale development projects. Recognised as a Leading Partner for Real Estate and Construction in the 2025 edition of The Legal 500, Euan is noted for his work on market-leading projects across Saudi Arabia.

Biography

Julian Cohen

Arbitrator & Barrister, Resolution Chambers

Julian has 30 years of specialist experience of heavyweight international, and domestic, disputes. Sums in dispute in his cases vary from small to in excess of USD 2 billion. In addition to acting as counsel, he also regularly sits as an arbitrator. Julian has over 10 years’ experience in the MENA region, including 2 years based full time in Dubai, and an ongoing long-term commitment to the region. Julian has been involved in projects and disputes in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Oman, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Benin, Sierra Leone and Mali.   Julian was called to the Bar in England & Wales in 1990. He was with Pinsent Masons’ Construction Disputes practice in London and Hong Kong from 1993 to 2009. He left Pinsent Masons as a partner in 2009, and was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 2010. Julian is particularly well known for his heavy weight practice in relation to the Construction and Engineering sectors, the Energy, Oil and Gas sectors and International and domestic arbitrations.

Biography

Yulia Barnes

Managing Partner, Barnes Law

Yulia Barnes is our Managing Partner and an experienced solicitor of more than 20 years. She specialises in commercial and corporate law, dispute resolution and corporate governance for commercial clients and high net-worth individuals. Yulia first qualified in Russia, before then qualifying in England and Wales. Following this, she worked at a large international law firm, before becoming a partner at a regional law firm heading up the Dispute Resolution department. Yulia’s career then took her in-house, before she decided to start Barnes Law, her own boutique practice, with the aim of providing exclusive services to HNW individuals and privately-owned businesses in 2018. Yulia’s practice is wide spanning, but she has particularly extensive experience in commercial litigation and contentious trusts, as well as regularly advising on M&A deals. Yulia and the wider Barnes Law team are recognised for their strong awareness and skills across the broad spectrum of both commercial and corporate law. Yulia takes a practical and professional approach to all matters and is dedicated to ensuring clients’ objectives are achieved in the most cost-effective way possible. She prides herself on her problem-solving, her commercial acumen and project management skills, while being robust in negotiation. Yulia brings a personal touch to every case and immerses herself in all her clients’ businesses to gain a deep understanding of their position and the best approach to achieve their strategic objectives. This has led her to be recognised as a leading professional in her field. In her spare time Yulia enjoys sailing, hiking and theatre.

Biography

Stuart Paterson

Managing Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Stuart Paterson is the Managing Partner of the Middle East offices at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer and Head of Disputes, Middle East. With over 16 years’ experience in the region, Stuart is a leading dispute resolution specialist, advising on high-profile litigation, arbitration, investigations, and alternative dispute resolution. He is a solicitor advocate with rights of audience in the UK and DIFC courts, and regularly appears before arbitral tribunals. Stuart’s expertise spans banking and financial services disputes, private equity, regulatory matters, and corporate crime, as well as commercial disputes including M&A, shareholder, joint venture, and professional negligence matters across a range of sectors including energy, hospitality & leisure, TMT and real estate. He has broad international experience, having spent over a decade in London handling disputes across Europe, the CIS, and Asia.

Biography

Nick Oury

Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Nick Oury is a partner at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer and leads the firm’s Middle East construction and infrastructure disputes practice. Based in Dubai, he focuses on dispute resolution in the construction and infrastructure sectors, with particular emphasis on international arbitration. Nick advises clients on complex matters across energy (including renewables), real estate, oil & gas, transport, and infrastructure. He has acted in arbitrations under all major institutional rules used in the region, including SCCA, DIAC, ICC, and LCIA, and represents both employers and contractors across a range of procurement models. He also advises on disputes involving project-related agreements such as power and water purchase agreements, joint ventures, facilities management, and O&M contracts. An Oxford graduate and English-qualified solicitor, Nick has represented clients in some of the most significant construction disputes across the Middle East, with a growing focus on Saudi Arabia

Biography

Philippe Cavalieros

Partner & Global Head, International Arbitration Practice, Simmons & Simmons LLP

Philippe is the Global Head of Simmons & Simmons LLP’s international arbitration practice. Philippe offers his clients a 360° perspective on international arbitration: he has acted as an Arbitrator in more than 45 cases, worked at the ICC International Court of Arbitration and served as General Counsel in a multinational company, providing him insight into every angle of an arbitration proceeding. The core of his practice consists in acting as lead counsel in investor-state and commercial arbitrations under the ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, and other arbitration rules and in appearing as arbitrator in high-profile cases. Philippe has been recognised as a world’s leading arbitration specialist and is regularly featured in top tier legal directories such as Global Arbitration Review (GAR) where he was shortlisted in the “Best Prepared and Most Responsive Arbitrator” category in 2016. He has lots of experience with international arbitration.” (Legal 500 EMEA, 2023). Others say: ‘Philippe has immense experience in both ICC and ICSID arbitration’ and has ‘Excellent knowledge of his clients’ business and way of working. Very expert approach with reasonable recommendations. Great help in decision making.’ (Legal 500, 2024). A prolific author on international arbitration, Philippe also regularly lectures in Trinity College, Dublin and the Hague Academy of International Law. He also serves as Vice-Chair to the ICC Commission on Arbitration & ADR, the premier thinktank for international commercial arbitration, comprising more than 1300 arbitration practitioners worldwide. As an aside, Philippe acts as Judicial Officer for World Rugby, European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), and Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), as well as Anti-corruption Hearing Officer (AHO) for the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). As such, he has been recognised as world’s leading sports law specialist by Who’s Who Legal Sports & Entertainment in the Sport category. Philippe has notably sat as chair of various high profile World Rugby and EPCR disciplinary matters over the last 10 years.

Biography

Niall Clancy

Partner, Simmons & Simmons

Niall Clancy is an Irish solicitor and a Riyadh-based partner of the international law firm Simmons & Simmons. He holds a B.A. in Law and Economics and an LLB from University College Galway (1999) and practised in Ireland from 2003 to 2012. For over a decade, Niall has lived and worked across the Gulf region, including the UAE, Qatar, and now Saudi Arabia. He advises international and local clients on arbitration, litigation, and cross-border disputes, arising out of major energy, natural resource, infrastructure, and construction projects. He is admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales (2010), registered to practice in the Kingdom as a Legal Consultant, and is a member of the Saudi Bar Association.

Biography

HK Suresha

Senior Partner and Country Head, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Masin

HK Suresha is the Senior Partner and Country Head for Masin in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. He is an engineer and surveyor with over 23 years of experience. Suresha specialises in delay and quantum analysis, with extensive experience in mega and large-scale projects in understanding, identifying, and evaluating engineering and construction disputes and claims, contracts and project advisory. He also specialises in dealing with complex issues by simplifying them towards resolution. Suresha has provided expert testimony in international arbitrations, such as ICC, LCIA, QICCA, DIFC, and DIAC, and has been cross-examined in arbitration hearings. Suresha has also acted as an arbitrator and mediator, leading numerous claims negotiations and settlements. Suresha has worked on various types of projects in sectors like oil & gas (up-stream and down-stream), international airports, metro rail, process plants, power projects, treatment plants, buildings (residential, commercial, highrise and mix development), highways, infrastructure, and renewable energy. Suresha is an RICS Registered Expert Witness and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Society of Construction Law (SCL), and the American Association of Cost Engineering (AACE International).

Biography

Adam El Shalakany

Senior Partner, Shalakany Law Office

Adam El Shalakany is a Senior Partner at Shalakany Law Office and a leading disputes lawyer in the MENA region with a core focus on construction and infrastructure arbitration. Based in Cairo, Adam has built a reputation for acting on high-value and complex construction disputes across the Middle East, including Egypt, the UAE, Oman, Sudan, Bahrain, Libya, and Iraq. He regularly advises and represents owners, developers, contractors, and subcontractors in construction disputes arising out of mega-projects and infrastructure developments. His client base includes prominent private and public sector companies across the Middle East Adam has particular experience in disputes relating to delay, variations, disruption, defective works, and termination—frequently acting in arbitrations under ICC, CRCICA, DIAC, and UNCITRAL rules. Adam holds degrees from McGill University, SOAS University of London, and the European Masters in Law and Economics (Erasmus Mundus), and is fluent in English and Arabic. He is ranked in Legal 500 and Chambers Global for arbitration, and sits on the ICC MENA and Green Arbitration Pledge – Africa committees. He is on the panel of arbitrators of CRCICA, DIAC, LCIA, EBRAAM, and the SCCA.

Biography

Nesreen Osman

Partner, Pinsent Masons

Nesreen is a Partner in our Dubai office with 15 years’ disputes experience specialising in construction and engineering disputes. Nesreen acts on behalf of employers, main contractors, subcontractors and consultants. Nesreen has advised client from various parts of the world including the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Pakistan, India, China, Japan and South Korea. She has extensive experience in international arbitration in the infrastructure and energy sectors. Nesreen has advised in relation to disputes relating to contract interpretation, variations, payment, delay and disruption, defective works, suspension of works and termination of contracts and professional negligence. Nesreen’s disputes experience also covers a broad range of other sectors including commercial developments, residential developments, PFI/PPP projects for schools and hospitals as well as EPC projects for heavy industries. Nesreen has advised clients in respect of major construction and engineering disputes in arbitration under the rules of various arbitration centres such as ICC, DIAC, DIFC-LCIA and ADCCAC in the majority of the GCC countries as well as the wider Middle East. A significant portion of Nesreen’s time is also spent advising clients on managing negotiations and alternative means of resolving disputes with the aim of reaching extra-judicial settlement (including mediation and expert determination). Nesreen was ranked as a Next Generation Partner in the Legal 500 EMEA rankings for UAE Construction.

Biography

Marcus Khoury

Head of Legal, Averda

Marcus Antoine Khoury is Head of Legal at Averda. Marcus has been working as an inhouse legal counsel in the construction industry in the GCC, in particular in Saudi Arabia and in the UAE, for the past 20 years. He is both German and Lebanese and has graduated at the Sorbonne in Paris and the Universities of Cologne and Munich. In his spare time Marcus loves to hike and considers having walked more than 1000 km to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela as one of his greatest experiences.

Biography

Fatima Ghaith

Legal Expert

Fatima Ghaith is a Scottish, Bahraini, and English lawyer with over 17 years of experience in the GCC, especially in Saudi Arabia. As the Associate General Counsel for Weatherford International, she leads a team of lawyers that oversees the legal function in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman. Previously, she worked as a projects finance lawyer at Baker & McKenzie, where she specialized in Islamic finance and represented large Saudi government and quasi-government conglomerates, as well as leading global and Saudi banks and financial institutions.

Biography

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Registration Details

Complimentary Registration for in-house counsel

Complimentary Registration - Click Here

If you would like to apply for an in-house counsel complimentary ticket, please click here and fill in your details. Complimentary seat is applicable to in-house counsel from non law / consultancy firm only.  Two complimentary seats per company, first-come-first-served. Results are based on the organiser’s discretion and applicants will be notified by email.