Hon Steven Rares KC is an independent arbitrator and mediator with bases in Singapore, Sydney and London, and an adjunct professor of law at the University of New South Wales. He brings over forty years of legal experience across commercial, maritime, and both private and public international law - first practising at the Bar for 25 years (taking silk in 1993), and then serving as a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia from 2006 to 2023, as well as on the Supreme Courts of the Australian Capital Territory and Norfolk Island. During his judicial tenure, he delivered over 1,200 judgments, including many landmark decisions in cross-border and maritime disputes, arbitration, insurance, intellectual property and insolvency. He is also the co-author of The Law of Estoppel in Australia: Principles, Case Notes and Precedents, a just published text that provides a comprehensive, litigation-ready guide to all forms of civil estoppel in Australian law. Regularly invited to speak on arbitration, maritime law and dispute resolution, Steven continues to contribute thought leadership by drawing on his rich judicial experience, commercial background, and international practice to offer incisive analysis on complex legal issues.

Marion Smith KC is a barrister, adjudicator, arbitrator and mediator with over 25 years’ experience in complex disputes across a wide range of industry sectors and international geographical regions. She is regularly appointed as an arbitrator (sole, party and president) in DIAC, ICC, LCIA and SIAC arbitrations and is appointed to the KCAB Panel. She is recognised in key legal directories as both counsel and arbitrator. Marion is an Honorary Professor in the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London. Marion is Chair of the International Committee of the Bar Council of England & Wales. She is a Bencher of Gray’s Inn and serves as a trustee of the Council of the Inns of Court. She contributes to various texts on construction law and dispute resolution including Wilmot-Smith on Construction Contracts (OUP), Foskett on Compromise (Sweet & Maxwell) and Net Zero and Nature Positive, (LPP).

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 Centre for Arbitration and Dispute Resolution (MICADR) in Pakistan.

Hon Paul Heath KC is an arbitrator and mediator at Bankside Chambers, with deep expertise in cross-border commercial disputes, insolvency, and restructuring. Appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1998, he served as a Judge of the New Zealand High Court from 2002 until his retirement in 2018, and, during that time, sat as an ad hoc Judge of the Court of Appeal. Paul continues to hold judicial office in four jurisdictions: a Judge of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Courts, a Judge in the Courts of Appeal of both Fiji and Tonga, and Chief Justice of the Pitcairn Islands. Paul’s arbitration practice blends his extensive commercial and insolvency background with his experience in law reform. As a member of the New Zealand Law Commission (a statutory law reform agency), he led a review of the Arbitration Act 1996, and later advised Parliament on other amendments. He sits on the panels of major institutions, including SIAC (including its recently established Specialist Panel of Arbitrators for Restructuring and Insolvency Disputes) and HKIAC, and is co-chair of INSOL International’s ADR Colloquium. He is one of several members of Bankside Chambers available to take arbitration and other assignments in Singapore, under the name of Bankside Singapore.

Walter Silvester is the Managing Director of Silvester Legal, an award-winning law firm specialising in commercial disputes and shareholder advisory. With a career honed at leading Singaporean law firms, Walter has developed a reputation for delivering practical and cost-effective strategies in complex shareholder and stakeholder disputes. Recognised for his expertise, Walter was named one of Asia’s Super 50 Disputes Lawyers by Asian Legal Business and is listed among Singapore’s Top-Rated Lawyers 2025 by The Straits Times for Alternative Dispute Resolution. He is also a finalist for Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year at the ALB SE Asia Law Awards 2025. Walter frequently shares his insights at regional industry events, including summits across Southeast Asia, and has lectured on commercial law topics at the London School of Business and Finance.

Jacintha Gopal is the Managing Director of JG Law Chambers LLC and a formidable litigator specializing in commercial disputes, arbitration and white-collar criminal defense. Her career spans international, boutique, and "Big 4" law firms, giving her a unique perspective on complex mandates. Notable highlights include acting for an MNC in a US$13.5 million SIAC international arbitration and advising a global cryptocurrency exchange in regulatory investigations. Recently, as lead counsel, she successfully obtained interim injunctions in the High Court against a global brand to protect her client’s critical intellectual property. In the white-collar arena, she regularly defends directors against breaches of director’s duties notably represented a defendant in Singapore’s largest-ever money laundering case. Jacintha is recognized as a confident, strategic advocate for clients facing high-pressure legal challenges.

Caroline Kenny is a Chartered l arbitrator specialising in international commercial disputes. She has more than 35 years’ experience acting in complex international matters, including over 16 years as King’s Counsel. She is admitted to practice in Australia, the United Kingdom and New York. She is currently serving her second term as the elected Trustee for Australasia to the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, headquartered in London. She is highly respected in the international arbitration community for her commitment to the promotion of arbitration as the preferred means for resolving international disputes and for her diligent, responsive and practical approach as an arbitrator. Caroline has served as presiding arbitrator, sole arbitrator and wing arbitrator in a broad range of complex disputes, including banking, finance, joint ventures, construction, Mergers and Acquisitions, energy, insurance, re-insurance, IT, licensing, sale of business, manufacture, sale of goods, crypto-currency, entertainment and sports. Caroline also has a keen interest in sports arbitration. She is a panel member for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). She is also a member of Australia’s National Sports Tribunal. Caroline is the Regional Pathway Leader for the Asia Pacific to teach CIArb’s Fellowship courses and has been involved in teaching CIArb’s Fellowship courses for more than 10 years. She was the Course Director for the pre-eminent Asia Pacific diploma course held in Singapore from 1 to 9 March 2025.