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

Back in Singapore for the Singapore & SE Asia: 2nd International Arbitration & Corporate Crime Summit on Thursday 26 March 2026 at the KPMG Singapore office.

This event will be presented by a group of local and international speakers at the summit whom will be sharing on various topics in relations to international arbitration and corporate crime as well as provide the latest update and outlook for 2026.   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

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

• Welcome Message by Chairman
  Brenda Horrigan, Independent Arbitrator
• Opening Address by KPMG
  Owen Hawkes, Partner, KPMG Forensic
• Keynote Session: A Genuine Fake — Is It an Arbitration Award or an Hallucination
  The HON. Steven Rares KC, Arbitrator & Mediator
• 1st Grand Panel: Technology Disputes: IP, Crypto & AI — A Brave New World ? Opportunities & Problems Now & in the Future
  Moderator: Marion Smith KC, Barrister, 39 Essex Chambers
• Managing Shareholder, Director & Stakeholder Disputes & Cross-border Issues
  Akesh Abhilash, Director, Silvester Legal
• Rise of Cross- border M&A & JV Disputes & Transactions in The Region
  
• Opening 2nd Grand Panel: The Need for Speed: Advising GCs on Emergency Arbitration & Expedited Procedures:
  Dealing with Non Compliance, Efficiency & Regional/Cultural Issues
  Moderator: Leonora Riesenburg, Independent Chartered Arbitrator and Accredited Mediator, INTADR DMCC
  Panellists:
  • Owen Hawkes, Partner, KPMG Forensic
  • Donna Ross, Principal, Donna Ross Dispute Resolution
• 3rd Grand Panel: Enforcement & Invalidity of Awards: Understanding Arbitration Clauses, Issues on Tariffs & Monetising an Award — Regional & Cultural Issues to Consider
  Moderator: The HON. Paul Heath KC, Arbitrator & Mediator
  Panellists:
  • Dr Caroline Kenny KC, Chartered Arbitrator
  • Roderick Cordara KC, SC, Barrister, New Chambers
• Construction Disputes: Cross-Border Issues — Expert Witness, Quantum & Supply Chains
  Lee Hwai Bin, Executive Director, Christopher Chuah Law Chambers LLC
  
• 4th Grand Panel: Future of ADR: Mediation — Preference of Afterthought. Which Industries Work Best for Which ADR
  
• Navigating Money Laundering Risks in Singapore: A Compliance Guide for Businesses
  Jacintha Gopal, Managing Director, JG Law Chambers LLC
• 5th Grand Panel: Corporate Fraud & Investigations in the Region: Tracing Assets & Digital & Tech Issues to Consider!
  Moderator: TBC
  Panellist:
  • Eddie Toh, Partner, KPMG Forensic and Cyber

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.  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.

Speakers

Brenda Horrigan, Chairperson

Independent Arbitrator

Brenda Horrigan is an internationally recognised arbitration practitioner with over 30 years of extensive global experience, having worked from the US, Paris, Moscow, Shanghai, Sydney and now Singapore. She has her own practice as an independent arbitrator. Brenda is a past president of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA) and remains a member of its Board. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has acted as arbitrator and/or counsel under a variety of rules, including SIAC, HKIAC, LCIA, ICC, KCAB International, JCAA, SCC, NZDRC, CIETAC, UNCITRAL and ICSID. Brenda has taught international arbitration as a Global Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University’s Shanghai campus and as a guest lecturer at the University of New South Wales, Australian National University, City University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong University. She regularly speaks at conferences and seminars on arbitration and is consistently ranked in Chambers and Who’s Who: Legal (now Lexology) as a leading arbitration practitioner.

Biography

The HON. Steven Rares KC, Keynote Speaker

Arbitrator & Mediator

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.

Biography

Owen Hawkes, Opening Address

Partner, KPMG Forensic

Owen Hawkes is a Partner in KPMG Forensic with 25 years of litigation and investigation experience. Owen has practiced both in accounting and law, joining KPMG Forensic in 2007. Prior to joining KPMG, Owen practised as a barrister for eight years, including six at the United Kingdom’s Serious Fraud Office. He is listed in Who’s Who Legal as a leading expert in Forensic Accounting, Forensics & Litigation Consulting, Asset Recovery and Economic Consulting, which notes that he is “an impressive practitioner who draws widespread praise from peers this year and is listed as a Global Elite Thought Leader”.

Biography

Marion Smith KC, Moderator – 1st Grand Panel

Barrister, 39 Essex Chambers

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).

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

Biography

The HON. Paul Heath KC, Moderator – 3rd Grand Panel

Arbitrator & Mediator

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.

Biography

Eddie Toh

Partner, KPMG Forensic and Cyber

Eddie Toh is a Partner in KPMG Forensic and Cyber in Singapore with more than 25 years of experience in digital forensic and cybercrime investigation. As KPMG’s Asia Pacific Forensic Technology leader, Eddie provides forensic technology and cybersecurity services including digital forensic, electronic & discovery services, as well as cyber incident response, strategy and governance and transformation services. Eddie has provided expert testimonies to the High Court and Subordinate Court of Singapore on various criminal and civil proceedings. Prior to KPMG, Eddie was part of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) where he focused on criminal and computer forensic investigation. In 2017, Eddie was appointed by the Singapore Police Force as a member of the Home Team Investigations Expert Resource Group, and has been a member of Alliance of Public Private Cybercrime Stakeholders (APPACT) since 2023.

Biography

Akesh Abhilash

Director, Silvester Legal

Akesh Abhilash is a Director at Silvester Legal LLC, a Singapore disputes and arbitration practice. He represents companies, shareholders and senior executives in commercial litigation, corporate disputes and arbitration, with particular focus on shareholder and director disputes, minority oppression claims, and disputes involving business control and investor relationships. Akesh regularly handles multi-forum and cross-border matters arising from shareholder breakdowns, investment structures and insolvency situations. He advises on parallel proceedings, jurisdictional and enforcement risk, and settlement positioning, and works with foreign counsel to coordinate strategy across related entities and jurisdictions where litigation and arbitration proceed alongside ongoing business operations. Alongside private practice, Akesh contributes to the profession and access to justice. He serves on committees of the Law Society of Singapore and acts in disciplinary proceedings on behalf of the Law Society. He is a panel lawyer under the Legal Assistance Scheme for Capital Offences, a volunteer under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, and a legal advisory panel appointee to the Association for Persons with Special Needs, where he provides pro bono legal support. Akesh graduated from Singapore Management University with a Bachelor of Laws (magna cum laude) and holds a Master of Laws from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. In 2025, he was recognised in the LexisNexis 40 Under 40 Asia and Southeast Asia lists and named an Asian Legal Business Rising Star.

Biography

Jacintha Gopal

Managing Director, JG Law Chambers LLC

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.

Biography

Hwai Bin Lee

Executive Director, Christopher Chuah Law Chambers LLC

Lee Hwai Bin is Executive Director at Christopher Chuah Law Chambers LLC and advises on complex commercial, infrastructure and construction disputes. Dualqualified in Singapore and England & Wales, she acts in High Court litigation, institutional arbitration and front-end risk advisory work for developers, government-linked entities and multinational companies. Her practice draws on earlier experience in London, where she handled major real estate and infrastructure matters before returning to Singapore in 2010. Her expertise is recognised across leading directories: Chambers Asia Pacific 2025 & 2026 ranks her Band 4 for Construction: Domestic; Legal 500 (2024) identifies her as an Emerging Talent; she has been listed in Best Lawyers since 2022; and asialaw 2025 names her a Notable Practitioner for Infrastructure and Construction. Hwai Bin has acted in significant cross-border disputes, including ICC and SIAC arbitrations involving termination claims exceeding US$40 million to US$230 million, and landmark Singapore decisions on performance bonds, misrepresentation and the SOP Act. She contributes to sector publications, speaks regularly at industry events, and mentors junior lawyers within the firm.

Biography

Roderick Cordara KC, SC,

Barrister, New Chambers

Roderick Cordara is a barrister and a graduate of Cambridge University (Trinity Hall, MA (first class)). He is a Senior Counsel in Australia and King’s Counsel in the UK and is admitted to practice in the Courts of Australia, the UK, and the Singapore International Commercial Court. Roderick practices in international commercial arbitration, including investor state dispute settlement [‘ISDS’], as well as Court litigation arising from arbitral awards and enforcement. His international commercial dispute practice focusses on arbitration involving various sectors: energy (oil, gas, renewables, and generation), financial services, construction, hospitality, trade, & shipbuilding. His ISDS work includes claims based on bilateral and multi-lateral investment treaties (Energy Charter Treaty). His EU practice, in front of the European Court of Justice, involved solely treaty-based disputes. Roderick is experienced in public law litigation (ie disputes with governments) relating to tax, duties, restitution and regulation. In this connection, Clients for whom he has acted in Australia include airlines, banks, miners, the motor distribution and retail optical industries, as well as transport and property development. Roderick has twice appeared in the High Court, and has represented the Australian government in the Full Federal Court. Overseas, he has appeared frequently in UK Supreme Court and European Court of Justice. He acts for the UK government in the export finance sector, with particular reference to sanctions, a subject in which he specialises. Essex Court, his London chambers, has a long and close relationship with New Chambers. Roderick accepts arbitral appointments, and appears as an expert witness to give evidence of English & Australian law. Roderick has a particular interest in Africa. In 2018, he was part of the legal team representing Somalia in its negotiations in Geneva to join the World Trade Organisation. He advised on the trade taxation aspect of the project. In addition he has been involved in a task force setting up new arbitral institutions in six nations in the East Africa (IGAD). He writes and teaches in the field of international arbitration, ISDS and tax. He speaks English, Italian, & French.

Biography

Dr Caroline Kenny KC,

Chartered Arbitrator

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.

Biography

Donna Ross

Principal, Donna Ross Dispute Resolution

Donna Ross, the principal of Donna Ross Dispute Resolution, is an international ADR practitioner specialising in corporate and commercial disputes with exceptional expertise in appropriate dispute resolution. Qualified in both civil and common law, Donna has acted as arbitrator, mediator, negotiator and advocate in high-value and complex disputes relating to cross-border deals, private equity, technology, telecommunications, construction, partnership, shareholder, import, licensing and distribution agreements, retail leasing, and the wine industry. She is multi-cultural, having lived worked in jurisdictions across the globe, and can conduct proceedings in French, Spanish and Italian. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a board member of the Singapore Branch, a Fellow and graded arbitrator of Resolution Institute, a Fellow of ACICA and sits on the panels of a number of domestic and international institutions. Donna is an IMI and SIMI Certified Mediator, an accredited mediator in New York and Australia and a Law Institute of Victoria Accredited Specialist in Mediation Law. In addition to serving as a neutral, Donna is an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore, a member of the CIArb faculty, a lecturer at La Trobe Law School and a CPD Provider for Leo Cussen Centre for Law and Legalwise.

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.