Speakers' Profiles

Ms. Anna Joubin-Bret is the Secretary of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and the Director of the International Trade Law Division in the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations, which functions as the substantive secretariat for UNCITRAL. She is the ninth Secretary the Commission since it was established by the General Assembly in 1966.

Prior to her appointment on 24 November 2017, Ms. Joubin-Bret practiced law in Paris, specializing in International Investment Law and Investment Dispute Resolution. She focused on serving as counsel, arbitrator, mediator and conciliator in international investment disputes. She served as arbitrator in several ICSID, UNCITRAL and ICC disputes. Prior to 2011 and for 15 years, Ms. Joubin-Bret was the Senior Legal Adviser for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). She edited and authored seminal research and publications on international investment law, notably the Sequels to UNCTAD IIA Series and co-edited with Jean Kalicki a book on Reform of Investor-State Dispute Settlement in 2015.

Ms. Joubin-Bret holds a post-graduate degree (DEA) in Private International Law from the University of Paris I, Panthéon-Sorbonne, a Masters Degree in International Economic Law from University Paris I and in Political Science from Institut d'Etudes Politiques. She was Legal Counsel in the legal department of the Schneider Group, General Counsel of the KIS Group and Director-Export of Pomagalski S.A. She was appointed judge at the Commercial Court in Grenoble (France) and was elected Regional Counsellor of the Rhône-Alpes Region in 1998.

Email: anna.joubin-bret@un.org
Phone: +43-1-26060-4071; +43-699-1459-4071
uncitral.un.org

Ting-kwok IU, MH (“TK”) is a consultant solicitor with Kwok, Ng & Chan, Solicitors & Notaries. He is also the founder/director of Asia Conflict Resolution Institute Limited.

As a Hong Kong leading mediation practitioner, TK is a panel mediator of the Hong Kong Mediation Council (part of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre) as well as the Mainland – Hong Kong Joint Mediation Center, both designated as mediation institutions under the Investment Agreement of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

Internationally, TK is a panel mediator of the Singapore International Mediation Centre and the Japan International Mediation Center (JIMC–Kyoto). He is also on the panel of Kluwer Mediation Blog as a regular contributor.

Between 2013 and 2017, he advised the Department of Justice on the enactment of the apology legislation. The Apology Ordinance came into effect on 1 December 2017. Currently, TK is a member of the Secretary for Justice’s Steering Committee on Mediation and the Chairman of the Special Committee on Evaluative Mediation. TK has recently been appointed as a director of eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre Limited.

Academically, TK holds a master’s degree in Arbitration & Dispute Resolution (with credit). He is an adjunct professor of the (1) School of Law of City University of Hong Kong; (2) Department of Law and Business of Hong Kong Shue Yan University; and (3) Hang Seng University of Hong Kong. He is also the first Hong Kong-based Visiting Professor of the University of Law, UK.

Who’s Who Legal 2020 says that “Ting-kwok is praised as a ‘key player in mediation space’, performing in top-tier international mediations. Respondents further highlight his ‘strong background in domestic mediations’ and ‘active work promoting mediation’ as an effective dispute resolution tool.”

Deng Yu, director of the judicial reform office of the Supreme People's court. He has a PhD of law from China University of political science and law, an MBA from the HEC Montréal, and a Bachelor of Economics in accounting from Northeast University of Finance and economics. He has been engaged in teaching and practical work in taxation, court and University of international business and economics. In 2008, he worked in the Supreme People's court and participated in judicial reform projects such as the reform of diversified dispute resolution mechanism, the reform of implementation system, the judicial responsibility system, and the drafting of judicial interpretation and policy documents.

Guo Min, team leader for Diversified Dispute Resolution of the Case Filing Tribunal of the Supreme People’s Court, Senior Judge Assistant. She holds a PhD in Jurisprudence from Wuhan University, a Master of Management in Renmin University of China, and a Bachelor of Archival Science in Zhengzhou University. She has been working at the General Office and the Case Filing Tribunal of the Supreme People’s Court. Since working at the Case Filing Tribunal of the Supreme People’s Court in 2014, she has been engaged in the implementation of the reform of diversified dispute resolution mechanism, Synergy between Litigation and Mediation, and the implementation and promotion of the People's Court Mediation Platform.

Winnie Tam SC, SBS, JP is a barrister, international arbitrator and mediator practicing from Des Voeux Chambers in Hong Kong. Ms. Tam was appointed “Senior Counsel” in 2006 and a Recorder of the Court of First Instance of the High Court of HKSAR since 2016. She served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association between 2015 to 2017, and currently chairs the Hong Kong Bar Association’s Committee on Intellectual Property.

Ms Tam holds qualifications to practise in England and Wales, Singapore and Australian Capital Territory. Her practice area is commercial dispute resolution and international arbitration, with particular expertise in intellectual property. Apart from practicing in IP and general civil disputes as a barrister-advocate, Ms Tam has been engaged as presiding arbitrator and co-arbitrator in a wide variety of commercial disputes administered under HKIAC, UNCITRAL, ICC, CIETAC and SCIA rules conducted in English and in Chinese. Winnie is a sought-after speaker in international conferences on alternative dispute resolution. She is a WIPO panel mediator, a CEDR-accredited mediator, a panel mediator on Mainland-Hong Kong Investment Disputes under CEPA, a JAMS panel mediator, and a JAMS/SCMC Joint Panel Mediator.

Ms. Tam has been decorated for her years of public service in Hong Kong. She currently chairs the Communications Authority, and is a member of the Law Reform Commission, the CE’s Council of Advisors on Strategic Development and Innovation, the West Kowloon Cultural District Board, and the Board of Governors of the HK Phil.

Nadja Alexander is an international dispute resolution specialist who mediates and consults on cross-border mediation policy. She is recognized as a global thought leader in the field of mediation (Who’s Who Legal).

An award winning author (2020, 2011) and educator (2018, 2007, 1997), Nadja’s expertise has contributed to the design and drafting of dispute resolution legislation in more than 10 jurisdictions including Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam. She is a foundation member of the International Advisory Board of the United Nations Global Mediation Panel (Office of the Ombudsman).

Nadja is Professor of Law (Practice) and Director of the Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy (SIDRA) at the Singapore Management University School of Law. She holds honorary appointments in Australia and the United States. Her books include a commentary on the Mediation Convention, International and Comparative Mediation, and the EU Mediation Law Handbook.

Formerly a corporate lawyer in private practice, Bill has mediated full-time since 1991 in a huge range of commercial and other disputes involving governments, national and international businesses, professional firms, factions, pressure groups and individuals from over 50 countries, covering virtually every area of law and business.

Twice ranked “Global Mediator of the Year” by Who’s Who Legal (2019-20 and 2014-15), he has been independently ranked every year as one of Europe’s top commercial mediators by all the independent directories.

Aside from his commercial mediation practice, Bill also mediates in conflicts involving religious, ethnic, political and human rights issues.

Bill has also served as adviser on mediation/conflict resolution to many governments including Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia, and bodies such as the European Union Commission, the United Nations and the World Bank. He trains and mentors mediators from around the world, has served a Special Adviser on Reconciliation to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and in 2016 received the Archbishop’s inaugural award for outstanding services to reconciliation. Bill is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators. He also represented the UK in the UN negotiations to produce the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Mediation.

Bill was a founding Director of CEDR in London, where he served from 1991 to 2002.

He is the author of “The ADR Practice Guide: Commercial Dispute Resolution”, pub. Tottel, 3rd Edition 2007.

Details can be found at www.billmarsh.co.uk and www.independentmediators.co.uk.

Dr. James Ding is the Commissioner of Inclusive Dispute Avoidance and Resolution Office, Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. He advises the government on various public and private international law issues, and participates in international negotiations. He has published on different subjects of international law and international cooperation, and has given various presentations at international and regional conferences, including more recently, the Inaugural Global Conference – 2019 HCCH Judgements Convention, the 32nd LAWASIA Annual Conference, as well as various APEC workshops on online dispute resolution.

He is currently the Chair of the APEC Economic Committee.