The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) has appointed Domitille Baizeau and Victor Dawes as its new co-chairs, and Thomas Walsh and Sun Huawei as vice-chairs, effective from 1 July.
Baizeau and Dawes will succeed David Rivkin and Rimsky Yuen, respectively, while Walsh and Sun will succeed Nils Eliasson and Briana Young, respectively.
Baizeau said in a press release: “To me, HKIAC stands out internationally for the quality and integrity of its work, as I have seen first-hand through my role on HKIAC’s Council and previously on the proceedings committee. I very much look forward to working with Victor, the council and the secretariat to build on HKIAC’s remarkable achievements, not least under David and Rimsky’s leadership.”
With more than 30 years of experience, Baizeau focuses on international commercial arbitration and investment treaty arbitration. She is a partner at Geneva disputes firm LALIVE, where she has practised for 22 years. She previously worked at New Zealand firm Lane Neave lawyers and at Freshfields’ Paris office.
She has served on HKIAC’s council since 2020 and was on its proceedings committee from 2020 to 2023. She has also held positions in several arbitral institutions and associations, including as a current member of the governing board and governance committee of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration.
Dawes is a senior counsel at Temple Chambers in Hong Kong, where he has practised since 2006. He specialises in commercial litigation, with substantial experience in a wide range of commercial, chancery and regulatory disputes.
He was a member of HKIAC’s proceedings committee from 2020 to 2023 and was appointed to its council and appointments committee in 2024. He is the immediate past chair of the Hong Kong Bar Association and a recorder of the High Court in Hong Kong.
Notably, Dawes has also served since March as lead counsel for the independent committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong.
Walsh is a partner at the Hong Kong office of Clifford Chance and chair of HKIAC’s appointments committee. He leads Clifford Chance’s Hong Kong litigation and dispute resolution practice and co-heads its Greater China international arbitration group, with a particular focus on private capital and technology disputes.
Sun is senior counsel at Zhong Lun Law Firm’s Beijing office and a member of HKIAC’s proceedings committee. Her practice covers international commercial arbitration and investment treaty arbitration. She is admitted in the state of New York and previously worked at the secretariat of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission and the former Allen & Overy.
The four will join existing members of HKIAC’s executive committee: John Choong, partner at Freshfields and chair of HKIAC’s proceedings committee, and Friven Yeoh, partner at Skadden and recently appointed chair of HKIAC’s finance and administration committee.