The event on “Delos Arbitration Rules 2021 : a Swiss perspective on tools for enhanced efficiency“, organised jointly with Lévy Kaufmann-Kohler, with the support of Peter & Kim and ASAFO & Co., took place on Thursday 8 September 2022. It featured Annabelle Möckesh (Implenia Schweiz AG), Silja Schaffstein (Lévy Kaufmann-Kohler), Nhu-Hoang Tran Thang (Peter & Kim) and Thomas Granier (ASAFO & Co.) (short bios below). The speakers discussed the revised Delos Arbitration Rules of 2021 from a Swiss law perspective, addressing the conformity of certain of its mechanisms with Swiss law and the potential for enhanced efficiency that the revised rules have brought.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS
Thomas Granier is a co-founder of Delos and member of its Arbitration Consultative Committee, and Counsel at ASAFO & Co. Mr Granier acts as counsel and arbitrator in a wide array of disputes relating in particular to new technologies, IT, energy, M&A, joint-ventures, construction and distribution. Mr Granier has acted in a number of commercial and investment arbitrations, both ad hoc and under the rules of leading institutions, including the HKIAC, the ICC, the LCIA, and ICSID. Prior to joining ASAFO &Co., Mr Granier was an attorney at McDermott Will & Emery, and previously served as counsel for the Africa, Middle-East and Europe Team at the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris, after having acted as deputy counsel for the Germany, Switzerland, and Austria Team. At the ICC, Mr Granier supervised more than 300 arbitrations and reviewed a number of arbitration awards. Mr Granier holds degrees from the Université Paris I – Panthéon-Sorbonne (Master 2), the Ludwig-Maximilians Universität in Munich (LL.M.) and the Université Paris II – Panthéon-Assas (Maîtrise). Mr Granier is listed among the Future Leaders of Arbitration by Who’s Who Legal.
Annabelle Möckesch is Global Business Partner Legal Civil Engineering at Implenia Schweiz AG, Switzerland’s leading construction company. Prior to joining Implenia, Annabelle was a Senior Associate in Schellenberg Wittmer’s Dispute Resolution Group in Zurich where she acted as counsel in a wide range of disputes, including disputes arising from international construction contracts, and under all major arbitration rules. Annabelle is a German and Swiss lawyer. She obtained a Master of Laws from London School of Economics and Political Science and a doctorate in law from Heidelberg University. Her thesis, “Attorney-Client Privilege in International Arbitration”, was awarded the ICC Institute of World Business Law Prize 2015. Annabelle is a former co-chair of Young ArbitralWomen Practitioners and DIS40.
Silja Schaffstein is counsel at Lévy Kaufmann-Kohler, a leading international arbitration firm based in Geneva, Switzerland. She frequently serves as arbitrator and acts as counsel or co-counsel, or secretary of the tribunal, in international and domestic ad hoc and institutional arbitration proceedings. Her experience spans all major arbitration rules, including ICC, Swiss Rules, DIS, LCIA, ICSID, UNCITRAL and WIPO, and a variety of national arbitration acts and substantive laws, both common law and civil law. Silja also advises and represents clients in arbitration-related court proceedings in Switzerland, in particular in connection with actions to set aside Swiss arbitral awards and to recognise or enforce foreign awards, as well as the freezing of assets located in Switzerland. Her areas of specialisation include international agreements such as joint ventures, shareholder and share purchase agreements, insurance, distribution, sales, works and services, as well as licensing contracts in a number of fields, including banking and finance, genetic engineering, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, automotive, construction, and energy and natural resources. Silja speaks regularly and has published extensively on international arbitration, including her book titled The Doctrine of Res Judicata Before International Commercial Arbitral Tribunals (Oxford University Press, 2016). A German national, Silja has a dual common law and civil law background, being admitted to the Geneva and New York Bars. She holds a PhD from Queen Mary, University of London and the University of Geneva; an LLM from Columbia University; and a law degree and a postgraduate degree in advanced legal studies from the University of Geneva. Silja is fluent in German, English and French.
Nhu-Hoang Tran Thang is a Counsel at Peter & Kim in Geneva. She has acted as arbitrator, counsel or assistant to the arbitral tribunal in over thirty arbitrations related to a variety of industries. Over the years, she has developed particular expertise in energy related disputes involving both short- and long-term supply agreements. She has consistently been listed amongst the Who’s Who Arbitration Future Leaders ranking since 2019 and was selected as one of the 13 most highly regarded practitioners for the EMEA region (non-partner category) in 2022.
