The YMG (Young Members Group) has announced the appointment of Noreen Kidunduhu and Ana Gerdau de Borja Mercereau as Chair and Vice-Chair of CIArb, YMG’s Global Steering Committee respectively. The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators’ (CIArb) YMG brings together dispute resolution practitioners below the age of 40 and students interested in building their careers in this fast-growing and dynamic field.
Noreen Kidunduhu is a common law qualified energy lawyer based in Nairobi, Kenya. She represents clients in both institutional and ad hoc arbitrations under a wide variety of arbitral rules and has also appeared in numerous court matters related to arbitrations. She is also a holder of a master’s degree in International Energy Law and Policy from the University of Dundee, and a co-founder of the Energy Related Arbitration Practitioners, Kenya Chapter.
Speaking on her appointment Noreen had this to say, “I am honored to chair the most regionally diverse and inclusive Committee in the history of CIArb’s YMG. We have a pipeline of interactive programmes and projects for our members to deepen their understanding of ADR, hone their skills and network. I look forward to a dynamic and interactive YMG that caters to our members’ priorities and specialisms.”
Ana Gerdau de Borja Mercereau is a Cambridge-educated lawyer at Derains and Gharavi, Paris. She has over 12 years’ experience, having acted as counsel and secretary to arbitral tribunals in commercial and investor-State arbitrations relating to commercial transactions, joint ventures, large infrastructure projects, M&A deals, and projects in real estate. She has been a member of the ICC Commission on International Arbitration and ADR since 2018, and a co-coordinator of Track 5 of the ICC Commission Task Force entitled Corruption in International Arbitration.
Ana, who is also one of the founders of the Rising Arbitrators Initiative said this on her appointment, “I echo Noreen’s words, enchanted with the regionally diverse Committee I am honoured to lead together with her. It is always a pleasure to work with professionals I admire and to pursue CIArb’s educational mission, which is of the essence to me. I am also grateful to Laura West, Sebastiano Nessi and to the whole Committee for their dedication and joint efforts in 2021.”
The committee has also been joined by other new members. These include Cam Tu Vo Nguyen (Singapore), Mohamed Gomaa (Egypt), Mulopa Ndalameta (Zambia), Praveen Sandhu (Canada), Rita Anwiri Chindah (Nigeria), Tatsuhiko Makimo (Japan), Tony Ngoa Chefor (Cameroon) and Yan Kalish (Russia).