Ten ArbitralWomen members have been appointed to the Young ITA Board for the 2023-2025 term. Young ITA promotes the involvement of young professionals in the international arbitration community through programs, publications and other activities.
ArbitralWomen member Karima Sauma has been appointed as Chair of Young ITA and ArbitralWomen member Ciara Ros has been appointed as Vice Chair of Young ITA. The following ArbitralWomen members have also been appointed in the following roles: Lidia Rezende as Programs Co-Chair, Meredith Craven as External Communications Co-Chair, Sylvia Sámano Beristain and Ruxandra Esanu as Mentorship Co-Chairs, Magda Kofluk as Regional Chair for the Middle East, Shreya Jain and Juhi Gupta as Regional Co-Chairs for India, and Alice Wang as Regional Co-Chair for Asia.
Karima Sauma is part of the arbitration team at DJ Arbitraje. She is an adjunct professor at ULACIT University and LEAD University in San José, and regularly acts as arbitrator, tribunal secretary, counsel and legal expert in various types of cases. She previously worked as the Executive Director of the International Center for Conciliation and Arbitration of the Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce and as an Advisor with the Dispute Settlement Team of the Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Trade.
Ciara Ros is a senior associate in the International Dispute Resolution practice group of Vinson & Elkins RLLP in London. She was recognized as a Key Lawyer for International Arbitration by the Legal 500 in 2022 and was included in the INvolve – The Inclusion People list of Top 100 Women Future Leaders Role Model 2022. Ciara previously worked in the V&E Houston and Dubai offices. She represents clients across a wide range of industries, including energy, construction, infrastructure, mining, wreck salvage, banking and financial services, and telecoms. Her focus is on energy and infrastructure, mining, construction disputes, and international commercial arbitration.
Lidia Rezende is an Associate at Chaffetz Lindsey in New York City, where she represents clients in international and domestic commercial arbitrations, and in litigation before U.S. courts. Prior to joining Chaffetz Lindsey, Lidia practiced at a mixed law and engineering boutique firm in Brazil, working side by side with civil engineers in complex construction matters. Lidia holds a bachelor’s in law degree from UFMG in Brazil and a master’s in law degree from NYU Law. She is admitted to practice both in New York and Brazil and is a native Portuguese speaker.
Meredith Craven is an international arbitration and disputes attorney at White & Case LLP in the Houston office, where she represents public and private companies in commercial and investment disputes and advises on dispute and investment risks in contemplated actions and transactions. She also represents clients in enforcement, set-aside, and related litigations in state and federal courts. Meredith obtained her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and is qualified in New York and Texas.
Sylvia Sámano Beristain is an associate at Hogan Lovells in Mexico City, where her practice includes acting as counsel, arbitrator, and tribunal secretary. She previously served as Secretary General of the Arbitration Center of Mexico, where she administrated more than 70 commercial arbitrations, and has interned at the ICC Hong Kong office. Sylvia holds an LL.M from Hong Kong University and a law degree from National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She has experience in civil, commercial, mining, natural resources, and energy law, and teaches arbitration at the postgraduate program at UNAM as well as in the bachelor program at Tecnológico de Monterrey.
Ruxandra Esanu is an associate at Dechert’s Paris office. She centers her practice on international arbitration matters, working on both investment treaty and commercial matters. She has acted in over 20 international arbitrations arising out of the oil & gas, mining, telecommunications, real estate and construction sectors. She has experience in arbitrations governed by a range of procedural rules, including the ICSID, ICC, UNCITRAL and GAFTA rules, as well as in ad hoc proceedings. Ruxandra has also acted in annulment proceedings under the ICSID Rules. She is a French-qualified lawyer, and a graduate of the Sciences Po Paris Law School.
Magda Kofluk is a construction arbitration specialist based at Stephenson Harwood in Dubai. She has represented clients in over a dozen complex and high-value arbitrations relating to international construction projects across all major industries including energy, infrastructure, real estate, airports, and rail. She is experienced in proceedings under the ICC, DIAC and QICCA rules, as well as in pre-arbitration negotiations and dispute board proceedings. Magda was shortlisted as “Construction Lawyer of the Year” at the LexisNexis Middle East Women in Law Awards 2023.
Shreya Jain is a principal associate at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas in Mumbai. A graduate of National Law School of India University, Bangalore and Harvard Law School, Shreya is qualified to practice in India and New York. She won the world championship of the Philip C. Jessup Moot Court Competition in 2013 and later worked at Cooley LLP, New York, before returning to India. Shreya currently serves as Assistant Editor (South Asia) at the Kluwer Arbitration Blog, Regional Representative at the LCIA-sponsored Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG), and Secretary of the Harvard Club of Mumbai.
Alice Wang is a senior associate in Pinsent Masons’ global international arbitration practice group. She worked in Australia and Hong Kong with top tier international law firms, as well as with the in-house legal teams of multinational companies. Her practice area focuses on the contentious aspects of projects, acting for main contractors, sub-contractors and employers in arbitration and court proceedings on oil and gas, building and other civil engineering projects. Alice advises large infrastructure and energy projects located in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and South America. In particular, she represents clients in international arbitrations conducted in HKIAC, ICC, SIAC, LCIA, and other major arbitral institutions.
Juhi Gupta is a principal associate at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas. She is based in New Delhi and is qualified in India. Juhi has diverse international commercial arbitration experience under various arbitral rules. Her arbitration experience also includes domestic arbitration and related court proceedings as well as acting as a tribunal secretary. A graduate of National Law School of India University, Bangalore and a LL.M. graduate from Harvard Law School, she previously completed her training contract from Allen & Overy, London. She is also a certified mediator. Juhi regularly writes on different topics related to arbitration in India and dispute resolution.