HKIAC names Rivkin, Yuen co-chairs
04 June 2020
David W. Rivkin, co-chair of Debevoise & Plimpton’s international dispute resolution group in New York and London and past president of the International Bar Association (IBA), and Rimsky Yuen, an arbitrator, mediator and barrister at Temple Chambers and former Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong, will be appointed as co-chairs of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) with effect from June 15, 2020.
The appointments received unanimous approval from HKIAC’s Council.
Rivkin and Yuen will succeed Matthew Gearing, global co-head of the international arbitration group at Allen & Overy, whose three-year term as HKIAC chair will conclude on June 14.
Two current members of HKIAC’s Council, Nils Eliasson, a partner at Shearman & Sterling in Hong Kong and Beijing, and Briana Young, a professional support consultant and foreign legal consultant at Herbert Smith Freehills in Hong Kong, will be elevated to vice chair, joining current vice chair Joseph Wan, a chartered accountant and arbitrator and former CEO of luxury British department store chain Harvey Nichols.
Rivkin has consistently ranked as one of the top international dispute resolution counsel in the world. He has practiced private and public international law for over 30 years and handled international arbitrations before virtually every major arbitration institution. His active practice incudes both commercial and investment treaty arbitration (acting for both investors and states), and he has won some of the largest awards in both categories. As well as leading Debevoise’s international dispute resolution group, Rivkin has had leadership roles in many international arbitration institutions. As president of the IBA in 2015-2016, Rivkin led a global organization whose membership comprises over 100,000 members and 200 bar associations.
Yuen has contributed significantly to the continued development of Hong Kong as a leading international dispute resolution centre. During his time as Secretary for Justice, important changes were made to the legislative framework including ensuring that emergency arbitrator relief is enforceable by the Hong Kong courts whether made in Hong Kong or elsewhere; clarifying that disputes concerning intellectual property rights are arbitrable in Hong Kong and that the enforcement of arbitral awards concerning those rights is not contrary to public policy; and, permitting third party funding in arbitrations and associated proceedings. Yuen drove the establishment of the Legal Hub in Hong Kong to underscore the city’s commitment to the rule of law and bring together major international law organizations and dispute resolution bodies. Yuen also supported Hong Kong’s successful bid to host the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) Congress.
“I am delighted to hear about the appointments of David and Rimsky as HKIAC’s incoming co-chairs. I have no doubt their combined leadership experience and global reach will cement HKIAC’s role as a leading arbitral institution,” said Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler, a partner at Lévy Kaufmann-Kohler in Geneva and president of the ICCA.
