New ICC Court Secretary General & Deputy Secretary General

They will respectively succeed Andrea Carlevaris and José Ricardo Feris who are returning to private practice at the end of May.

Alexander G. Fessas, a Cypriot national born in Athens, currently serves as Managing Counsel and is the third most senior member of the ICC Court’s Secretariat. He started his career with ICC working as Deputy Counsel in the Eastern European team in 2011. He was later promoted to Counsel, first in charge of the North American team and later in charge of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East team. Before joining ICC, Alexander was an associate at Stelios Koussoulis & Partners, an Athens-based law firm until 2007, and a sole practitioner thereafter.

He acted both as counsel and administrative secretary in international and domestic commercial arbitration cases in construction, energy and telecommunications disputes. He had also undertaken other roles including as editor-in-chief of the Revue hellénique de droit international . Alexander is admitted to the Athens Bar. He obtained his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from the Faculty of Law of the University of Athens, having specialized in conflict of laws, arbitration and comparative law. Aside his native Greek, Alexander speaks English and French.

The appointment of Mr. Fessas was made upon unanimous recommendation by a selection committee chaired by ICC Court Governing Body Chairman Karl Hennessee and composed of ICC Secretary General John Danilovich, ICC Court President Alexis Mourre, and ICC Court Vice-Presidents Anne-Veronique Schlaepfer and Eduardo Zuleta.

“I am delighted that Alex has accepted our offer to become the next Secretary General of the Court” said Alexis Mourre, who welcomed the appointment of Mr Fessas. “Alex had displayed remarkable leadership and management skills and will successfully lead the collective effort to implement the many projects that are currently on-going with the aim to further improve the quality and efficiency of the Court’s services to our users”.

Being fully aware of the responsibilities bestowed upon the Secretary General, I will work zealously with them to maintain the level of excellence we are universally known to provide in dispute resolution services.”

Mr Fessas said: “I am very honoured by the office the selection committee entrusted to me and accept it with great enthusiasm. I am equally grateful to Ana for having accepted to act as Deputy Secretary General and to the whole Secretariat staff for their unwavering support and dedication. Being fully aware of the responsibilities bestowed upon the Secretary General, I will work zealously with them to maintain the level of excellence we are universally known to provide in dispute resolution services”.

Ana Serra e Moura, in turn, currently serves as Counsel in charge of Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. She joined ICC as Deputy Counsel of the same team in 2011. Ana is also the project manager of the opening of the ICC Court Secretariat’s office in Sao Paulo, which will be announced shortly. She is admitted to the Portuguese Bar. She obtained her law degree from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Lisbon and furthered her studies at the Instituto de Empresa Law School in Madrid. Before joining ICC, she worked with Juan Fernández-Armesto, founding partner of Armesto & Asociados in Madrid and CCA Advogados Ontier in Lisbon. In addition to Portuguese, her native language, she speaks English, Spanish and French. Ms Serra e Moura has ample experience in both commercial and investment arbitration, as well as commercial and corporate law.

“Ana has remarkably led her team and greatly contributed to strengthen the position of the Court in Latin America, Spain and Portugal. I am sure that the Secretariat will immensely benefit from her talent in the new responsibilities that she will now have”, said Alexis Mourre.

Being deeply attached to ICC, I will work hard with the Secretariat towards reinforcing ICC’s leading position in Dispute Resolution Services.”

Ms Serra e Moura said: “I am extremely honoured to have been selected to succeed José Ricardo Feris as Deputy Secretary General. I am also very grateful that Alex was appointed Secretary General of the Court; I have enjoyed a long and fruitful collaboration with both of them. Being deeply attached to ICC, I will work hard with the Secretariat towards reinforcing ICC’s leading position in Dispute Resolution Services”.

The appointment of new leadership comes as the ICC Court prepares for the entry into force of the revised ICC Arbitration Rules which include new Expedited Procedure Provisions. The incoming and outgoing leadership will work hand in hand during the next three months to ensure a smooth transition and implementation of the new Rules and other on-going projects.

Alexis Mourre said: “that we have decided to fill the two top leadership positions in the Secretariat internally is a testament to the quality of our teams and the opportunities that are given to the members of the Secretariat. I would also like to once again thank Andrea Carlevaris and José Feris for their great achievements. We would not be where we are today without their relentless efforts and incredible dedication”.