ICC appoints new leadership for Asia and MENA regions

ICC has appointed Tejus Chauhan, who will be based in Singapore, for South Asia, Dania Fahs, based in Abu Dhabi, for the Middle East, and Donna Huang, based in Shanghai, for North Asia, to promote and develop its International Court of Arbitration’s range of market-leading dispute resolution services.

Mr Chauhan, Ms Fahs and Ms Huang join ICC’s growing network of regional directors, each appointed to support the work of the Paris-based ICC Secretariat. They are:

• Laetitia de Montalivet, Regional Director for Europe and Russia
• Diamana Diawara, Regional Director for Africa
• Katherine González Arrocha, Regional Director for Latin America
• Marek Krasula, Regional Director for North America

Regional Directors work to forge strong relationships with regional stakeholders on dispute resolution matters; connect ICC to local businesses; act as dispute resolution experts; promote ICC’s internationally recognised services with regard to domestic and international disputes; organise capacity building and informative events; advise on arbitration proceeding protocol; and lead ICC’s Young Arbitration Forum in their dedicated regions.

ICC Court President Claudia Salomon said: “Everything we do must be focused on serving parties and facilitating their engagement with the dispute resolution process, so the dispute resolution process is aligned with their expectations. Our regional directors play a pivotal role in enabling our regional outreach and connecting the ICC Court to the business and legal community and government officials in their respective regions.”

Asia and the Middle East remain key markets for growth for the world’s most preferred arbitral institution. According to ICC’s 2020 Dispute Resolution statistics, Asia and the Pacific accounts for 25% of parties, while the greater MENA region involved a record number of 342 parties.

Tejus Chauhan

Mr Chauhan takes the reigns from former regional director Abhinav Bhushan. After completing studies in trade and law in India, he worked for a law firm and one of the Big Four as a forensic and dispute expert. Mr Chauhan also previously worked on the promotion and business development of ICC Arbitration and ADR in India for three years.

Dania Fahs

Ms Fahs takes over from former regional director Sami Houberi. After completing law studies from universities in France and Canada, she developed her skills in Lebanon and Dubai before joining ICC as a deputy director and Middle Eastern representative in 2018.

Donna Huang

Ms Huang succeeds former regional director Mingchao Fan. She graduated from Wuhan University and obtained a Ph.D. in Law from East China University. In 2010 and 2020, she was a Fulbright fellow and grantee. Ms Huang has experience as counsel, legal expert and consultant in China-based law firms and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. In her new role, Ms Huang leads ICC’s business development activities in China and other key Asian jurisdictions in close collaboration with the Secretariat and ICC Court members.