ICC pays tribute to Stephen Bond (1943-2020)

ICC has paid tribute to Stephen and the many achievements reached under his leadership.

ICC Court President Alexis Mourre said: “I would like to extend to Stephen’s family, friends and colleagues our deepest condolences, Stephen’s contribution to the Court, as its Secretary General and as a Commission member, was immense. He was one of the fathers of the 1998 Rules and has greatly contributed to the success of ICC, in the United States and worldwide. He will be remembered as an innovative thinker, a leading advocate and one of the best arbitrators of his time.”

During his time as Secretary General, the Court and its Secretariat saw many firsts and changes: Stephen was the first to promote ICC Arbitration by travelling extensively around the world; by no coincidence, the ICC Court of Arbitration was renamed ICC International Court of Arbitration. Stephen created a dedicated team for Latin American disputes (the sixth team, added to the existing French, German, Austrian, Swiss and North American teams); as a strong technology advocate, he insisted and succeeded in fully computerising the operations of the Secretariat. Importantly, he also helped construct the Secretariat’s first internal case management platform and launched the ICC Court Bulletin.

“Stephen’s legacy as Secretary General is felt to this day. He led a series of pioneers who maximised the Secretariat’s capacities and brought ICC Arbitration to the pinnacle it enjoys today. The news of his passing brings sadness to our hearts. Our thoughts are with his family and many friends and colleagues around the world,” said Alexander G. Fessas, Secretary General of the ICC Court.

Stephen’s ties with ICC dispute resolution remained strong even after his return to private practice. In addition to acting as counsel and arbitrator in many arbitrations, Stephen served as Court member for the United States for two terms between 1994 and 1999. He was also a member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration for a number of years and vice-chaired the commission’s working group that drafted the 1998 Rules of Arbitration. He remained an active member of the Secretariat’s alumni group throughout the years.

Read our collection of in memoriam statements from some of his contemporaries at the Secretariat