Russian Institute of Modern Arbitration

Speakers of the In-Person Conference: Arbitration in the Spotlight

Prof. Khawar Qureshi KCMcNair International, Head
Prof. Khawar Qureshi KC is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading advocates in the fields of International Arbitration, Commercial Litigation and Public International Law. From offices in London and Doha he has acted for or against more than 60 States including the USA, Russian Federation, Argentina, India and Kenya. From 1999-2006, before becoming one of the youngest Silks in 2006, as one of around 20 UK Government "A" Panel Treasury Counsel he had the highest level of UK Security Clearance, advising and representing UK authorities such as the SFO and Ministry of Defence on hundreds of matters including UN/EU/UK Sanctions. He has undertaken dozens of arbitrations as Lead Counsel including ICSID, UNCITRAL, LCIA, ICC, SIAC matters.
He has appeared at all levels of the English Courts, and was the first English Barrister ever to establish an office outside the UK in 2008 at the Qatar Financial Centre. He has taught Commercial and International law at Cambridge University, LSE and Kings College London. He was Chairman of TheCityUK Legal Services Group from 2010-2015 and was appointed a Deputy High Court Judge in 2013.
Tatiana Minaeva RPC, Partner
Tatiana Minaeva is a partner at the London office of RPC, an international law firm with offices in London, Hong Kong and Singapore. She heads the firm's CIS practice. Before joining RPC in 2019 Tatiana worked at Jones Day in London where she focused her practice on investor-state and commercial arbitration. Before that Tatiana worked at Stephenson Harwood in London and White & Case in Moscow.
Tatiana has over two decades of international arbitration experience in commercial and investor-state arbitrations relating to financial services, energy, mining, telecoms, construction, international sale of goods, and technology.
Since 2014 Tatiana is often appointed by parties and institutions as an arbitrator (including as a sole arbitrator). She has experience acting as arbitrator under the Rules of UNCITRAL, LCIA, ICC, SCC, and ICAC. She is on the list of arbitrators from Russia at HKIAC and SIAC.
Tatiana is ranked as a global leader in category counsel in England & Wales in international arbitration by Who's Who Legal: Arbitration 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Tatiana is a co-author of the book ICSID Rules and Regulations 2022 – Article-by-Article Commentary (edited by Happ, Wilske), which offers practical and theoretical guidance for experienced arbitration practitioners.
Sebastiano Nessi Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, Partner
With a dual civil law and common law background, and 15+ years of experience working in Paris, London and Geneva, Sebastiano Nessi is a Partner with Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle. Ranked as a Global Elite Thought Leaders by Who's Who Legal, he specialises in international arbitration (commercial and investor-state), cross-border litigation, international transactions and contract negotiations, trade and international sanctions.
He has appeared as counsel in some of the largest international arbitration and litigation cases of the last decade. He has secured a series of multi-million/billion dollar decisions for his clients, and defended others in claims arising in a number of different business sectors. He has also advised clients on high-profile international transactions.
Sebastiano has notably advised and represented clients (including states and state-owned entities) from Europe, the CIS region, the GCC and MENA regions, Africa and Asia.
He has a broad range of expertise with a particular focus on infrastructure and construction, energy (including nuclear and renewables), oil & gas, mining, insurance, real estate, aerospace and transportation, telecommunication and media, maritime, banking and pharmaceuticals.
Sebastiano sits regularly as an arbitrator and taught for several years international arbitration and international dispute resolution at the University of Paris I, Panthéon Sorbonne. He is a lecturer at several academic institutions, and the author of some 50 book chapters and articles on arbitration and international dispute resolution.
Dr. Vladislav StarzhenetskyHSE Universtiy, Associate Professor, Head of Laboratory of International Justice
Vladislav Starzhenetsky is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law of the Higher School of Economics, Head of the International Justice Laboratory, and Academic Director of the Master Program "Law of International Trade and Dispute Resolution". Before joining the Higher School of Economics in 2014, Vladislav worked at the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation from 1998 to 2014, from 2011 to 2014 he headed the Department of International Law and Cooperation of the Supreme Commercial Court of the Russian Federation, where he specialized in international civil procedure, private international law, and problems of application of international and foreign law norms by Russian courts.
Vladislav graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) with a degree in International Law. He received a Ph.D. in Law for his dissertation on the international regulation of the protection of property rights.
He is the author of more than 60 monographs and articles published in leading foreign and Russian publishing houses.
Leonid KropotovDenuo, Legal Director, PhD
Leonid Kropotov advises foreign and Russian companies on corporate and commercial law. He has extensive experience of supporting M&A transactions, intragroup restructurings and establishing of joint ventures. Leonid has experience in handling disputes in state courts, international commercial and investment arbitration, including disputes in the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC), the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the International Arbitration at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation (ICAC). Leonid is recommended in the areas of corporate law, dispute resolution, energy and natural resources by Best Lawyers, Legal 500 and Pravo-300. Leonid is listed in the Russian Arbitration Guide: Next Generation, the first comprehensive guide to the young arbitrators with significant experience of handling and resolving Russia-related disputes.
Natalia AlenkinaAssociate Professor of the Law Program at the American University of Central Asia
Natalia Alenkina is an Associate Professor at the American University of Central Asia, Ph.D.
Ms.Alenkina combines her academic career with law practice at Satarov, Askarov & Partners law firm specializing in contracts, corporate law, litigation, and arbitration.
Ms.Alenkina has extensive experience in arbitration as an arbitrator, legal counsel, and an expert in Kyrgyz law. Since 2019 Natalia has been a court member of the ICC International Arbitration Court (Paris) and from last year – an Ambassador of the Vienna International Arbitral Centre in Kyrgyzstan.
Ms.Alenkina is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Supreme Court of the Kyrgyz Republic. She is accredited by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Justice as a legal and human rights expert.
Natalia Alenkina took part in the development of the Civil Procedure Code and the Law on Mediation in Kyrgyzstan. She is a co-author of commentaries to the Kyrgyz Civil Code and Code of Civil Procedure.
Feruza BobokulovaMY LAWYER Law Firm, Partner
Ms. Firuza (Feruza) Bobokulova is the partner of My Lawyer Law Firm, a practice specializing in dispute resolution, including international arbitration and construction law. She is also a FIDIC Certified Trainer and a FIDIC Certified Contract Manager. Ms. Bobokulova regularly advises the clients on the matters related to international arbitration, construction arbitration, and sports arbitration in addition to consulting both public and private parties on different matters related to the FIDIC Contracts. Ms. Bobokulova also represents the parties in dispute board proceedings under the construction and FIDIC Contracts as well as in arbitration proceedings all over the world. So far, she has represented the parties in arbitrations under ICC, VIAC, LCAM, UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules as well as in sports arbitration. Ms. Bobokulova also teaches at Westminster International University in Tashkent. She is a listed arbitrator of the Caspian Arbitration Society and arbitration specialist listed by the Vienna International Arbitral Center.
Ms. Bobokulova is also a member of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce as well as a member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR Task Force on “The Issues of Corruption in International Arbitration.
Дмитрий КайсинRGD International Central Asia, Managing Partner
Dmitry Kaysin is a partner with Dispute Resolution practice and Managing Partner of RGD International Central Asia. Dmitry focuses on the resolution of disputes involving governments, primarily investment disputes and investment arbitration. Dmitry possesses vast experience in representing clients in international arbitration proceedings under UNCITRAL, SCC, LCIA, ICC, Swiss Chambers, SIAC, WIPO, and ICAC Rules, and in the Russian state courts, including bankruptcy proceedings. Dmitry is included into the list of arbitrators of the Arbitration Centre at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE). Dmitry is an associate professor at the Law School of the Higher School of Economics where he co-lectures International Investment Arbitration for graduate students. He is an author of a number of publications regarding exequatur procedures (recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards) and jurisdictional immunity of states. Background Over a span of 20 years, Dmitry has worked both at one of the leading Russian law firms and as a deputy director of legal affairs for an asset management company in banking, insurance and alcohol industry. He has an in-depth understanding of the needs and interests of his clients, on one hand, and of specifics of consulting services, on the other hand.
Dmitry is a member of the Nomination Committee of the Commission on International Arbitration, ICC Russia; a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (СIArb). He is included into the Shanghai International Arbitration Centre’s Panel of Arbitrators.
Anna KozmenkoSchellenberg Wittmer, Partner
Dr. Anna Kozmenko is a Partner of Schellenberg Wittmer based in Zurich. Having practiced in Russia, France, the US, and Switzerland with leading international law firms, Dr. Kozmenko has extensive experience representing states, state and private entities in high profile international disputes, including complex litigations, commercial, investment and sports arbitrations. She acted as counsel and arbitrator in dozens of proceedings under all major institutional rules seated in the US, numerous European and Asian jurisdictions.
Dr. Kozmenko is recognized as one of the top international lawyers of her generation. She has been named for several years as "thought leader" and one of "most highly regarded individuals" (Who’s Who Legal) as well as a "top international arbitration practitioner" (Arbitration Association's ranking). Who’s Who Legal and Legal500 quote her as being "outstanding as counsel and as arbitrator", "one of the best for international arbitration", "leading figure in the arbitration space", "a superb lawyer and a leader in her field", "a brilliant advocate", in addition to "drawing particular praise for top-tier work on Russia-related disputes."
Dr. Kozmenko regularly speaks and publishes on international arbitration as well as frequently acts as a guest lecturer at various universities around the world.
Dr Christian W. Konrad Konrad Partners, Managing Partner
Dr Christian W. Konrad is the founding and managing partner of Konrad Partners.
He is an advocate in the fields of international arbitration, international litigation and public international law. His practice covers inter-state, international and commercial disputes.
He has represented international organizations and private commercial parties in a broad range of cases involving inter alia long-term energy contracts, complex construction contracts, concession agreements, entitlement to natural resources, sports, immunities from jurisdiction, infrastructure projects, mergers and acquisitions, and failed investments in Central and Eastern Europe and Africa. Christian also advises clients in contract negotiations, public tender proceedings, on the protection of their investment and enforcement of arbitration awards and state court judgements throughout the world.
He frequently acts as arbitrator and is a member of panels of various arbitration institutions worldwide.
Evgeny RashchevskyPartner and Co-Head of International Arbitration and Litigation Practice at Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners
In 1999 he graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Volgograd State University; in 2001 he received a diploma with honors from the Russian School of Private Law (master's degree from the Research Center for Private Law named after S.S. Alekseev under the President of the Russian Federation); in 2004 he received PhD in Law.
Since 2008, he has been a partner and co-head of the International Arbitration and Litigation Practice at Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners.
He is a member of CIArb, RAC, International Board of the Arbitration Center at the RSPP; Vice President at the International Arbitration Court of the Qingdao Arbitration Commission in the SCO demonstration zone; member of KCAB INTERNATIONAL. Evgeny Is also a Solicitor for England and Wales.
Evgeny has published a significant number of articles on international arbitration and civil law in specialized Russian and international legal journals, as well as a number of comments on international arbitration issues from the Russian Federation.
He is a teacher of the master's program "Legal regulation of insolvency (bankruptcy)" of the Faculty of Law of Moscow State University named after Lomonosov, and of the course "Bankruptcy and International Arbitration".
Anna GrischenkovaArbitrator, LL.M., MCIArb, Deputy Chairman of ICC Russia Arbitration Commission
Anna has 20 years of experience in the field of dispute resolution and acts as an arbitrator in Russian and international arbitral institutions being enrolled in the lists of arbitrators in Austria (VIAC), Kuala Lumpur (AIAC), Hong Kong (HKIAC), Belarus (Chamber of Arbitrators), Russia (RAC, Arbitration Center at RSPP), LCIA and SCC. Until 2022, Anna was a partner at KIAP law firm and headed the dispute resolution and international arbitration practice. Anna took part in litigation, international arbitration under the rules of leading arbitration institutions (ICC, LCIA, VIAC, SCC, ICAC, etc.) and in ad hoc arbitration. Over the years of practice, Anna has represented clients in state courts and international arbitration in more than 400 proceedings.
Anna is the Deputy Chairman of the ICC Russia Arbitration Commission, a regional representative from Russia in the HK45 Committee at the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center (HKIAC), was a regional representative from Russia in the Judicial Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA) in 2016-2018, 2020-2022, was a member of the Russian Arbitration Center Board in 2017-2023. In addition to her Russian education, Anna also received a Master's degree in American Law (LL.M) and has the status of Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators(CIArb). Anna's main specialization is commercial disputes, disputes in the field of construction, during the implementation of infrastructure projects, including oil and gas, and corporate disputes.
Anna is the author of the book “Psychology and Persuasion in the Litigation Process,” co-editor and co-author of the “Scientific and Practical Article-by-Article Commentary on the Arbitration Legislation” by the RAA and co-editor and co-author of the book “Arbitration in Asia.”
Denis AlmakaevLEVEL Legal Services, Partner, Head of International Litigation Practice
Denis Almakaev spear-heads the international litigation practice of LEVEL Legal Services. He is admitted to practice in Russia, England & Wales and the U.S. (New York). He specialises in international arbitration and asset-tracing and fraud litigation. Denis has represented his clients in such jurisdictions as England, France, the U.S., Switzerland, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Monaco, Cayman Islands, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar and others.
Having graduated (with distinction) the Moscow State University and received a master's degree (LL.M.) from Columbia University (New York), Denis successfully completed the Advanced Arbitration Academy under the auspices of International International Chamber of Commerce (Paris) and holds the status of a Fellow at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London). Denis is also one of only two Russians national who was awarded the degree of a Fellow at INSOL International, a world-wide federation of lawyers who specialise in cross-border insolvency.
Denis is admitted to practice in Singapore International Commercial Court as a registered foreign lawyer which provides him rights of audience before the trial court and the Court of Appeal. Denis is the only attorney based in Russia with such a qualification.
The Legal 500 recognised Denis as one of Russia's leading lawyers in international arbitration and litigation. Leading Russian rankings "Pravo-300" and "Kommersant" recommend Denis in international dispute resolution and commercial arbitration, Forbes Club Legal recognised Denis' team as a leader in international disputes concerned with representing HNWI.
Mikhail GolovizninSberbank, Head of International Dispute Resolution
Mikhail Goloviznin is a Head of International Dispute Resolution at Sberbank. He is PhD in Law.
Stanislav DobshevichBetter Chance, Counsel
Stanislav specialises in dispute resolution, representing the interests of large businesses in a wide range of commercial disputes, including disputes in international arbitration for Russian state-owned companies. Stanislav has more than 10 years of experience representing clients’ interests in international commercial arbitration (under the rules of the ICC, SCC, LCIA, HKIAC, SIAC, ICAC at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation), in Russian commercial courts of all levels, in the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, and also provides expertise in complex cross-border projects.
Before joining Better Chance, Stanislav worked as a counsel at Egorov, Puginsky, Afanasiev and Partners, as well as a senior associate at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (Russia) LLP.
Alexey YadykinStonebridge Legal, Partner
Alexey Yadykin is a partner in the dispute resolution practice at Stonebridge Legal.
Alexey graduated with honours from the Moscow State Law University. He worked for major Russian law firms and international law firms.
He specialises in dispute resolution in various sectors of the economy, including energy, metallurgy and mining, transport and logistics, banking, technology and media. He has participated in a large number of arbitration proceedings, court cases in Russia and abroad, as well as in a number of international cases.
Alexey is also a full member of the Russian Arbitration Association (RAA), he received Kommersant 2023 rating in the categories “International Commercial Arbitration” and “International Dispute Resolution”, and was also named Best Lawyers 2022 in Russia in the category “Arbitration and Mediation”.
Бахыт ТукуловTukulov, Kassilgov Litigation, Partner
Бахыт на протяжении восьми лет проработал в крупнейшей в Казахстане юридической фирме, пять из которых возглавлял ее Судебную практику. Ранее он четыре года работал в известной международной юридической фирме. Бахыт представлял клиентов в большом количестве наиболее громких коммерческих споров в Казахстане либо по законодательству Казахстана. Он имеет значительный опыт работы в качестве арбитра в казахстанских арбитражных институтах. Бахыт часто выступает экспертом и готовит экспертные заключения для трансграничных судебных и арбитражных разбирательств.
Престижное международное рейтинговое агентство «Chambers & Partners» уже на протяжении пяти лет подряд признает Бахыта в качестве одного из лучших в Казахстане коммерческих судебных юристов. Он также рекомендован международными рейтинговыми агентствами «Legal 500», а также Who Is Who Legal.
Yuri BabichevALUMNI Partners, Partner, LL.M.
Yury Babichev focuses on international arbitrations and cross-border litigations. He is experienced in commercial and investment arbitrations, fraud and conspiracy claims, derivative litigations, shareholder disputes, contentious M&A transactions, large-scale debt recovery and restructurings, distressed asset sales and other special situations involving multiple jurisdictions.
Yury has advised clients on litigations in various jurisdictions, including England, the USA, the BVI, Bermuda, Cyprus, Ireland, Malta, Turkey, Switzerland, France and The Netherlands, and arbitral proceedings seated in major arbitration centres, such as London, Paris, Stockholm, Moscow, Hong Kong and The Hague, under multiple arbitration rules.
Yury’s clients include major Russian and foreign companies across a broad spectrum of industries, including energy, oil&gas, machine building, metals, banks, IT and FinTech. Yury is recommended for International Arbitration by the major international legal directory The Legal 500 and has been ranked among top arbitration practitioners in Russia by The Russian Arbitration Association (RAA 40) for four years running.
Yuri also acts as an arbitrator in various disputes and is a member of the Board of the Russian Arbitration Center at the Russian Institute of Modern Arbitration.
Prior to founding ALUMNI Partners, Yury was a partner and formerly a counsel at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (Russia) LLP and head of the international arbitration group at Goltsblat BLP LLP. Prior to this, Yuri worked for ten years at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.
Elena AleksandrovaGazpromneft Expert Solutions, Head of the Center for Regulatory Law and Judicial Protection
Head of the Regulatory Law and Litigation Center at Gazpromneft Expert Solutions LLC.
Elena has more than 20 years of experience in legal specialization, 15 of which she devoted to large oil and gas companies, where she held senior positions in legal departments.
Elena's professional portfolio includes participation in major projects: IPO, reorganization, and integration of assets, protection against sanctions and other hostile measures.
She currently heads the Regulatory Law and Litigation Center at Gazpromneft Expert Solutions LLC, representing and defending the interests of Gazpromneft in disputes with state authorities in the area of regulatory law, as well as in commercial disputes and bankruptcies, including cross-border disputes and disputes with a foreign element.
Marina BasovaSIBUR International GmbH, Head of the Claims and Litigation Practice
Marina works at SIBUR LLC since 2016. She is the head of the Claims and Litigation Practice of SIBUR LLC: a team of 30+ people, more than 200 litigations, and over 5,000 claims annually amounting to over 1 billion rubles. She is an organizational projects leader (ideological inspirer and founder) of : two Judicial Centers in Tyumen and Kazan, "consulting" inside inhouse that win more than 90% of court cases, Claims Center, that over the last 2 years of work earned for the company more than 3 billion claims with NPS above 65%. She has established the international commercial arbitration practice at SIBUR from scratch. Marina also developed a unique know-how that has no analogs in the market: "Judicial Calculator", which allows estimating the cost of the litigation and the efficiency of claim and court work vs. settlement agreement.
Isabella KharlamovaRosneft Oil Company, Advisor to the CEO
Isabella has experience representing clients in both institutional arbitration and ad hoc arbitration (including under the rules of SCC, LCIA, ICSID, UNCITRAL). Isabella's over 13 years of experience in international disputes include advising states and companies in investment arbitration, as well as advising on sanctions and other litigation. Isabella graduated from Moscow State Linguistic University and holds a Master of Laws degree from University College London.
Anna NovoselovaRosatom Overseas JSC, Head of Legal Support of BOO-Projects
Olga TsvetkovaAdvocate in international disputes
For the past 14 years, Olga has successfully handled cross-border litigation and become a recognized expert in this area. Her competence includes advising companies, individuals and the state in investment and commercial disputes in various industries, including natural resources, energy, construction, telecommunications and others.
Olga participated and coordinated the work of legal teams in more than 50 cases, including arbitrations under the rules of the ICAC at the CCI, RAC, ICC, LCIA, SCC, Swiss Rules, UNCITRAL, as well as proceedings in the UK, Germany, Italy, China (Hong Kong) , Kazakhstan, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Turkey, France and other countries. Most of her cases are complex disputes involving significant sums of money with parallel proceedings in various jurisdictions.
Previously, Olga was an adviser and co-head of the international arbitration group at EPAM Law Firm, and also supervised the defense of Russia in several international investment disputes at the Ministry of Justice.
Olga is a co-founder of the first Guide to Next Generation of Russian Arbitrators.
She graduated from the Faculty of Law of Moscow State University named after Lomonosov and received a master's degree in international law in Switzerland (MIDS).