The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (“HKIAC”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Domitille Baizeau and Victor Dawes BBS, SC as its new Co‑Chairs, with effect from 1 July 2026, following approval by the HKIAC Council.
Domitille Baizeau, Partner at LALIVE in Geneva, has served on HKIAC’s Council since 2020 and on HKIAC’s Proceedings Committee from 2020 to 2023. In addition to her counsel and arbitrator practice, Domitille has held positions in several arbitral institutions and associations, including as a current member of the Governing Board and Governance Committee of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA).
Victor Dawes, Senior Counsel at Temple Chambers in Hong Kong, was a member of HKIAC’s Proceedings Committee from 2020 to 2023 and was appointed to HKIAC’s Council and Appointments Committee in 2024. Victor is the immediate past Chairperson of the Hong Kong Bar Association and a Recorder of the High Court in Hong Kong. He regularly acts as counsel in arbitrations, sits as arbitrator, and plays an active role in shaping Hong Kong’s arbitration case law through his extensive counsel work in arbitration-related court proceedings.
Domitille and Victor will succeed David W. Rivkin and Rimsky Yuen GBM, SC, JP, whose term as HKIAC Co-Chairs will conclude on 30 June 2026.
HKIAC has also appointed Thomas Walsh, Partner at Clifford Chance in Hong Kong and Chair of the HKIAC Appointments Committee, and Huawei Sun, Senior Counsel at Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing and member of the HKIAC Proceedings Committee as Vice‑Chairs.
Thomas and Huawei will succeed Nils Eliasson, Partner at King & Spalding, and Briana Young, Professional Support Counsel at Three Crowns, whose term as HKIAC Vice-Chairs will also conclude on 30 June 2026.
The new Co-Chairs and Vice-Chairs will join existing members of HKIAC’s Executive Committee, John Choong, Partner at Freshfields and Chair of the HKIAC Proceedings Committee, and Friven Yeoh, Partner at Skadden and recently-appointed Chair of the HKIAC Finance & Administration Committee.
On her appointment, Domitille said:
“It is an honour to serve as Co-Chair of such a strong arbitral institution. To me, HKIAC stands out internationally for the quality and integrity of its work, as I have seen first-hand through my role on HKIAC’s Council and previously on the Proceedings Committee. I very much look forward to working with Victor, the Council and the Secretariat to build on HKIAC’s remarkable achievements, not least under David and Rimsky’s leadership.”
Victor commented:
“It is a privilege to be appointed Co‑Chair of HKIAC with Domitille at a time of accelerating global demand for high‑quality, trusted dispute resolution. I look forward to contributing to HKIAC’s continued evolution as a leading institution serving a rapidly growing and truly global user base.”
HKIAC expresses its sincere thanks to the outgoing Co‑Chairs, David W. Rivkin and Rimsky Yuen GBM, SC, JP, and the outgoing Vice‑Chairs, Briana Young and Nils Eliasson, for their leadership and commitment to the institution.
During their term, HKIAC achieved a number of significant milestones, culminating in:
- Highest caseload and dispute value – in 2025, HKIAC received 582 new cases, including 388 arbitrations with an average size of USD 42 million and total dispute value of USD 16.2 billion;
- Increased geographical reach – in 2025, parties came from 61 jurisdictions, cases involved 17 different governing laws, tribunals were of 26 different nationalities; and HKIAC established a representative office in Beijing in 2024;
- International recognition – HKIAC’s arbitration rules were ranked second most preferred rules globally in 2025 (Queen Mary University and White & Case International Arbitration Survey); and
- Record global engagement – HKIAC hosted the ICCA Congress 2024 in Hong Kong, bringing together over 1,400 attendees from 73 jurisdictions worldwide.
David and Rimsky said:
“It has been an honour serving as HKIAC’s Co-Chairs the past six years. We are delighted to welcome Domitille and Victor as the new Co‑Chairs, and Tom and Huawei as Vice‑Chairs. Domitille and Victor are recognised leaders in international arbitration in Hong Kong and around the world. Their experience, international outlook and deep engagement with HKIAC position the Centre strongly as it continues to serve an expanding and increasingly global user community.”
Joanne Lau, Secretary‑General of HKIAC, added:
“I would like to thank David and Rimsky for their leadership as Co‑Chairs, and Briana and Nils for their service as Vice‑Chairs. Their contributions and commitment have been integral to HKIAC’s growth and to reinforcing its role as a pre‑eminent forum for international dispute resolution. We look forward to working with Domitille and Victor, both impressive practitioners, as HKIAC’s new Co-Chairs.”
HKIAC will host a welcome reception for the incoming Co-Chairs and Vice-Chairs in Hong Kong on 9 June 2026. Details will be announced separately.
About HKIAC
The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (“HKIAC”) was established in 1985 to provide independent and efficient dispute resolution services, specialising in arbitration, mediation, adjudication, and domain name dispute resolution. In addition to its headquarters and hearing centre in Hong Kong, HKIAC has offices in Seoul, Shanghai, and Beijing. To date, HKIAC has managed over 13,000 cases involving 120 jurisdictions. According to the 2025 Queen Mary University and White & Case International Arbitration Survey, HKIAC Rules were the second most preferred set of arbitration rules worldwide.
