Melanie van Leeuwen, a partner at Parisian arbitration boutique Derains & Gharavi, has been reappointed as chair of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Commission on Arbitration and ADR.

Her reappointment comes as 12 new vice-chairs were appointed to work with her on the commission’s steering committee, as part of a move by the ICC to ensure a more balanced representation of established and emerging jurisdictions and promote regional diversity, a key priority for the Court of Arbitration’s president, Claudia Salomon, who was also recently reappointed to her role.

Many of the newly appointed vice-chairs, all leading professionals from various regions, were women. They include Squire Patton Boggs’ Sabrina Aïnouz from Tunisia, Cecilia Azar of Galicia Abogados from Mexico and Dentons’ partner Rachel Howie from Canada.

Fieldfisher’s Marily Paralika, who heads the firm’s Paris arbitration team, represents Greece, while Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas’ partner, Shaneen Parikh, represents India.

Justyna Szpara from Poland, head of dispute resolution at Łaszczuk & Partners, was selected to represent Poland, while Schellenberg Wittmer partner Nathalie Voser is a Swiss representative.

Cristiano de Sousa Zanetti, a professor of civil law, represents Brazil, while Boeing’s senior counsel Peter Durning will represent the USA and supply in-house expertise.

The latter goal has been a key aspiration for the ICC, which has seen a significant increase in representation from in-house counsel and corporate representatives, with current membership comprising more than 1,400 members from more than 100 countries.

Patrick Ikwueto SAN, name partner of an eponymous law firm, will represent Nigeria and Patrick Leonard SC, the vice chair of Arbitration Ireland, will represent the Republic of Ireland on the commission. Matthew Secomb, White & Case’s Asian head of international arbitration, represents Australia.

The new committee composition for 2024-2027 reflects van Leeuwen’s contribution to diversify the commission’s membership. She said the previous commission had “been particularly productive in providing guidance and establishing best practices in effective conflict management, settlement facilitation, leveraging IT in arbitration and disability inclusion”.

She paid tribute to the outgoing vice-chairs, who she said had been “instrumental in providing the thought leadership necessary to ensure arbitration was attuned to the needs of its users”. The commission’s work on disability was featured at a panel session hosted by CMS in London International Disputes Week and won an Equal Representation in Arbitration award for its work. At the same time, its upcoming term promises ongoing work on anti-corruption, expedited arbitration proceedings, and other thought leadership projects.

The commission’s secretary, Hélène van Lith, said: “The new composition of the commission and its leadership for 2024-2027 is marked by increased corporate and regional engagement and reflects Melanie’s vision and perseverance, as well as the strength of ICC’s global network.”