Mariel is Secretary-General of Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre. She is an international commercial and investment arbitration specialist.

Prior to joining the HKIAC, Mariel was a Partner at CMS and Co-Head of the global CMS International Arbitration Group. She has over 15 years' experience acting as adviser and advocate in numerous international arbitrations. She has extensive experience in both common law and civil law disputes, including disputes involving Chinese parties, and has full professional fluency in German. She also sits regularly as arbitrator and has experience as arbitrator under the HKIAC, ICC, KCAB, and DIS Rules, and in ad hoc disputes. She is on the arbitrator panels of several institutions.

She is a past co-chair of the HK45 Committee, and a member of the WILHK Advisory Board. She is consistently ranked in both the regional and global editions of the leading legal directories.

Dmitry Kaysin is a partner with Dispute Resolution practice.

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.

Tim Robbins is an independent arbitrator and tribunal secretary with over a decade of experience in international commercial disputes. He has acted as arbitrator, tribunal secretary or counsel in over 40 international arbitrations, in addition to having administered over 200 arbitrations at the ICC International Court of Arbitration. Tim provides a wide breadth of experience, knowledge and perspective from his work with tribunals, in private practice and at arbitral institutions.

Based in Hong Kong, Tim sits as an arbitrator and tribunal secretary in matters seated across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America. He has worked on matters under the rules of many of the leading commercial arbitral institutions, including the ICC, SIAC, HKIAC, LCIA, KCAB, JCAA, DIFC-LCIA, SCC and ICDR. Prior to practicing independently, Tim was Chambers Director and Managing Counsel at Arbitration Chambers, where he worked on large international disputes with several of the world’s leading arbitrators.

YAN ZHANG is a partner of Sidley Austin’s Hong Kong office, and a member of the Firm’s Global Arbitration, Trade and Advocacy practice group. She is experienced in the resolution of Chinese-foreign business disputes and has advised clients in proceedings conducted under a number of institutional arbitration rules including those of the ICC, HKIAC and CIETAC. She also sits as arbitrator in commercial arbitration cases conducted in English and/or Mandarin Chinese.

Yan has been ranked in the 2023 edition of Chambers Greater China Region (Dispute Resolution: Arbitration (International Firms)) and Chambers Global, receiving praise from clients as someone who is “extraordinarily hard-working and clever and also an astute strategist” and “very well informed and knowledgeable in the field of arbitration, as well as being very personable." Yan is also described as “the driver of our case” who understands “the business initiatives and objectives in launching the arbitration.” In previous editions, clients described Yan as “a detailed person who leaves no stone unturned and is very strong in execution” and “one of Sidley Austin's most effective lawyers in its Hong Kong arbitration practice. Her knowledge of Chinese arbitration law and procedure is especially helpful.” (2022); “very confident, logical and well organized in her oral advocacy” with “good ability to think and respond on her feet” and “one of few truly bilingual counsel at partner level who can conduct advocacy fluently in the Chinese language” (2020); “very commercial”, “very responsive”, and “suggests sensible ways of solving disputes” (2019). Legal 500 Asia Pacific recommended Yan for being “extremely helpful and responsive”; “understands both the international and domestic PRC market” and is able to conduct advocacy in either English or Mandarin Chinese (2023). Yan is recognized as a “Next Generation Lawyer” in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2018 – International Arbitration. Yan has been shortlisted as an “Commercial Arbitration Lawyer of the Year” for IFLR’s Women in Business Law APAC Awards 2022.

Before joining Sidley’s dispute practice in Hong Kong, Yan practiced for about 10 years in New York, Shanghai and Hong Kong as a transactional lawyer, advising private equity funds and multinational companies in mergers and acquisitions, fund formation and other corporate matters. Yan’s diverse practice gives her a unique blend of skills that benefit her clients at all stages of the corporate lifecycle.

Yan is fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese.