ICCA announces new Office Holders and Governing Board Members
ICCA is pleased to announce the election of a new Vice President and a new Treasurer, as well as the appointment of four new Governing Board Members who will take office on 1 April 2026.
Samaa Haridi has been elected ICCA Vice President to succeed current ICCA Vice President Abby Cohen Smutny, who has now reached the end of her two-year term, and Karl Hennessee will take over the role of ICCA Treasurer from Ms. Haridi, who has held the position for two years.
ICCA has also elected four new Governing Board Members: Alexander Fessas (Cyprus), Patricia Garcia (Brazil), Lara Hammoud (France/Lebanon), and Swee Yen Koh (Singapore). The new Members will take office on 1 April for an initial four-year term.
The new Board Members will replace John Beechey, Cavinder Bull, Carole Malinvaud, and Yoshimi Ohara, all of whom have now served two terms on the Board (the maximum permitted under ICCA’s Bylaws).
Speaking on the new appointments, ICCA President Dr. Stanimir Alexandrov said:
“ICCA is pleased to welcome our newly appointed Vice President and Treasurer, as well as several new members to the Governing Board. Their depth of experience and fresh perspectives will strengthen ICCA’s ongoing work and help advance its mission in an evolving international arbitration landscape. I would also like to express sincere thanks to the outgoing Governing Board Members for their dedicated service and the important contributions they have made to ICCA over the years.”
Current President-Elect Audley Sheppard stands poised to take over the ICCA Presidency from Stanimir Alexandrov at the close of the 27th ICCA Congress, ICCA 2026 Madrid.
Additionally, current Members Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Nayla Comair-Obeid, Eduardo Damião Gonçalves, James Hosking, Maxi Scherer, and Claus von Wobeser have been re-elected to the Governing Board for a second and final four-year term.
The election process for the ICCA Governing Board begins with nominations by Governing Board Members and the identification of a shortlist by ICCA’s Nominations and Membership Committee. This Committee comprises Mohamed Abdel Wahab (Chair), Olufunke Adekoya, Abby Cohen Smutny, Judith Gill, Meg Kinnear, Sylvia Noury, Guido Tawil, and Lise Bosman (ex officio). The candidates are then recommended to and approved by ICCA’s Executive Body. Thereafter, the candidates are elected by a two-thirds majority of the full ICCA Governing Board.
The new Governing Board Members will join the Governing and Advisory Board at the ICCA Congress in Madrid, taking place from 12–15 April 2026. ICCA 2026 Madrid is the 27th ICCA Congress and will explore the theme “International Arbitration: Local, Global or Both?”.
For more information and to register for the ICCA Congress, see: https://icca2026.es/.