April 10, 2025 – Dr. Ismail Selim, Director of the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA), was a distinguished speaker at the recent Rising Arbitrators Initiative (RAI) event, “From Profile to Practice: How Rising Arbitrators Gain Visibility and Appointments,” held in Paris during Paris Arbitration Week. The event, organized by the Rising Arbitrators Initiative, a network dedicated to supporting emerging arbitration practitioners, took place on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at the offices of Quinn Emanuel in Paris.
The session brought together leading voices in the international arbitration community to address crucial aspects of career development for rising arbitrators. Dr. Selim contributed valuable insights into perspectives of CRCICA practice in appointing arbitrators.
The program featured a keynote address by Ms. Athina Fouchard Papaefstratiou, who shared her expertise on building a strong personal brand as an arbitrator. Following the keynote, a panel discussion focused on how institutions identify and appoint arbitrators, and how emerging practitioners can effectively promote their profiles.
Dr. Ismail Selim represented CRCICA on this esteemed panel, alongside representatives from other prominent international arbitral institutions:
* Ms. Joanne Lau (Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre – HKIAC)
* Mr. Rodrigo Garcia da Fonseca
* Ms. Wing Shek (London Court of International Arbitration – LCIA)
* Mr. Nicolás Galvez (International Chamber of Commerce – ICC)
During the panel discussion, Dr. Selim provided a comprehensive overview of CRCICA’s transparent and flexible approach to arbitrator appointments. He highlighted CRCICA’s commitment to party autonomy, the role of its diverse List of Arbitrators, and the Centre’s rigorous internal verification processes. Dr. Selim also elaborated on how potential candidates can be considered for appointment, the criteria for inclusion in CRCICA’s List of Arbitrators, and the Centre’s consideration of specific areas of expertise, such as Capital Market – Securities Disputes. Furthermore, he shed light on CRCICA’s other ADR services, including Emergency Arbitrator, Mediation, and Dispute Boards, which offer additional avenues for rising arbitrators to gain experience.
The event also saw the launch of the RAI Arbitrator Tool (RAT), a new resource aimed at providing RAI members with valuable information on the arbitrator application processes of participating institutions, including CRCICA.
Dr. Selim’s participation underscores CRCICA’s ongoing commitment to fostering the growth of the next generation of arbitration professionals and its active engagement within the global arbitration community.
