• 2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. AST – Registration and networking
• 2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. AST – Panel and Q&A
• 3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. AST – Closing remarks

Informed by the latest developments, the panel will consider the legal, institutional and business reasons for the shift, as well as what the future of arbitration may hold for the Kingdom, including:

• The historical economic framework in which litigation was the primary means of resolving disputes in the Kingdom and recent trends towards arbitration
• The importance of legal developments, government-led institutional changes, improvements to the enforcement of arbitral awards, and changing business needs, in the shift from litigation to arbitration
• The impact of arbitration on the Saudi economy including the influence of foreign investment as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030
• Continuing challenges and opportunities in Saudi arbitration including the perceived influence of Sharia law on legal predictability, and the need for increased technical expertise in both local and international arbitration standards
• Best practices to integrate international arbitration in the Kingdom’s future economy and developing the dispute resolution industry to support economic growth and international investment

Speakers

Our esteemed panel of speakers will include the following and more. 

• Sachin Kerur, Head of Middle East Region, Reed Smith
• Antonia Birt, Partner, Reed Smith
• Obaid Kazmi, Managing Director, Expert Services, Kroll
• Emad Zahrani, Co-Managing Partner, The Law Firm of Hassan Mahassni
• Mahmoud Totonji, Managing Director, Saudi Arabia, Kroll
• Ahmad Alashri, Vice President – Contracts & Claims, BFIM