Enforcement and annulment of arbitral awards: Perspectives from commercial and investment arbitration

The webinar will engage with and explore enforcement and annulment of arbitral awards in commercial an investment arbitration. 

It is structured into three segments to facilitate discussion on the topic. The first segment will feature two 20-minute presentations by Raoul Yao and Mark Wasunna.

• Raoul’s presentation is titled: ‘Enforcement and Setting Aside of Arbitral Awards Tainted by Illegality: A Perspective from French Courts.
• Mark’s presentation is titled: ‘Kenya’s Public Policy Through the Lens of its National Courts.’

Following their presentations, there will be a 10-minute interactive session, allowing attendees to engage directly with the speakers, pose questions and discuss issues raised.

The second segment will transition into a moderated dialogue involving four additional academics and practitioners, namely, Dr Alexandre Malan, Mamadou Gacko, Professor Steven Finizio and Hussein Haeri KC. In this session, Raoul and Mark will each pose two questions to the academics, fostering a dynamic exchange of ideas. This segment will last for 30 minutes.

In the final segment, the discussion will be expanded to include active participation from the webinar attendees. This open dialogue aims to create a collaborative platform where participants can contribute to the conversation, enriching the discussion with diverse perspectives.

This format is intended to promote meaningful engagement, provide comprehensive coverage of the topic, and encourage an interactive exchange of knowledge between speakers, academics, practitioners and attendees.

Event timetable

About the speakers

Dr Alexandar Malan - Attorney at the Paris Bar, Doctor of International law, Alexandre Malan practices in Paris as a lawyer in consulting as well as in litigation and international arbitration, after several years of experience in well-known law firms (Ernst & Young, Lyon-Caen, Fabiani, Thiriez). Alexandre specializes in litigation and arbitration, distribution law, banking law, insurance and industrial risk. 

He also advises clients in their international contracts and patrimonial issues. He gives lectures in International business litigation and arbitration at the University Paris XII and is the author of books and many articles on International law, distribution and insurance law. Alexandre Malan is the Chair of the Paris Chapter of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb). He speaks and works in four languages: French, English, Spanish and Russian

Mamadou Gacko - Mamadou Gacko is a Senior Associate at DLA Piper Law firm, in the Paris office. Mamadou has over 10 years’ experience representing and advising States, international organizations and private entities in international arbitrations organized under the ICC or UNCITRAL arbitration rules. Mamadou has represented clients in a wide variety of sectors, including construction and engineering, energy and mineral resources, and government contracting. 

Mamadou also represents clients before French and OHADA State courts in proceedings ancillary to arbitration, including in relation to the recognition and enforcement or the setting aside of arbitral awards. He has also acted as an arbitrator in private commercial disputes.

Mamadou regularly speaks and writes on international arbitration topics and formerly lectured on Private International Law and French Law on International Arbitration at Pantheon-Sorbonne University.

Professor Steven Finizio - Steven Finizio's practice focuses on international dispute resolution. Professor Finizio also serves as an arbitrator. He has particular experience with energy, financial services, shareholder, joint venture and M&A, and manufacturing issues. He has advised clients regarding disputes under the rules of most of the well-recognized international arbitration institutions and governed by the laws of jurisdictions in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the US, as well as under bilateral and regional investment treaties. 

His pro bono work has included assisting a Central European government to draft new arbitration legislation and he was part of a team that won a landmark decision in the first freedom of expression case in the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Issa Loha Konaté v Burkina Faso. Professor Finizio holds the position of Deputy Director at the SOAS Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Centre (SADRC).

Hussein Haeri KC - Hussein is a Partner at Withers LLP in London, Head of Public International Law and Co-Head of International Arbitration at the firm. He is also Co-Head of the firm's Middle East and North Africa Special Interest Group. Hussein has extensive experience of working on international legal and dispute resolution matters in London, Paris, New York and South Africa for almost 20 years. He has worked as counsel and advocate on arbitrations under all the major rules, including ICSID, UNCITRAL, LCIA, ICC, SCC and SIAC Rules, as well as in ad hoc arbitrations. In 2024, Hussein was appointed King's Counsel (the only Solicitor-Advocate to take Silk in that year). 

He is also a Solicitor-Advocate of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (BVI). In addition to his work as counsel, Hussein also sits as an arbitrator. Hussein is a Fellow at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law (University of Cambridge). He is a Senior Fellow on International Investment Law at SOAS, University of London, and a Member of the Management Committee of the SOAS Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Centre (SADRC). He is also a Member of the Faculty at the University of Rome, Roma Tre University, Certificate Course in International Commercial and Investment Arbitration.

Raoul Yao - Raoul is a 4th year PhD Student from the University of Bordeaux in France. His research focuses on the prospective response provided by international investment law to the issue of an investment tainted by illicitness, i.e. corruption, fraud, and money laundering. 

Raoul is an alumnus of the Arbitration Academy of Paris and also a member and visiting research fellow of the SOAS Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Centre (SADRC).

Mark Wasunna - Mark is a PhD Candidate at SOAS, University of London, currently in his fourth academic year. His research examines the attitude of Kenyan courts to the enforcement and annulment of arbitral awards. Mark is a member of the SOAS Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Centre (SADRC) and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. 

He also serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at SOAS, where he contributes to teaching and supporting courses on Commercial Law in a Global Context, Consumer Law and Contract Law.