ARBITRATION WORLD CAFÉ ORGANIZERS:
NIKOLAUS PITKOWITZ
ELISABETH VANAS-METZLER
MARLENE MAURER
Founding Partner | Pitkowitz & Partners | Austria
Vienna International Arbitral Centre | Austria
Associate | Pitkowitz & Partners | Austria
TABLE MODERATORS:
NAELE BERGMAN
UNCITRAL | Austria
Neale H. Bergman is a Senior Legal Officer in the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, International Trade Law Division (ITLD/OLA), which functions as the substantive secretariat for the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). He currently supports the work of UNCITRAL Working Groups III (ISDS Reform) and II (Dispute Settlement).
Prior to joining ITLD/OLA, Neale served as an Attorney-Adviser in the United States Department of State’s Office of the Legal Adviser. In that role, he advised on legislation and foreign assistance (2024-January 2025), economic and business affairs (2021-2024), management and diplomatic security (2019-2021), and international claims and investment disputes (2009-2014). With respect to the latter, he represented the United States in State-State and investor-State arbitrations. Neale also served at the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) as a Legal Officer (2014-2019).
Neale holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland (2009) and a Bachelor of Arts from Drexel University (2005).
VIKTORIA FRITZ
VIAC | Austria
Viktoria Simone Fritz joined the Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC) as Legal Counsel in 2025. During her legal studies, she developed a strong academic focus on international arbitration, civil procedure and corporate law.
Prior to joining VIAC, Viktoria gained experience in institutional arbitration during her internship at the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris, where she supported the German Case Management Team in administering arbitral proceedings. Her professional background further includes work as a law firm associate in arbitration and litigation, clerkships at Austrian courts, such as the Vienna Commercial Court, and comparative legal research at the Law Library of U.S. Congress.
Her mediation training at the London School of Mediation complements her legal work by enabling a pragmatic, balanced, and solution-oriented approach to dispute resolution.
CHRISTIAN GÖTZ
AlixPartners | Germany
Christian is an experienced quantum expert with more than 20 years of professional experience. He advised companies in all kinds of corporate transactions, disputes, litigation and other complex financial analyses.
In over 150 engagements Christian has utilized his analytical skills to quantify damages in international arbitrations, provide transaction advisory, and perform business and asset valuations across a broad spectrum of industries.
Christian has advised large multinational corporations and financial investors in M&A transactions and complex valuations. He was formerly a partner in the corporate finance practice of a large audit firm and headed its TMT industry group.
He has acted as an expert and advisor in matters involving energy, infrastructure, telecommunications, technology, manufacturing, and consumer-facing businesses, often addressing complex issues of causation, valuation, and loss quantification in high-stakes disputes.
He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (Charter holder).
MARLENA HARUTYUNYAN
Achipel | France
Marlena is Counsel at Archipel, Geneva, where she focuses her practice on international arbitration, cross-border litigation, and enforcement.
She principally represents and advises clients in both commercial and investment arbitration proceedings before major arbitral institutions, and also sits as arbitrator in international commercial arbitrations.
Marlena has significant experience handling complex, high-stakes disputes across a broad range of industry sectors, including construction, aviation, energy, oil and gas, and automotive. Her practice extends to the enforcement of arbitral awards and foreign court judgments, including against States. Prior to joining Archipel, Marlena practised international arbitration and litigation at the Paris and New York offices of Baker McKenzie.
She serves as VIAC Ambassador for Armenia and is a regular contributor to leading publications and a frequent speaker at international arbitration conferences. Marlena is admitted to the Paris and Geneva Bars and works in English, French, Russian, Armenian, and Ukrainian.
THOMAS HOFBAUER
FTI Consulting | Germany
Thomas Hofbauer is a Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting and serves as an expert witness in international construction and engineering disputes. As civil engineer with more than 25 years of experience, he acts as both delay and quantum expert in arbitration proceedings conducted in English and German.
Mr. Hofbauer has provided expert evidence under the rules of various arbitral institutions, including the ICC (Paris), VIAC (Vienna), and SCAI (Zurich), and has been appointed as expert in disputes across Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, and Latin America. His experience includes the assessment of delay, disruption, damages, quantum, contract risk, and claims arising from major infrastructure, rail, industrial, energy, IT, shipbuilding, defence, and building projects.
Mr. Hofbauer is recognised by Lexology Index as a Global Elite Thought Leader in construction and arbitration. Clients, counsel, and tribunals value his clear and well-supported analyses, practical approach, and experience on large-scale projects with values exceeding € 12 billion and disputed amounts of more than € 1 billion.
ANNA KOZMENKO
Curtis | Switzerland
PÉTER LAKATOS
Lakatos, Köves es Tarsai Ügyvedi Iroda | Hungary)
Péter Lakatos is Managing Partner of Lakatos, Köves and Partners (LKT), a leading independent Hungarian law firm. He is a seasoned disputes lawyer with more than three decades of experience in complex domestic and cross-border litigation, arbitration and regulatory matters. His practice has included major investment disputes, post-M&A litigation and disputes arising in highly regulated industries, particularly telecommunications and technology.
Before founding LKT, Péter was a partner of Clifford Chance from 1996 and served as Managing Partner of its Budapest office between 2006 and 2009. He has extensive experience advising international clients on complex commercial and regulatory matters and is recognised by leading international legal directories.
Péter is the Hungarian member of the International Advisory Board of the Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC). He is fluent in Hungarian and English.
CRENGUTA LEAUA
Professor Crenguta LEAUA teaches international arbitration and new technologies law at the Bucharest University of Economics. She is ranked a Thought Leader in Arbitration (Lexology), founder of the Leaua Damcali Deaconu Paunescu – LDDP, a GAR 100 law firm in Romania, and an arbitrator based in Switzerland. She is listed by arbitral institutions worldwide, including ICSID and EU list for arbitrators for free trade agreements, and is a member of SVAMC List of the World’s Leading Technology Neutrals – the Tech List®.
She is a Board Member of VIAC and the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Centre, a past vice-president of the International Court of Arbitration ICC Paris, and currently a director of The Swiss Institute for Alternative Thinking, which focuses on interdisciplinary problem-solving in the era of new technologies.
EKATERINA LOHWASSER
FTI Consulting | Germany
Dr Ekaterina Lohwasser is a Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting, based in Munich. Dr Lohwasser is regularly appointed as an expert to assess damages and complex valuation issues, especially in international disputes. She usually works on assessment of high-profile damages in cases involving breach of contracts, termination of contracts, post M&A disputes and investment treaty claims. Dr Lohwasser is a co-founder of the FTI DACH Arbitration Group.
She has acted as an expert in international arbitration proceedings under various institutional rules (including ICC, LCIA, SCC, DIS and ICSID Rules), the UNCITRAL Rules as well as ad hoc arbitration. She has testified on multiple occasions in the arbitration proceedings as well as in the court proceedings. Dr Lohwasser has over 25 years of experience in valuation, financial and accounting analysis in various contexts, and transaction advisory across a wide range of industries. She has published numerous articles on financial aspects of commercial and post M&A-disputes and valuation matters. Dr Lohwasser is recognised as Global Elite Thought Leader among the expert witnesses in arbitration worldwide by Lexology.
PATRICIA NACIMIENTO
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer| Germany
UCHEORA ONWUAMAEGBU
Arent Fox Schiff | US
Dr. Ucheora Onwuamaegbu is an international arbitrator who has served as presiding arbitrator, sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator, or tribunal secretary/administrator in more than 80 international disputes across industry sectors like agriculture, banking and finance, construction, employment, energy and natural resources, financial services, hospitality, manufacturing, sports and e-sports, e-commerce, technology, telecommunications, tourism, and transportation.
His experience includes commercial, investment, and sports arbitration proceedings administered under the rules of leading arbitral institutions, including AAA-ICDR, ICSID, ICC, CAS, DIAC, and PCA. Uche was previously Senior Counsel ICSID and, before that, with the United Nations Compensation Commission in Geneva. He is an independent member of the International Advisory Panel for the State of Kuwait's multi-billion-dollar post-Gulf War environmental remediation program and the current President of the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center (SVAMC).
PAWEL PIETKIEWICZ
Greenberg Traurig | Poland
Paweł Pietkiewicz is the Head of the Litigation and Arbitration Practice at the Greenberg Traurig Warsaw Office. He advises domestic and international clients across a wide range of litigation and arbitration cases. Paweł has extensive experience as an arbitrator in proceedings conducted on the basis of the rules of Court of Arbitration at the Polish Chamber of Commerce in Warsaw, the Lewiatan Court of Arbitration, and the Court of Arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris.
Paweł has been involved in a number of group actions representing banks, insurers, developers and other firms. Paweł also has extensive experience in product liability cases.
Paweł is a member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Polish Arbitration Committee, and the ICC Task Force on Decisions as to Costs. He was also the Chairman of the Appointing Committee of the Lewiatan Court of Arbitration and is entered on the list of arbitrators of that court.
ANA STANIC
E&A Law, UK | Slovenia
Ana Stanič, the founder of E&A Law, is an English Solicitor Advocate, Irish solicitor and Foreign Regulated Lawyer in Slovenia, with over 30 years of experience in international dispute resolution, energy and environmental law, EU law and PIL. She regularly acts as counsel and sits as arbitrator in complex commercial, energy and investment treaty disputes as well as inter-State disputes. Ana also advises states, international institutions and energy companies in respect of large energy projects including nuclear and gas.
Ana has been a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague since 2019 and was appointed by the European Commission in 2022 as an arbitrator and sustainability expert in respect of EU's trade and investment agreements with third countries. She has taught energy, international arbitration and PIL at leading Universities around the world for over 20 years including at Dundee University, Technische Universität Berlin and UIBE in China. She was ranked by Chambers & Partners 4th best UK Power and Renewables Lawyer in 2026 and in top 11 UK Oil and Gas Lawyers in 2023, as well as a Leading UK PIL Practioner by Legal 500 for many years.
OLIVIER STÉPHAN
Nivalion | Switzerland
Olivier Stéphan is an Investment Consultant at third-party funder Nivalion, where he focuses on the financing of litigation and arbitration proceedings in Europe and beyond. Prior to joining Nivalion, Olivier worked for several years as an associate in the international arbitration and dispute resolution practice of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP in London, where he gained extensive experience in commercial and investment arbitration proceedings, primarily as counsel but also as tribunal secretary.
He is admitted to the Paris Bar, holds a Master’s degree in economic law from Sciences Po Law School, as well as a double Bachelor’s degree in law, economics and political sciences from Sciences Po Paris and the Freie Universität Berlin. Olivier also has experience working in the international arbitration departments of various law firms in France, Mexico, Brazil and Germany. He speaks English, French, German and Spanish.
CAROLINE STROHMEIER
Pitkowitz & Partners | Austria
Caroline Strohmeier is an associate in the dispute resolution team at Pitkowitz & Partners, where she works in international arbitration and litigation.
Before joining Pitkowitz & Partners, Caroline worked as a research assistant at the Institute for Civil and Civil Procedure Law as well as the Institute for Corporate Law at Vienna University of Economics and Business.
Caroline holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business law, as well as a bachelor’s degree in business administration, from Vienna University of Economics and Business and studied at ESADE Law School in Barcelona during her master’s degree.
During her master’s studies, Caroline participated in the 28th Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court. Since 2021, she has been coaching the WU Vienna Vis Moot Team.
JINGZHOU TAO
Arbitration Chambers | China
Jingzhou Tao is an independent arbitrator and Avocat à la Cour de Paris. Mr. Tao is a Member of the Expert Committee of China International Commercial Court (CICC), a Member of the Advisory Committee of CIETAC, a Member of the International Advisory Board of HKIAC, the Board of Directors of the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA), Adjunct Professor of Georgetown University Law Center and Special-invited Professor of Tsinghua University School of Law.
Over the past decades, Mr. Tao has acted as arbitrator or presiding arbitrator in about 300 cases administered by ICC, LCIA, SIAC and HKIAC, and CIETAC etc. He published several books on mergers and acquisition and international arbitration in English, French and Chinese. He obtained LLB from Peking University in 1982 and DEA from l’Université de Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne) in 1994.
TOBIAS VOLLMER
Raedas | UK
Tobias Vollmer is a Partner at Raedas providing investigative support in international litigation and arbitration across the East Asia, CIS, MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa, North America and offshore jurisdictions. His evidence has been submitted in proceedings before the High Court of England and Wales, US federal courts, European courts and tribunals under ICSID, LCIA, ICC rules and in support of proceedings administered by the PCA and various regional institutions, including worldwide freezing orders, Norwich Pharmacal and section 1782 applications, and civil fraud proceedings.
He also regularly advises on the enforcement of arbitral awards and judgments against individuals, corporates, state-owned entities and sovereign states. Tobias co-heads Raedas’s sanctions advisory and CEE practice.
TEODORA VUJOSEVIC
CMS | Montenegro
Teodora Vujošević is an attorney-at-law at CMS Belgrade, where she advises international clients on real estate, energy, and infrastructure projects across Serbia and Montenegro. Her practice focuses on supporting international investors in the structuring, acquisition, and development of complex projects, as well as advising on related contractual, regulatory, and commercial matters.
She also has experience advising on international arbitration and dispute resolution matters arising from complex commercial relationships. Since 2025, Teodora has served as the VIAC Community Ambassador for Montenegro within the VIAC Community Ambassador Network (VIAC CAN), promoting international arbitration and VIAC’s activities in Montenegro while fostering connections within the broader arbitration community. Her professional work is complemented by an ongoing academic interest in international arbitration and dispute resolution.
YOANA YOVNOVA
Tomov & Tomov | Bulgaria
Yoana Yovnova earned her undergraduate law degree from King’s College London and completed a Master’s degree in law at University College London. Following her studies in the UK, she obtained a law diploma from Sofia University St. Kliment of Ohrid and qualified as a member of the Bulgarian Bar Association.
For over a decade, she has been part of the Bulgarian law firm Tomov & Tomov, where she has practiced exclusively in the field of investment and commercial arbitration. Her experience includes acting as counsel in multiple ICSID proceedings relating to the banking, construction, and energy sectors. In December 2025, she became the VIAC Ambassador for Bulgaria.
