ARBITRATION WORLD CAFÉ MODERATORS:
LISA BERGER
Senior Attorney | Gorrissen Federspiel | Copenhagen
Lisa is a senior attorney at Gorrissen Federspiel based in Copenhagen where she specializes in international commercial arbitration. Lisa advises and represents Danish and foreign clients in complex post M&A, shareholder and project disputes in various industry sectors, including financial services, semiconductor, and life sciences. Lisa frequently serves as tribunal secretary in arbitrations under various procedural rules, most recently under the SCC, ICC and UNCITRAL Rules. Lisa holds a master’s degree in law from University of Vienna, an LLM from Columbia University and is admitted to practice in New York. Lisa expects to be admitted as Danish attorney this year.
VILIUS BERNATONIS
Managing Partner | TGS Baltic | Vilnius
FCIArb Vilius Bernatonis is a Managing Partner at TGS Baltic, Chair of the Baltic Board, holding more than 25 years of practice providing legal services in the areas of banking and finance, energy, international judicial dispute, corporate and commercial law. The most authoritative and reputed international legal directories, such as The European Legal 500 and Chambers Global, highly rank Vilius in banking and finance, energy, international dispute resolution, corporate, and commercial law. Vilius provides consultations to companies of strategic importance, and frequently acts as an arbitrator, also as a representative of parties in domestic and international arbitration proceedings and is known for rendering exceptional legal services in major energy and infrastructure projects.
BARBARA CONCOLINO
Partner | BonelliErede | Milan
Barbara is a partner in the International Arbitration Department of BonelliErede. She has extensive experience in inter-state arbitration and international commercial arbi-tration. She regularly assists clients in disputes concerning M&A and post-M&A dis-putes, construction projects, commercial contracts and the gas industry.
Before joining BonelliErede, Barbara worked for several years as a Legal Adviser at the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague.
Barbara is a member of the SCC Arbitrators’ Council 2025-2026 and a faculty mem-ber of the Delos’s advanced oral advocacy training programme in international arbi-tration.
She is ranked in Chambers, Global Guide 2025 for Arbitration and has been recog-nized in the Lexology Index in the Arbitration categories “Thought Leader – Global Elite”, “Future Leader” and “Italy”.
Barbara is fluent in Italian, English and Spanish. She graduated from the “Roma Tre” University and has a PhD in International and European Law from the University of Teramo.
BORNA DEJANOVIĆ
Attorney-at-Law | Wolf Theiss | Zagreb
Borna Dejanović specialises in arbitration and litigation, regularly serving as lead and co-counsel in high-profile commercial, construction, and investment arbitration proceedings. He has a strong track record of successfully assisting clients with the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards. In addition to his arbitration practice, Borna is a trusted strategist for clients in cross-border commercial disputes, handling complex court litigation, enforcement, and bankruptcy matters. His expertise also includes sophisticated administrative disputes and intricate white-collar crime cases. Beyond the courtroom, Borna has gained extensive experience in diverse commercial, regulatory, and administrative challenges, including transactions and large-scale projects. This broad expertise enables him to navigate complex disputes with a sharp, multidisciplinary perspective.
EGISHE DZHAZOYAN
Partner | King & Spalding | London
Egishe Dzhazoyan is a partner in King & Spalding’s London office and specializes in international arbitration and litigation. As a dual qualified (England & Wales and Russia) lawyer with both civil and common law background, Egishe is uniquely placed to provide strategic legal advice concerning large and complex disputes, often involving a cross-border element and enforcement issues. Egishe also serves as an arbitrator. As an arbitrator, he has particular experience with disputes involving sanctions issues.
COURTNEY LOTFI
Lecturer | Humboldt University Berlin | Berlin
Courtney Lotfi has practiced international arbitration for nearly 20 years and acts as arbitrator and counsel in disputes spanning a variety of industries and sectors including energy, construction, industrial engineering, life sciences, automotive, aviation, and technology. She also has significant experience in corporate matters, and handling post-M&A, shareholder and joint venture disputes.
Courtney strives to contribute to the development of the field and lectures at universities and publishes frequently. Her recent book, International Arbitration in Practice, brings together over 115 practitioners worldwide to delve into the intricacies of international practice.
PETER MACHHERNDL
Partner | Pitkowitz & Partners | Vienna
Peter Machherndl is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution Team of Pitkowitz & Partners.
His practice focuses on national and international dispute resolution before state courts and in arbitration proceedings. In particular, he has extensive experience in the assertion or defence of claims in investment cases, representing stakeholders in corporate disputes and companies from the banking and financial sector, the automotive industry, and the IT and retail sectors. In doing so, he looks back on many years of experience in the successful and efficient handling of mass and class actions and is an expert in the field of (national and international) collective redress.
A further special focus lies on advising on the market launch and offering of new technologies (from the use of artificial intelligence to new payment services and automation solutions, e.g., in the automotive sector). He also regularly advises on insolvency cases, with his spectrum ranging from insolvency-proof contract drafting (e.g., in international cash pooling structures) to representation in insolvency proceedings.
Peter Machherndl studied law at the University of Vienna. He regularly publishes and lectures in the fields of arbitration and civil (procedural) law, consumer protection law and insolvency law.
TAMARA MANASIJEVIC
Counsel and Arbitrator | ARP | Vienna
Tamara Manasijevic acts as arbitrator and counsel in domestic and international commercial arbitration. She is admitted to the Croatian and Austrian Bar.
Tamara has participated in over 30 arbitration proceedings in various roles, including as counsel, arbitrator, and tribunal secretary, under different rules such as ICC, VIAC, UNCITRAL, SCC, and the Zagreb Rules. Her experience spans construction and engineering disputes (notably under the FIDIC Books), energy disputes (including oil, gas, electricity, and the liberalisation of the European energy market), sanctions, M&A and corporate disputes, joint ventures, and a range of commercial agreements, across nearly 20 legal systems.
Tamara holds a law degree from the University of Rijeka and an LL.M. from the University of Vienna.
She is a founding member and a current Board member of Arbitration Association of Central and Eastern Europe (ArbCEE).
PATRICIA NACIMIENTO
Partner | Herbert Smith Freehills | Frankfurt am Main
Patricia Nacimiento, Dr. iur., leads the German dispute resolution team and the EMEA international arbitration team of Herbert Smith Freehills. She specializes in Public International Law and investment disputes, with over 25 years of experience. She has extensive experience both as counsel under the rules of numerous arbitration institutions – including ICC, ICSID, SCC, CIETAC, DIS, LCIA, ICDR, Swiss Chamber of Commerce, Indian Council of Arbitration, and the Danish Institution of Arbitration as well as ad hoc proceedings. Patricia has been appointed by the German government to the ICSID list of arbitrators since 2007. She has also vast experience in arbitration related court proceedings and leads multi-national teams in enforcing or defending against enforcement of international awards.
Patricia is a native German speaker and is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Italian. She teaches investment disputes at the Universities of Berlin, Heidelberg and Saarland, and excels as an editor of a leading commentary on Arbitration in Germany and on the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. For years, Patricia has been listed as a leading disputes expert in renowned rankings and directories globally.
PETRA PATAKI
Counsel | Queritius | Budapest
Petra Pataki is Counsel at Queritius, specializing in complex international and domestic disputes and litigation involving significant cross-border elements. With over a decade of experience at leading global law firms, Petra provides strategic counsel in arbitration and litigation. She regularly represents clients before prestigious institutions including the ICC, VIAC, MKIK, and in ad hoc arbitrations under UNCITRAL rules. Petra’s litigation experience covers commercial, regulatory, and employment law cases at all levels of the Hungarian courts. Petra has successfully handled disputes across transportation, manufacturing, retail, IT, and energy sectors, focusing on diverse commercial and construction contracts. She proactively advises clients throughout settlement negotiations and mediation as well. Completing degrees in Behavioural Science (BA) and Law & Psychology (LLM), Petra applies psychological insights to enhance witness examination and address cognitive biases in judicial processes. She is also a member of the European Association of Psychology and Law.
CAMILLA PERRERA-DE WIT
Arbitrator - Independent Practitioner | Zurich
Camilla is a board member, executive and lawyer with 20+ years of experience in working in high demanding international environments. She is the immediate past Secretary General of the Netherlands Arbitration Institute (2024). In that role, she is hailed as a successful and dynamic executive with a proven track record of fostering financial growth and navigating successfully major global crises. Under Camilla’s leadership, the Netherlands Arbitration Institute’s caseload grew in terms of amount in dispute from EUR 1.9 billion in 2020 to EUR 4 billion in 2023. During this time, the NAI was the recipient of multiple business award nominations. Camilla led the revision of the NAI arbitration rules (2024 NAI arbitration rules) and she launched a comprehensive diversity & inclusion program, positively impacting the appointments of young and female arbitrators up to a record 54%.
Camilla has private practice experience (the Netherlands and New York) in M&A and global corporate restructurings for high profile multinational and multibillion entities. She is the co-founder of multiple specialist arbitration courts, and worked as a Legal Counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Peace Palace, The Hague.
FLORIAN WAGNER
Counsel | Gleiss Lutz | Frankfurt am Main
Florian is a Dispute Resolution counsel at Gleiss Lutz, based in Frankfurt, Germany. He focuses on financial litigation and arbitration, such as disputes related to M&A transactions or joint venture disputes. He also has experience in handling complex mass damages cases and in disputes at the interface of antitrust as well as insolvency law. He particularly enjoys advising in cross-border cases and works as arbitrator as well.
Florian is a member of the German Arbitration Institute (DIS) as well as the Initiative of Young Arbitration Lawyers (DIS 40) and the German-American Lawyers' Association (DAJV). He also co-founded the Frankfurt Disputes Circle, a networking and event series for the Frankfurt disputes community. In one of Germany’s leading rankings, he is described as „thorough, very smart and pleasant”.
Florian holds a doctoral degree from the University of Giessen (summa cum laude).
ANNA WEINZIERL
Junior Associate | PARAGON Advocacy | Vienna
Anna Weinzierl is a junior associate at PARAGON Advocacy. She focuses her practice on the resolution of domestic and international disputes, specializing in commercial arbitration and litigation matters. She has represented clients and has acted as tribunal secretary in matters governed by various substantive and procedural laws and conducted under various institutional rules.
Anna Weinzierl is a member of several international arbitration associations, such as the Young Austrian Arbitration Practitioners and the Willem C. Vis Moot Alumni Association. She co-authored and contributed to several articles and publications on different topics relating to commercial arbitration and litigation.
Anna Weinzierl studied law at the University of Vienna.
FURTHER ARBITRATION WORLD CAFÉ MODERATORS:
JAMES H. BOYKIN | Partner | Hughes Hubbard & Reeds | Arlington
SHANE DALY | Counsel | Bredin Prat | Paris
...
ARBITRATION WORLD CAFÉ ORGANIZER:
NIKOLAUS PITKOWITZ
Founding Partner | Pitkowitz & Partners | Vienna
Dr. Nikolaus Pitkowitz is founding partner of Pitkowitz & Partners and head of the Dispute Resolution team, as well as President of the Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC). Recognized as one of Austria’s leading arbitration practitioners, he has served as counsel and arbitrator in over 130 international arbitrations, including high-stakes disputes across Europe, the U.S., and Asia. He also advises in complex litigation, and cases before the European Court of Justice. Dr. Pitkowitz has a broad sector experience—spanning energy, automotive, telecom, art, post-M&A, real estate, and construction. Dr. Pitkowitz is author of over 50 publications, editor of the Handbook on Third Party Funding in International Arbitration (2nd ed. 2025) and co-editor of the Austrian Yearbook on International Arbitration (since 2007). He also co-chairs the ILA Committee on Conflict-of-Laws Issues in International Arbitration. Pitkowitz & Partners is ranked among the world’s top arbitration firms by GAR 100.