Guled Yusuf appointed to ICC International Court of Arbitration and ICC Africa Commission

At the same time, Amsterdam-based partner, Marieke van Hooijdonk, completes her term as Member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration for the Netherlands.

Guled said: “It is a great honour to receive these appointments, in particular to serve as the first member for Somalia. The ICC Court plays an important role in resolving difficulties in international commercial and business disputes, to support international trade and investment, and I look forward to working with the world’s leading arbitration experts."

Mark Levy QC, Head of Allen & Overy’s Arbitration Practice, says: “Guled’s appointments are reflective of his outstanding talent as a practitioner, his well-deserved profile and standing in the market, and testament to the strength of our international arbitration practice. I’d like to congratulate him on this achievement and look forward to his continued success.”

Marieke said: “It has been a privilege to serve as an ICC Court Member for the last seven years. Although it is a sad moment to be leaving this role, I am delighted that Allen & Overy’s involvement with the ICC Court continues.”

The ICC International Court of Arbitration is composed of Members from more than 100 countries, who are appointed by the ICC World Council. The Court is charged with ensuring the application of the ICC’s Rules of Arbitration and with overseeing the ICC arbitration process. Pursuant to the Rules of Arbitration, the Court is the only body authorised to administer ICC arbitrations. The Court’s responsibilities include the confirmation of party-nominated arbitrators, the appointment of arbitrators, the scrutiny and approval of awards, and the fixing of tribunal fees.

The ICC Africa Commission was established in 2018, with the aim of coordinating the ICC’s outreach on the continent and augmenting the number of qualified and available African arbitrators to oversee the growing number of disputes arising from increased commercial activity in the region.

Guled advises on public international law, investment treaty arbitration and international commercial arbitration. He joined Allen & Overy in 2015 and was appointed Counsel in May 2020. He previously served as Chair of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre’s (SIAC) Africa Regional Committee and a member of each of: (i) the SIAC’s Users’ Council Executive Committee; and (ii) the Young SIAC Committee. In 2020, Guled was designated to the ICSID Panel of Conciliators by the Federal Republic of Somalia. He is a member of the Peer Review Board for each of the American Review of International Arbitration and the ICSID Review. 

Guled holds an Honours degree in Law with French Law from the University of Warwick (2008) and an LL.M. from Columbia University, New York (2014). He was admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2012 and was admitted to the bar of the State of New York in 2018.

Marieke has been a Member of the ICC Court since 2014. Marieke heads the Amsterdam Arbitration Practice and is recognised by the main legal directories as one of the top international arbitration specialists in the Netherlands. She has been a partner at Allen & Overy since 2003. Marieke specialises in international arbitration, with a particular focus on corporate and commercial disputes, such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, shareholder, trade and construction. She frequently sits as arbitrator and is also a deputy judge with the Court of Appeal in Arnhem-Leeuwarden. 

*For further information, please contact Neil Walker on +44 203 088 2129, or Michèle Zwarts on +31 20 674 1241