Brandon Malone is a barrister, solicitor advocate, arbitrator and adjudicator with over 25 years experience in international dispute resolution. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb), an Honorary Lecturer at the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy at the University of Dundee and, in 2013, was elected an eminent Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Brandon was also a driving force behind the establishment of the Scottish Arbitration Centre and is currently Chairman of the Centre’s Board. He is also Co-Director of the International Centre for Energy Arbitration.

For the last five years, Brandon has directed ILS’s Annual Conference on Energy Arbitration and Dispute Resolution in the Middle East and Africa, shaping the conference series to become the only regular industry event focusing dispute resolution in the geographical region of the Middle East and Africa, as well as one that has consistently attracted the participation of energy lawyers, academics, economists, industry figures and diplomats from around the world.

Michael is a Middle East specialist and is well-known in business circles both in the UK and abroad. Originally working for the Kuwait Shipping Company in the 1970s, Michael has handled many of the major projects working not only with Arab Governments and private sector consignees but also international suppliers and contractors from all over the world. On returning to the UK, Michael joined the Committee for Middle East Trade as a Director, and then Director General of the Middle East Association, representing 70% of all UK businesses working with the Middle East, alongside his role as the British Government’s advisor on trade with other areas in the Middle East. During these roles, Michael led numerous UK trade missions to the Middle East and large-scale conferences in several GCC countries on banking, trade and investment.

Michael is leading ILS’s growing work on issues associated with Middle East trade and investment, as well as its engagement with key stakeholders and partner institutions across the region.

Hind Al Aissi is an international arbitration and public international law lawyer admitted to the New York and Paris Bars.She works seamlessly in Arabic, French, English, and Spanish, advising on cross-border disputes and complex matters at the intersection of law, diplomacy, and international economic relations.

Her practice spans international arbitration, public international law, business & human rights and sanctions and compliance.She frequently works on issues involving territorial integrity, state succession, and border delimitation, as well as investment and commercial disputes — particularly in the construction, energy, and mining sectors — under both institutional and ad hoc rules.

She holds law degrees from Columbia Law School, Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas, and Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, in addition to her dual training in finance and economy with a degree from EMLyon Business School. At Columbia Law School, she was a Jim Hurlock Scholar, served as an Editor of the American Review of International Arbitration, worked as a Research Assistant to Professor George A. Bermann, and contributed to African casework at the Columbia Center for Sustainable Investment.

Alongside her practice, she is actively involved in speaking engagements, teaching, and publications, with a particular regional focus on Africa and the Middle East.