Chair of the UAE Branch for the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)

Leonora Riesenburg is an International Arbitrator and Commercial Mediator, registered with arbitral institutions worldwide including AIAC, CRCICA, DIAC, DIFC-LCIA, EMAC, ICC and LCIA, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), the presiding Chair of the UAE Branch of the CIArb and an Independent Member of Board of Management of the CIArb. Dual qualified from the UK as a barrister and a solicitor, Ms. Riesenburg has been in the MENA region since 2007.

She is invested in the advancement of private dispute resolution in all of its forms; including through strategic collaborations, and education and training initiatives. Recognised as a leading female figurehead, Ms. Riesenburg’s professional contributions are marked by many prestigious awards and honorary roles. She is celebrated as ‘Outstanding Woman of the Year’ amongst the international arbitrators and engineering experts community in the UAE (IAEE UAE 2019), ‘Most Influential Woman in ADR in the Middle East’ by Acquisition International Legal Awards 2019, ‘Mediator of the Year in the UAE’ by Acquisition International Dispute Resolution Awards 2018, ‘Arbitrator of the Year in the UAE’ by Acquisition International Dispute Resolution Awards 2017.