SIMC Celebrates Newly Empanelled India Specialist Mediators After Successful Training Workshop and Outreach Engagements in Hyderabad
SIMC traveled to India after a gap of almost four years to reconnect with their Indian partners after the COVID lockdown. The trip to India in April 2023 was filled with an exciting lineup of events and engagements with old and new collaborations. We connected with our long-time allies CAMP in Bengaluru, held our India Specialist Mediators Workshop in Hyderabad and had an engagement session with Khaitan & Co. in Mumbai.
CAMP Arbitration & Mediation Practice (12 April)
We were delighted to meet Ms. Laila Ollapally, Founder at CAMP Bengaluru, and her team. It was encouraging to see CAMP’s efforts in the growth of mediation in India.
SIMC Specialist Mediators Workshop (14-15 April)
We conducted our Specialist Mediators Workshop, with support from IAMC Hyderabad at their premises. The Workshop was led by Loong Seng Onn, SIMC International Mediator, George Lim SC, SIMC Chairman, Chuan Wee Meng, SIMC CEO, and Gregory Vijayendran SC, SIMC Specialist Mediator and Board Member. We were honored to have the presence of Hon’ble Ms. Justice Hima Kohli, Judge, Supreme Court of India during the inauguration of the Workshop.
We were delighted to have a conscientiously selected group of 20 experienced legal and business professionals from different regions of India went through a customized, rigorous, and intensive 2-day workshop organized at IAMC, Hyderabad on April 14th & 15th, 2023.
With the guidance and direction of Loong Seng Onn, George Lim SC, Chuan Wee Meng, and Gregory Vijayendran SC, participants were equipped with an appreciation of different dispute resolution paradigms to acquire the ability and understanding of the fundamental building blocks of interest-based dispute resolution.
The participants appreciated the 2-day workshop, and we are grateful for one of the participants – Krishna Grandhi, Senior Advocate, Telangana High Court, who commented that “I’ve learnt to appreciate the real issues behind disputes and to approach issues with empathy, patience, and cultural appreciation.”
The newly trained mediators were empanelled during IAMC’s inaugural India Mediation Day, in the presence of Justice L. Nageshwar Rao and Justice R. V. Raveendran, on May 16th, 2023. The empanelment brings the total number of SIMC’s Specialist Mediators to 261. Together, they represent a diverse group of senior professionals comprising 12 nationalities and expertise spanning over 17 different industry sectors across seven jurisdictions.
IAMC India Mediation Day (16 April)
IAMC celebrated their inaugural India Mediation Day in Hyderabad. SIMC Chairman, George Lim SC, was honored to share the stage and inaugurate the event with Hon’ble Mr. Justice NV Ramana, Former Chief Justice of India, Hon’ble Ms. Justice Hima Kohli, Judge, Supreme Court of India, Hon’ble Mr. Justice (Retd.) L. Nageswara Rao, and Hon’ble Mr. Justice (Retd.) R. V. Raveendran.
The event included skillfully curated panel discussions and IAMC’s Annual Lecture. George Lim SC, Chuan Wee Meng, and Gregory Vijayendran SC, were invited for an enlightening panel discussion about the relevance of mediation in cross-border disputes, moderated by Ms. Ekta Bahl, Partner at Samvad Partners and SIMC’s Specialist Mediator. George also shared his insights on recent developments in mediation during the Annual Lecture – the capstone segment of the India Mediation Day.
The event concluded with the empanelment ceremony of our newly appointed India Specialist Mediators. There was no better platform than the IAMC Mediation Day to celebrate the beginning of their journey as mediators.
Khaitan & Co (17 April)
Our last leg of the India trip was in Mumbai where we engaged with Khaitan & Co., one of India’s oldest and largest full-service law firms. We had an insightful hybrid session with 30 lawyers who attended the event in-person and 160 joined online from Khaitan offices all across India, including their Partners, Principal Associates and Associates. The session was moderated by Raj Panchmatia, Partner at Khaitan & Co. and SIMC’s Specialist Mediator.
The start and end of our trip in India were the most heart-warming as we rekindled with long-term allegiances. It was refreshing to see familiar faces in person after a gap of almost 4 years. We are grateful for the time given to us and the many new faces we met along the way.
Last but not least, congratulations to our newly empanelled Specialist Mediators!
- Abhixit Singh – ASP Advocates
- Ananya Kumar – J. Sagar Associates
- Anuroop Omkar – AK & Partners
- Chakrapani Misra – Khaitan & Co
- Dheeraj Nair – J. Sagar Associates
- Krishna Grandhi – GLC & Partners
- Kuriakose Varghese – KMNP Law
- Lomesh Kiran Nidumuri – Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas
- Montek Mayal – Osborne Partners
- Prashanto Chandra Sen – Quadrant Chambers (UK)
- Purnima Singh Kamble – Fox Mandal & Associates LLP
- Rajiv Choubey – Dalmia Bharat Limited
- Saurabh Awasthi – Kyndryl Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
- Shruti Khanijow – MRP Advisory
- Shujath Bin Ali – RE Sustainability
- Shukla Wassan – Reliance Retail
- Srikanth Navale – Simha Law SG
- Swathi Kamath – DuPont India
- V. R. Shankar – HINDALCO, Aditya Birla Group
- Vikram Pooserla – CV Law Chambers