Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration Board Reconstituted by Royal Order

The Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA) announced the issuance of a royal decree to reconstitute its Board of Directors for the fourth term. The new board includes both international and Saudi experts in alternative dispute resolution, featuring members with diverse expertise in arbitration, law, and various business sectors. The board comprises diversity in nationality, gender, and cultural background, which is expected to enrich SCCA’s activities and enhance the quality of services provided to the business sectors.

 The board of directors serves as the highest authority overseeing the SCCA's affairs. It is responsible for approving the SCCA's strategy, policies, internal regulations, and procedural rules. Meanwhile, the board does not involve itself in the management of arbitration cases or intervene in them; members operate independently, with none holding any governmental positions.

 The newly formed board will serve until February 2028, led by Walid Abanumay as chairman, with Toby Landau from the United Kingdom as vice chairman. Other members include Prof. Georges Affaki from France, Abby Cohen Smutny from the United States, and Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf from Egypt. Other board members are Dr. Saud Al-Ammari, Abdulaziz Mohammed Al-Subaie, Dr. Abdullah Alajlan, and Musaab Al Muhaidib from Saudi Arabia, as well as French-Chinese Jingzhou Tao.

 Under the leadership of the new board, SCCA aims to further develop its operations and elevate its services in line with international best practices, catering to the needs of businesses across various sectors.

 SCCA restructured its advisory committee for rules to operate on a broader scale, now named the Global Advisory Committee. The committee includes an esteemed group of international arbitration experts from within Saudi Arabia and around the world. It has 16 members, including independent international arbitrators, legal consultants who have worked in prominent international arbitration centers, lawyers from local and foreign firms, and law professors from various international universities.

 The committee's new responsibilities will include providing technical advice to the SCCA, enabling it to continue developing its operations and upgrading its services. The committee will issue guidance for the continuous improvement of the SCCA's rules, procedures, and services. It will also monitor international trends in the arbitration industry and consult with the center regarding the introduction of new services or the review of existing ones.

 On this occasion, Abanumay expressed his gratitude to the Saudi leadership for their unwavering support of the SCCA and its activities. He added that this new formation will empower the SCCA to achieve its ambitious new vision, aiming to be the preferred choice for alternative dispute resolution in the Middle East and North Africa and one of the leading arbitration centers globally by 2030.

 Abanumay stated that SCCA, through its various bodies, operates within a well-defined operational framework that ensures its independence and neutrality.

 “The board performs a supervisory role over the SCCA's activities without interfering in the management of its cases,” Abanumay said. “Meanwhile, the arbitration bodies carry out their roles in resolving the disputes referred to them, without receiving instructions from the board of directors concerning case management.”

 He also highlighted the supportive role of the SCCA Court in addressing the technical aspects related to the arbitration cases managed by the SCCA, operating independently from the center's board, its committees, and its staff.

 SCCA CEO Dr. Hamed bin Hassah Merah emphasized that the formation of the board, which includes high-level international competencies, will significantly contribute to the center achieving its objectives at both local and international levels.

 Merah added that the committee will enrich the SCCA with the best international practices and serve as a monitoring eye on the trends and developments in the industry globally. It will propose and contribute to the development of the SCCA's procedural rules and tailoring services that align with its operational nature.