4 March 2009: Clayton Utz consultant Michael Pryles has been appointed Chair of The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) – recognising his international reputation as a leading arbitration specialist.
The SIAC is an independent, not-for-profit organisation established to meet the demands of the international business community for a neutral, efficient and reliable dispute resolution institution in Asia.
Mr Pryles' two year appointment, which took effect on 1 March, is one of a number of foreign appointments to SIAC's new Board of Directors which now comprises leading arbitration experts from the US, UK, Switzerland, Australia, India, Korea and Singapore.
Commenting on his appointment Mr Pryles said: "I am honoured to be the first non-Singaporean to chair SIAC and to lead this significant arbitral organisation."
Mr Pryles has sat as an arbitrator in some 200 cases in Asia, Europe, North America and Australia and has experience in both ad hoc and institutional commercial arbitrations involving investment, construction, energy, commercial, technology-transfer and joint venture disputes.
Mr Pryles takes over as Chair from Goh Joon Seng, a consultant from Singapore law firm Lee & Lee.