12/11/2021
We are honoured and excited to announce the appointment of our new Head of International Arbitration, Mr. Syed Mustafa Mahdi, FCIArb, FMIArb, FAMINZ, LLM!
Syed Mustafa Mahdi is one of the worlds leading Muslim Arbitrators, and is a fellow of the Chartered of Arbitrators, (CIArb), the Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators, (MIArb), the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand, (AMINZ), and the Utatuzi Centre in Kenya. He practices international arbitration globally and brings over 10 years of professional experience and specializes in corporate, commercial, litigation, aviation, arbitration, financial markets and cross-border transactions to which he brings a commercial, pragmatic and organized approach with a depth of experience and knowledge.
Syed is regarded by his peers as one of the prominent and accomplished attorneys in this field. Syed is known for his formidable legal intellect, his excellent skills in advocacy and his impeccable presentation style. Syed possesses an innate ability to delve straight to the heart of any matter and offer simple yet effective advice that will best serve a client's interest and lead to the best outcome possible. As a reflection of his expertise, Syed qualified as Fellow at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, (“FCIArb”), and is one the youngest arbitrators to have achieved this enviable and distinguished title in Pakistan. He has also been accepted and empaneled as an Arbitrator and Mediator with Asian International Arbitration Centre, (AIAC). Syed has also been accepted and empaneled as an International Accredited Professional Mediator, (IAPM) with the Mainland- Hong Kong Joint Mediation Center, (MHJMC), and the International Dispute Resolution & Risk Management Institute, (IDRRMI). Respectively, Syed was also invited at the 8th Judicial Conference (2018) under the auspices of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, where he presented his paper on Corruption of Arbitration Awards. Syed has been awarded as the “Best Full Service Arbitration Specialist- Pakistan”, by APAC Inside Legal Awards in 2019, and the "Corporate Arbitrator of the Year 2018- Pakistan” by Acquisition International Magazine (UK). Furthermore, Syed is also engaged as a Lecturer of Law (Visiting) at Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto University of Law (SZABUL) where he specializes in teaching Alternate Dispute Resolution and the Law of Contracts.
Syed completed his Masters of Law degree from Cardiff University in the United Kingdom, and completed his MBA at the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology in Pakistan.
He is the founder, lead counsel and Arbitrator and Mediator at Syed Mahdi Chambers in Pakistan, founder of the Pakistan Chapter of the Energy Related Arbitration Practitioners, (ENERAP), and a director and founding member of the Pakistan Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, (CIArb).
Syed is looking forward to leading and heading our international arbitration services.