Dr. James Ding is the Law Officer (International Law), Department of Justice of Hong Kong, China. He heads the International Law Division and reports directly to the Secretary for Justice on issues of international law and international legal cooperation. He was previously the Commissioner of the Inclusive Dispute Avoidance and Resolution Office in the Department of Justice, coordinating and promoting various policy initiatives for dispute avoidance and resolution as well as on advancing the rule of law. He has been awarded with the Chief Executive’s Commendation for Government/Public Services in 2021 and appointed as a Justice of the Peace in 2024.

Dr. Ding is also currently the Chair of APEC Economic Committee. He has published on different subjects of international law and international cooperation, and has given various presentations at international and regional conferences, including ABAC, APEC, ASEAN, LawAsia, HCCH, UNCITRAL and UNIDROIT events relating to cross-border civil and commercial law, trade and dispute resolution.

He obtained LL.B.(Hons) and a Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (Distinction) from the University of Hong Kong, LL.M. from Kyushu University, Japan (under the Japanese Government Monbusho scholarship) and Ph.D. from the University of Queensland, Australia. He also received various training in laws and management at Fudan University, Tsinghua University, Chinese Academy of Governance, International Law Institute and the University of Oxford. He became a barrister in Hong Kong in 1997 and joined the Department of Justice in 1999. He also taught on a part-time basis at the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong and the Open University of Hong Kong (now Hong Kong Metropolitan University) during the academic years of 1998 and 1999.

Yoshihisa Hayakawa serves as a professor of law at Rikkyo University, Tokyo. He also teaches and researches in a number of foreign universities including Columbia University, Cornell University, QM College of University of London and Australian National University. He also serves as a partner at Uryu & Itoga, Tokyo. He serves as a counsel in many cases of transnational litigation and international commercial arbitration as well as serving as an arbitrator in many arbitration cases. He also serves as a representative from Japan for a number of inter-governmental organizations including UNCITRAL, APEC (ODR Project), ISO (ODR Project) and the Hague Conference on PIL. And he serves as President of Sport Law Commission of UIA, Japanese Member for Commission on Arbitration and ADR of ICC, Japanese Member of Users Council of SIAC and Arbitrator for Court of Arbitration for Sport. He also serves as Chair of IT/ODR Section of Japan Federation of Bar Associations.

Stella Hu is a special counsel at Karas So LLP in association with Mishcon de Reya. She focuses her practice on China-related cross-border dispute resolution. She has managed a diverse range of disputes that align with China’s economic development, including Sino-foreign joint venture disputes, post-M&A disputes, investment disputes and more recent insolvency disputes. She has represented clients in international arbitration under major institutional rules and often sits as an arbitrator. She has a special interest in cross-border discovery within litigation and arbitration proceedings and enjoys dedicating her leisure time to enhancing her cooking and gardening skills.

Ms. Huang brings a wealth of experience and expertise in international dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation, to eBRAM’s leadership team.

Before joining eBRAM, Ms. Huang was the Director & Head for International Partnership and Arbitration Development Department of Shanghai Arbitration Commission (SHAC).  She holds LLM degree specializing in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution from City University of Hong Kong and LLB degree from East China University of Political Science and Law. She also holds the Fellowship of Chartered Institute of Arbitrator (FCIArb) since 2016.

Ms. Huang had also worked for the leading dispute resolution institutions such as the Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). She also previously worked as legal counsel in several Fortune 500 companies.

Ms. Huang is experienced on the international dispute resolution (including arbitration and mediation) and is on the panel of several international arbitral and mediation institutions.

Ms Kim Rooney is an international arbitrator, barrister and accredited mediator. Before becoming a full time arbitrator and barrister, Kim was a partner of White & Case LLP heading its Hong Kong based Asian international dispute resolution practice.

Kim’s other roles include serving as:

- Member of the ICC’s International Court of Arbitration.

- Board Member of eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre Limited.

- Chair of the Hong Kong Law Reform Commission’s Sub-committee on Third Party Funding for Arbitration, to the conclusion of its reference in 2016.

- Member of the Hong Kong Department of Justice’s Committee on Provision of Space in the Legal Hub.

- Member of the Council of the Hong Kong Bar Association and chair of its International Practice Committee.

Kim was a Senior ADR Expert in an EU funded project in the Indonesian public sector (2013-2016). She was a member of the ICCA/Queen Mary Taskforce on Third Party Funding for Arbitration.

Dr Thomas So is a partner of Grandall Zimmern Law Firm.  He advises on shareholders- and equity-related disputes, property-related litigation, libel litigation and media-related litigation work, and litigation and arbitration in the PRC. He represents banks and financial institutions, property developers and corporations as well as Mainland China enterprises on securities- and equity-related disputes.

Thomas has acted as Arbitrator and Mediator in shareholders and other disputes and is on a number of panel of arbitrators in Asia. He has also acted as Deputy Judge at the District Court (18/11/2002-13/12/2002) and Temporary Deputy Registrar at the High Court (8/12/2003-10/1/2004). He is a China-Appointed Attesting Officer (appointed by the Ministry of Justice of PRC). He was the President of the Law Society of Hong Kong (6/2016 – 6/2018) and is a solicitor-advocate with rights to appear in the higher courts in Hong Kong.

Thomas was praised by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2010/2011 for providing "sound knowledge" and "practical solutions" to clients. Chambers Asia Pacific 2011 describes Thomas is "instrumental in many cross-border cases". Thomas speaks English, Cantonese and Mandarin.

Ronald concentrates his practice in all areas of dispute resolution, specializing in digital financial disputes and China related matters, cross border disputes, complex commercial disputes, regulatory bodies investigations, sports related disputes, transportation (maritime, aviation, road and rail), international trade, insurance and reinsurance including export credit insurance, product liability and product recall, including arbitration, litigation, mediation and investigations.

Ronald is qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong, England and Wales and Australia. He is a fellow member of the Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is the immediate past chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce: Arbitration and ADR Sub-Committee. He is also the council and appointments committee member of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre. In addition to being a member of the panel of arbitrators with various institutions, Ronald has acted both as counsel and arbitrator in administered arbitration proceedings including the ICC, HKIAC, LMAA, CIETAC, SCIA, SIAC, THAC, GAFTA/FOSFA etc. He has conducted arbitration matters in Hong Kong, China, London, United States, Australia and Singapore. Ronald is also an accredited mediator of HKMAAL, CIETAC and the Law Society of Hong Kong. Ronald has recently be appointed as an Investor State Mediator under the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA). Ronald is a council member of the Hong Kong Mediation Council. He also sits on the Hong Kong Government Advisory Committee on the Promotion of Arbitration and the Hong Kong Steering Committee on Mediation. He is a member and chairman of the Public Education and Publicity Sub-committee. Ronald recently passed the examination for Hong Kong legal practitioners to practise law in the Greater Bay Area in the People’s Republic of China. Ronald is also the Vice-Chairman of the eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre. He has extensive experience in handling digital and commercial disputes.

Horace Wong is a Senior Counsel with a substantial legal practice in Hong Kong. He is the Co-Head of Rede Chambers, and an experienced arbitrator and mediator.  Mr. Wong is a member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, and a member of its Proceedings Committee.  He is also a member of the Panel of Arbitrators, Mediators and APEC Neutral, Electronic Business Related Arbitration and Mediation (eBRAM), and a member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the Brazillian Centre of Mediation and Arbitration.  He is appointed by the Hong Kong Government as an arbitrator under the Labor Relations Ordinance, and an appointed Mediator in respect of the Investment Agreement under the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA).  Mr. Wong has served as a Deputy Judge and Recorder of the High Court of Hong Kong, and as Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of many statutory authorities and tribunals, including the Town Planning Appeal Board, Administrative Appeals Board, Buildings Appeal Tribunal, Unsolicited Electronic Messages (Enforcement Notices) Appeal Board, and the Inland Revenue Board of Review.  He is the Honorary Lecturer of the University of Hong Kong and a Visiting Professor of Peking University, School of Transnational Law, and has lectured in many universities, including the Hong Kong University, the Peking University, and the University of International Business and Economics. He was appointed as a Justice of the Peace in 2014.