Andrew Mackenzie appointed as Council Member of new international equality body

Andrew Mackenzie, chief executive of the Scottish Arbitration Centre, has been invited to join The Alliance for Equality in Dispute Resolution as a council member and attended its launch at Ashurst in London on Thursday.

The Alliance is a not for profit organisation formed to advocate for increased diversity in the international dispute resolution community.

As an association it promotes inclusivity in all aspects of the dispute resolution world, striving for equality of opportunity regardless of sex, location, nationality, ethnicity or age. It was co-founded by Lucy Greenwood, an international arbitrator qualified in the US and in England and Wales, and Rashda Rana SC, who has extensive experience in international commercial litigation and arbitration gained across E&W, Europe, Australia and the Asia Pacific region. Ms Rana is also immediate past-president of ArbitralWomen.

The Alliance offers “The Forum” where practitioners can meet to discuss topics such as career progression, harassment, ethical dilemmas and arbitration practice and procedure, “The List”, an extensive database of practicing international arbitrators to identify the most suitable arbitrator for your dispute and “The Workshop”, a bespoke one day training programme for international dispute resolution practitioners addressing the challenges faced by practitioners in developing a more diverse community.

Ms Rana said: “We believe that the work the council members have done, the values they hold and the support they have shown in the past in campaigning for equality makes each one an ideal candidate for the council.

“We are delighted and honoured, therefore, that Andrew Mackenzie, as one such person, has accepted our invitation to join the council. He joins a diverse council based around the world and able to promote our work internationally.”

Mr Mackenzie, who is a solicitor on secondment from the Scottish Government Justice Directorate to the centre, said: “I am honoured to be a council member of The Alliance and delighted that Scotland is actively involved.”