Elections
From 27 August 2026 09:00 CEST to 28 August 2026 11:30 CEST (First Vice-President, Secretary General, Executive Committee)
On 28 August 2026 from 10:30 to 11:30 CEST (General Assembly resolutions)
FOR AIJA MEMBERS
AIJA members can vote for…
AIJA First Vice-President
VALERIO SCOLLO
VALERIO SCOLLO
The interview with the candidate, Valerio Scollo, will be scheduled to take place in Vienna on Wednesday 26 August from 14:45 to 15:30 CEST.
From 27 August 2026 09:00 CEST to 28 August 2026 11:30 CEST, AIJA members will be able to vote electronically for the First Vice-President of AIJA.
AIJA Secretary General
ZOYA GYUROVA
ZOYA GYUROVA
From 27 August 2026 09:00 CEST to 28 August 2026 11:30 CEST, AIJA members will be able to vote electronically for the Secretary General of the association.
AIJA Executive Committee
From 27 August 2026 09:00 CEST to 28 August 2026 11:30 CEST, AIJA members will be able to vote electronically for the new Executive Committee members of AIJA.
To formally submit your application, please send your completed and signed candidacy form to elections@aija.org, and ensure the following requirements are met:
- To be eligible to run, you must yourself be an AIJA individual member with voting rights, i.e., under 45 on 28 August 2026 and up to date with your membership fee;
- The form must be signed by at least 5 different AIJA members who support your candidacy (you may include one additional “reserve” signature);
- The individual AIJA members signing in support of your candidacy must have full voting rights, meaning they must be 45 or younger on the date of the General Assembly (28 August 2026) and have paid their membership fee for 2026;
- Signatures can be collected on separate forms, but they must be submitted together via email to elections@aija.org
- The final deadline for submitting the application is Wednesday, 26 August 2026 at 18:00 CEST.
We look forward to receiving your applications and seeing many of you take part in shaping the future of AIJA.
AIJA Executive committee candidates
Tomasz Baron
Partner — TIGGES
Poland
Tomasz Baron, LL.M. is a Partner at TIGGES, a German and Polish law firm with offices in Düsseldorf, Warsaw and Katowice. Admitted as a radca prawny in Poland and as a lawyer in Germany, he advises clients on cross-border corporate, M&A, employment and commercial law matters between Germany and Poland.
Tomasz holds law degrees from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder). For more than ten years, he has been assisting companies with international transactions, restructurings, market entries and complex cross-border projects. He also serves on supervisory bodies of commercial companies and acts as a judge of the disciplinary court of the Polish-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
Since joining AIJA, Tomasz has found in the association far more than a professional network. As a lawyer working daily on cross-border matters, he highly values the opportunity to exchange ideas with colleagues from different jurisdictions, develop lasting friendships and build trusted professional relationships across the world. He has actively contributed to AIJA as a moderator and session coordinator at international events in Rio de Janeiro and Vienna and is particularly passionate about strengthening connections between members and promoting cross-border cooperation. He also actively encourages colleagues and peers to engage with AIJA and become part of its international community.
By joining the Executive Committee, Tomasz would like to contribute his international perspective, his experience in bringing together lawyers from different legal cultures and his enthusiasm for further growing the AIJA community.
Cristina Enaga
Roumanie
As a Counsel at Schoenherr Bucharest with over 15 years of experience in Corporate/M&A and Real Estate, I have advised domestic and international clients on complex cross-border transactions across Central and South-Eastern Europe. I believe I bring a powerful combination to the Executive Committee: the fresh perspective and enthusiasm of a new AIJA member backed by substantial professional seniority. This positions me well to contribute meaningfully to the Executive Committee.
My action plan for AIJA:
- Grow CEE Presence — I will leverage my extensive regional network to attract new members and strengthen AIJA’s footprint in high-potential, developing jurisdictions;
- Boost Cross-Commission Collaboration — fostering greater interaction between AIJA’s commissions and working groups as modern legal practice is multidisciplinary; and
- Keep the network inclusive – since joining AIJA, I have been impressed by the warmth and inclusiveness of its community. I am committed to playing an active part in its continued growth ensuring that young and senior lawyers alike feel welcome, empowered to thrive and ready to benefit from this exceptional network.
Eva Gargya
Counsel, Oppenheim Law Firm
Hungary
Eva Gargya is a Hungarian attorney-at-law and Counsel at Oppenheim Law Firm in Budapest, where she has been working since 2013. Her practice focuses primarily on corporate and M&A law, as well as corporate-related dispute resolution. She advises both Hungarian and international clients on corporate transactions and represents clients in complex contentious and non-contentious matters.
Eva graduated from Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Law and also studied at KU Leuven in Belgium. She was admitted to the Budapest Bar Association in 2013.
Eva has been a member of AIJA since 2023. A particularly important milestone in her AIJA journey was the Winter Seminar in Courmayeur in January 2026, where she participated as a speaker for the first time. The experience inspired her to become increasingly active within the Association and to contribute more to its community.
For Eva, AIJA has become much more than a professional network. It is an international community that brings together professional exchange, shared experiences and genuine friendships. She is now keen to take the next step, contribute her ideas, experience and energy to the life of the Association, and give back to a community that has already given her so much.
Natalia Kabacinska
Counsel, WKB Lawyers
Poland
Natalia Kabacinska (WKB Lawyers, Poland) I am a counsel in the Dispute Resolution team at WKB Lawyers (Warsaw, Poland), where I focus on litigation and arbitration, with a particular emphasis on cross-border proceedings.
I have been an active AIJA member for three years, attending several events a year and regularly taking on speaker and moderator roles. For a lawyer whose daily work involves multi-jurisdictional disputes, AIJA has proved invaluable – the friendships I have built along the way have become a true professional lifeline, and being able to reach a trusted colleague in virtually any jurisdiction within minutes is something I genuinely treasure. AIJA has made me a better lawyer and given me a much deeper understanding of how legal systems work beyond my own.
I am also passionate about growing our community – I actively encourage new members to join and have a strong track record of doing so. I hope to contribute even more as a member of the Executive Committee.
Aishwarya Kaushiq
BTG Advaya
New Delhi
Aishwarya Kaushiq is a Partner at BTG Advaya, New Delhi, specialising in cross-border disputes, international arbitration and investigations. He advises Indian businesses expanding overseas and international companies operating in India. Through BTG Advaya’s wider practice, he also helps clients navigate cross-border transactions, market entry, data privacy, tax and employment law, providing coordinated legal support in India.
He is ranked Excellent for Dispute Resolution by various international legal directories. He writes on dispute resolution for platforms including Forbes, Bar & Bench, Mondaq and the International Bar Association, and often contrubites to newspapers and journals on legal and regulatory issues.
Frederik Laevens
MVVP
Belgium
I’m a Belgian lawyer who first got a taste of AIJA at the Paris conference in December 2023. What quickly became clear is that AIJA is much more than an international network of lawyers; it is a community built around connecting, exchanging ideas and enjoying time together.
Since becoming a member in 2024, getting increasingly involved has been a natural next step. Most recently, this included organising and moderating a panel at the Half-Year Conference in Bruges on the legal challenges surrounding drones, bringing together perspectives from defence, industry and the legal profession.
That experience only strengthened my desire to contribute further. Standing for election to the Executive Committee is an opportunity to bring my energy, enthusiasm and ideas to an organisation that has already given me great friendships, memorable experiences and an international community I am proud to be part of.
And, of course, here’s to many more AIJA conferences, discussions, dinners and late nights along the way!
İsmail Mert Şanlı
Founding Partner, Vardar Şanlı
Türkiye
İsmail Mert Şanlı is the Founding Partner of Vardar Şanlı, where his practice focuses on international litigation, arbitration, financial crime and global asset recovery. He has been actively involved in AIJA since 2023 and is a member of the Business Crime and Civil Fraud, Corporate and M&A, Environmental and Energy Law, and Litigation Commissions. Since joining the Association, he has maintained a strong and consistent level of engagement, contributing to its academic and professional programmes in different capacities, including as a speaker and moderator. He is also a member of the Organising Committee for the Mediterranean Event to be held in September 2027, and he was the champion of the World Cup Fantasy League organised among AIJA members.
His involvement in AIJA reflects both the breadth of his professional practice and his interest in connecting lawyers across jurisdictions and practice areas. Through his regular participation in commissions, conferences and academic sessions, he has developed a strong connection with the AIJA community and is keen to contribute further to the Association through the Executive Committee.
Archita Mohapatra
Trilegal,
India
Through AIJA, I have found not only a global network of colleagues but also a community of friends, mentors, and collaborators. Having served on the Executive Committee, I would be honoured to continue strengthening these connections, championing broader representation, and helping AIJA remain a vibrant and welcoming platform for lawyers across jurisdictions.
Eva Indruchova
Czech Republic
Eva Indruchova is a lawyer, founder of Wellinlo – Wellbeing of lawyers initiative, yoga instructor and coach. Eva has been a member of AIJA since 2010. She has been actively involved in AIJA as member of the OC of the AIJA Annual Congress in Prague in 2014 and served as a member of the EC as well as AIJA National Representative for the Czech Republic. Eva initiated many wellbeing-related activities within AIJA – she led the first ever AIJA yoga session during the AIJA Congress in Brussels in 2018 and launched the Wellbeing of Lawyers First Aid Desk in Paris in 2023. She also conducted coaching sessions for AIJA members in Milan and last year in Hamburg.
Gennaro Paone
De Berti Jacchia
Milan, Italie
Gennaro Paone is a senior associate at De Berti Jacchia in Milan, where his practice mainly focuses on domestic and international commercial arbitration.
Gennaro has been a member of AIJA since 2022 and is actively involved in the Arbitration Commission.
He has contributed to several AIJA events as a speaker and moderator and served as session coordinator at the 2024 AIJA Annual Congress in Madrid.
For more than ten years, he has also been involved in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot as a coach and arbitrator, reflecting his commitment to the development of the next generation of lawyers.
Through his involvement in AIJA, Gennaro has particularly valued the opportunity to exchange ideas and build lasting personal and professional connections with lawyers from different jurisdictions and backgrounds. Having built a strong connection with the AIJA community, Gennaro is standing for the Executive Committee to play a more active role in the association and contribute to its continued development.
Bartosz Pyzder
Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak
Poland
I am a Polish advocate at SK&S law firm in Warsaw. My practice centres on commercial litigation, with a particular focus on corporate disputes and disputes arising from IT services.
I joined AIJA in 2022, and the Vienna Congress will be my eleventh AIJA event — including two panel appearances along the way. What drew me in, and what keeps me coming back, is the famous AIJA spirit: a genuinely global network of talented professionals who are also great people to be around, both during the working sessions and long social events. After almost four years of attendance, I feel it is time to go deeper. I am putting my name forward for the Executive Committee because I want to contribute to the organisation by helping shape its programme, broaden its reach, and make sure the next wave of young lawyers finds the same welcoming, energising community that I did.
Graziana Toscano
Milan, Italie
Graziana Toscano is an Associate Partner at Pirola Pennuto Zei & Associati in Milan, one of the Italian leading independent law and tax firm, where she advises multinational groups on cross-border M&A, international commercial contracts and corporate governance complex reorganisations.
Admitted to the Italian Bar in 2014, she works on deals from structuring and negotiation through to post-closing integration, regularly supporting clients on the financing and regulatory dimension of their transactions.
Graziana graduated with full marks in Law from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan and holds a Certificate in American Law from the University of California, Berkeley. She writes regularly for specialised legal publications on corporate, M&A and contract law.
An AIJA member since 2023, she values the association for combining technical depth with the network of trusted counterparts that makes cross-border practice highly valuable. She would be honoured to take a more active role in AIJA as a member of the Executive Committee.
Luke van de Laar
Partner, Kemperink Maarschalkerweerd Wouters N.V.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Luke van de Laar is a partner in the Amsterdam based corporate/M&A team of Kemperink Maarschalkerweerd Wouters N.V. who specializes in cross-border M&A, corporate takeovers, joint ventures, private equity investments, and corporate governance matters. With a strong track record in executing and overseeing complex international transactions and corporate governance initiatives, he has provided strategic legal counsel to a diverse range of clients across the technology, healthcare, agri-food, and manufacturing industries. His clientele includes both privately and publicly held corporations, as well as financial sponsors, whom he advises on a wide array of corporate and transactional matters.
Rachel Vella Baldacchino
Managing Associate,
WH Partners
Malta
I am a Malta-qualified corporate/M&A lawyer, also admitted in England and Wales, and advising on cross-border M&A, venture capital, financing, antitrust and FDI and technology transactions. I studied at the University of Malta and the University of Cambridge. Being based in a small jurisdiction has made AIJA’s international network particularly valuable to me, allowing me to build professional relationships and friendships across jurisdictions while bringing Malta’s perspective to the wider AIJA community.
I have been a member of AIJA since 2024 and have been actively involved in the Corporate & M&A, Antitrust and TRADE Commissions, through seminars and half-year conferences, speaking and moderating panels, and participating in AIJA’s mentoring initiative. I am running for the Executive Committee because I would like to contribute more actively to an organisation I genuinely value, helping strengthen its international reach and create meaningful opportunities for younger lawyers while preserving the professional and social spirit that makes AIJA special.
Olivia
Wybraniec
Legal Director, Barrister
Mishcon de Reya LLP
London
Olivia Wybraniec is a Legal Director and Barrister at Mishcon de Reya LLP in London. She practises commercial litigation, with a focus on complex, multi-jurisdictional civil fraud and banking and finance disputes. She plays a leading role in Mishcon’s International NextGen network, and on her firm’s Italian and CEE Desks (drawing on her Italian and Polish heritage). She also co-founded Greener Litigation, a cross-profession sustainability initiative to reduce the carbon impact of dispute resolution. Olivia has been an active member of AIJA since 2022, including as an Organising Committee member for the London 2024 Litigation and Real Estate Conference, and as a speaker on several panels. The Vienna Annual Congress will be her tenth AIJA event.
Kirsten
Wesiak-Schmidt
Homburger,
Zurich, Suisse
I am an associate at Homburger in Zurich, Switzerland, where I advise and represent clients in intellectual property, data protection and technology matters, with a particular focus on dispute resolution.
My AIJA journey started at the IP/TMT Seminar in Málaga in 2024, where I had the opportunity to moderate a panel. I immediately fell for the open and welcoming atmosphere, the international exchange and the genuine connections that make AIJA so special. Getting more involved has felt like a natural next step ever since. I returned as a speaker at the IP/TMT Seminar in Copenhagen in 2025 and am looking forward to the Annual Congress in Vienna.
Having experienced first-hand how quickly a first AIJA event can turn into a real sense of belonging, I would now like to give back as a member of the Executive Committee. I am keen to take on more responsibility, contribute actively to the association and open the same doors for others. Most importantly, I would like to play my part in preserving the unique AIJA spirit that drew me in from the start.
Jorge
Yaafar
Motta, Yaafar & Díaz,
PANAMA
Jorge Yaafar holds a degree in Law and Political Science from Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua and a Master’s in International Business Law from King’s College (London, United Kingdom). His practice focuses on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions, estate planning, and the structuring of cross-border transactions, advising both local and international clients. He has extensive experience coordinating complex multi-party transactions involving banks, trustees, and international advisors, as well as structuring real estate projects and risk-mitigation mechanisms under Panamanian law. He also advises multinational companies on regulatory compliance and the structuring of operations in Panama, combining a technical approach with practical, business-oriented solutions. He has been an active member of AIJA since 2024 and is part of the Organizing Committee for the 2027 Annual Congress taking place in Panama City, Panama. He has also been involved as a speaker and participant in various conferences.
Other Resolutions
The voting on other resolutions submitted to the General Assembly will be possible through electronic voting on 28 August 2026 from 10:30 to 11:30 CEST.
E-voting
The commitment of each member is crucial to the success of the whole organisation. And nowhere is this more evident than during our annual elections.
Once a year at the Annual Congress, the General Assembly of Members is called to elect some members of two very important bodies for the management of AIJA: the Executive Committee and the Bureau. In previous years this had to be done on paper, in person. But early in 2016, when AIJA launched an extensive online survey, members called for a stronger and more effective participation in the life of the association and in particular an e-voting system.
AIJA welcomed e-voting for the first time in 2018 and due to its resounding success the Association has been using it since then.
How AIJA members can vote
Electronic voting is easy – AIJA members can vote from any location, on any device. Members will receive in advance a link where they can join and watch the General Assembly, as well as the interview with the First Vice-President candidate and then vote electronically.
If AIJA members are not available to vote electronically during the elections date, they can give a proxy to another member. Instructions are available on the MyAIJA member dashboard.
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