SINGAPORE CONVENTION
WEEK EVENTS
SINGAPORE CONVENTION WEEK EVENTS
Recent Trends in Indian Arbitration: Challenges, Reforms and Global Parallels
by Singapore International Arbitration Centre
25 August 2025, Monday
16:15 – 17:45
White & Case
This panel will delve into India's evolving arbitration landscape, highlighting significant legislative, judicial, and practical developments in the last year. Through comparative analysis with global arbitration hubs, the discussion will explore best practices and innovative solutions that India might adopt to enhance its arbitration ecosystem. The panel will also address significant international developments impacting Indian arbitration, notably the recently revised SIAC Rules, which introduce procedural innovations aimed at improving efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing transparency. Experts will share practical perspectives on the implications of these rules for arbitrations involving Indian parties.
*This event is an in-person event.
Speakers

Aditya SINGH
Partner, White & Case
Aditya Singh is a Partner at White & Case with extensive experience representing clients in high-stakes commercial and investment treaty arbitrations worldwide. He is consistently recognized as a leading practitioner by Chambers & Partners, Who's Who Legal, and The Legal 500. He also serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore. He is qualified to practice in India, New York, and England and Wales, and has worked across White & Case's New York, London, and Singapore offices. Aditya is a graduate of the Yale Law School and NALSAR University of Law in India.

Alexander FENNER
Regional Counsel, Southeast Asia and India, Boeing
Alexander (Alex) Fenner is Boeing’s Regional Counsel for Southeast Asia and India, based in Singapore. He previously served as the Chief Counsel for Airplane Programs and Supply Chain at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Prior to Boeing, Alex worked in private practice in the appellate litigation group of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and in the product liability group of Perkins Coie LLP. He served as a law clerk for Judge Randolph D. Moss on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Alex holds a bachelor’s degree in Classics from Stanford University and a law degree from Yale University.

Darius KHAMBATA SA
Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India
Darius Khambata, Senior Advocate, practises before the Supreme Court of India, the Bombay High Court and other High Courts and Tribunals across India. He has held two distinguished public law offices: of Advocate General for Maharashtra and of Additional Solicitor General of India. He is a member of the SIAC Court and was previously a Vice-President of the LCIA Court. Darius served on the Law Commission of India’s Committee in 2014-2015, which recommended substantial amendments to the Indian Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996.

Justice L. Nageswara RAO
Arbitrator, 39 Essex Chambers
Justice L. Nageswara Rao is a former Judge of the Supreme Court of India and only the seventh person to be elevated directly from the Bar to the Supreme Court. He practised law in India from 1984 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2000. He served as Additional Solicitor General of India from August 2003 to May 2004 and, again, from August 2013 to December 2014. He was elevated to the Supreme Court of India in May 2016. During his tenure, he was party to over 700 judgments, authoring over 220 of them. Justice Rao is now an independent arbitrator at 39 Essex Chambers, specialising in both domestic and international arbitration.

Niranjan VENKATESAN KC
Barrister, One Essex Court
Niranjan is a KC at One Essex Court, London. He regularly acts as leading counsel in the English courts and in international arbitration and has appeared on numerous occasions in the UK Supreme Court (e.g. Enka v Chubb; BTI 2014 LLC v Sequana etc). Before taking silk, he was one of the leading juniors at the Commercial Bar (ranked in Band 1 and named C&P Commercial Litigation Junior of the Year 2024 and Legal500 Junior of the Year 2023). He read for the BCL and DPhil at the University of Oxford, where he was a Vinerian, Eldon and Rhodes Scholar.

Shwetha BIDHURI
Director & Head (South Asia), Singapore International Arbitration Centre
As the Director and Head (South Asia), Shwetha spearheads SIAC’s activities across South Asia, working closely with key stakeholders in the business and legal communities to promote and facilitate efficient dispute resolution under the SIAC Rules. With over 16 years of experience, Shwetha brings extensive expertise in international arbitration and dispute resolution. Prior to joining SIAC, she practiced as a disputes lawyer at a leading Delhi-based law firm, where she advised and represented clients in complex commercial litigation and investment treaty arbitration cases. A frequent speaker and lecturer, Shwetha actively shares her insights on international arbitration at conferences, seminars, and leading academic institutions.