Fribourg, Switzerland
Maria T. Athanasiou
Independent Arbitrator
Cypriot and British independent arbitrator with over 15 years of experience in high-stakes international investment and commercial arbitrations, representing over USD 20.3 billion in quantified value.
Admitted to the New York State Bar. Formerly with Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (London), Hanotiau & van den Berg (Brussels) and Bureau Pierre Tercier (Fribourg).
$20.3B+
Quantified dispute value since 2007
15+
Years of international arbitration experience
10
Arbitrator panels and lists worldwide
11
Applicable legal systems worked across
Profile
Maria Athanasiou is a Cypriot and British independent arbitrator based in Fribourg, Switzerland. She has acted as arbitrator, counsel and secretary to the arbitral tribunal in numerous international investment and commercial arbitrations.
She is listed on the arbitrator panels or lists of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), the ICC Swiss Commission of Arbitration and ADR, and many other institutions worldwide.
She studied in the United Kingdom, the United States and Switzerland, is admitted to the New York State Bar, and holds Cypriot and British citizenships. She speaks Greek and English.
Arbitration Experience
Sectors
- Aviation
- Banking and finance
- Commodities
- Construction and infrastructure
- Mining and energy
- Oil and gas
- Sports
Rules of arbitration
- Ad hoc (UNCITRAL)
- CEPANI
- CRCICA
- FAI
- ICC
- ICSID & ICSID Additional Facility
- SCC
- Swiss Arbitration Centre
Arbitral seats
- Brussels
- Cairo
- Finland
- Geneva
- London
- Madrid
- New York
- Paris
- Stockholm
- Zurich
Legal systems
- Belgian law
- Bilateral investment treaties
- Cyprus law
- Dutch law
- Egyptian law
- English law
- European law
- Georgian law
- International law
- New York law
- Swiss law
- Sole Arbitrator, FAI international arbitration between a Nevisian company and a US company, seated in Finland, concerning a services contract (applicable law: Cyprus law; amount in dispute USD 500,000)
- Co-Arbitrator, LCIA international arbitration between a Caribbean company and a Kuwaiti company, seated in London, concerning a construction project (applicable law: English law; amount in dispute: USD 10 million)
- Sole Arbitrator, SAC international arbitration between a Swiss company and a Polish company, seated in Geneva, concerning sales of goods (applicable law: Swiss law; amount in dispute EUR 415,000)
- Tribunal Secretary, CEPANI international arbitration between Belgian and UK entities, seated in Brussels, concerning media rights in football (applicable law: Belgian law; amount in dispute: EUR 405 million)
- Tribunal Secretary, ICC international arbitration between Sri Lankan and Chinese companies, seated in London, concerning purchase agreements (applicable law: English law; amount in dispute: USD 750 million)
- Tribunal Secretary, ICC international arbitration between Austrian investors and a State, seated in Paris, concerning the construction of a hydropower plant (BIT; amount in dispute: EUR 20 million)
- Tribunal Secretary, ICC international arbitration between Swiss and Seychelles companies, seated in Zurich, concerning sale of goods (applicable law: Swiss law; amount in dispute: USD 2.8 billion)
- Tribunal Secretary, UNCITRAL international arbitration between a UAE company and a State, seated in Paris, concerning an investment in oil refinery (Investment Agreement; amount in dispute: USD 1.8 billion)
- Tribunal Secretary, UNCITRAL international arbitration between Chinese investors and a State, seated in Paris, concerning an investment in the aviation industry (BIT; amount in dispute: USD 4.6 billion)
- Tribunal Assistant, ICSID arbitration between a Czech electricity distribution company and a State, concerning electricity and gas supply (BIT; amount in dispute: EUR 900 million)
- Tribunal Assistant, ICSID arbitration between Luxembourg and Dutch investors and a State, concerning revision proceedings of the award in said case (BIT; amount in dispute: EUR 77 million)
- Tribunal Assistant, ICSID arbitration between Jersey and Canadian mining companies and the Romanian State, concerning a mining concession (BIT; amount in dispute: USD 6.5 billion)
- Tribunal Assistant, ICSID(AF) arbitration between a Canadian air transportation company and a State, seated in Paris, concerning air transportation services (BIT; amount in dispute: USD 213 million)
- Tribunal Secretary, SCC international arbitration between Dutch, Russian and Georgian companies and the Government of Georgia, seated in Stockholm, concerning a sale purchase agreement (applicable law: Georgian law; amount in dispute: USD 123 million)
- Tribunal Secretary, CRCICA international arbitration between Spanish and Egyptian oil and gas companies, seated in Cairo, concerning a gas sales and purchase agreement (applicable law: Egyptian law; amount in dispute: USD 9.7 million)
- Tribunal Secretary, CRCICA international arbitration between Spanish and Egyptian oil and gas companies, seated in Madrid, concerning a gas sales and purchase agreement (applicable law: Egyptian law; amount in dispute: USD 2.8 billion)
- Tribunal Secretary, CRCICA international arbitration between a joint venture and owner of construction site, seated in Cairo, concerning the construction of a commercial project (applicable law: Egyptian law; amount in dispute: USD 80 million)
- Tribunal Secretary, ICC international arbitration between BVI and Portuguese companies, seated in Paris, concerning a financing agreement (applicable law: Swiss law; amount in dispute: USD 40 million)
- Counsel, CEPANI international arbitration between European and Dutch financial services group, seated in Brussels, concerning the implementation of a shareholders’ agreement (applicable law: Dutch law)
- Counsel, UNCITRAL international arbitration between European energy companies, seated in New York, concerning the interpretation of a gas sales and purchase agreement and price revisions (applicable law: New York law)
- Counsel, ICC international arbitration between European telecommunications company, seated in Geneva, concerning shareholder rights (applicable law: Swiss law)
Global Panel Appointments
AIAC
Kuala Lumpur
Asian International Arbitration Centre
BVI IAC
Tortola
British Virgin Islands International Arbitration Centre
CAC
Lisbon
Commercial Arbitration Centre of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry
CRCICA
Cairo
Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration
DIAC
Dubai
Dubai International Arbitration Centre
EODID
Athens
Athens Mediation & Arbitration Organization
GIAC
Tbilisi
Georgian International Arbitration Centre
KCAB
Seoul
Korean Commercial Arbitration Board International
SIAC
Singapore
Singapore International Arbitration Centre
ICC Swiss
Switzerland
ICC Swiss Commission of Arbitration and ADR
Recognition & Leadership
- Recognised as a Future Leader in International Arbitration by Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal) since 2021.
- Leadership positions with the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA), the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) and DELOS dispute resolution.
- Speaker, moderator and organiser at over 20 international arbitration conferences; lecturer on international investment arbitration and published author.
Education & Credentials
- LLB, University of Warwick (2005)
- LLM in International Legal Studies, Georgetown University Law Center (2006)
- Master in International Dispute Resolution, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies & University of Geneva (2011)
- New York Bar (2008) · Foundation for International Arbitration Advocacy (FIAA) Workshop – Certificate (2011) · Cyprus Bar examination (2015) · Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb, 2019)
Contact
For appointment inquiries and calendar questions, please get in touch.