Hugo Hans Siblesz 17 Mr

THE DUTCH-RUSSIAN SEMINAR ON LEGAL COOPERATION

“BETTER JUSTICE, BETTER BUSINESS”

Littéraire Sociëteit de Witte, The Hague, the Netherlands Wednesday, 6 March 2013

Table of Contents

Biographies Speakers

Ms. Elena Bezdenezhnykh 05 Ms. Elena Borisenko 06 Mr. Frans van der Doelen 07 Mr. Arkadiy Dvorkovich 08 Mr. Jeffrey Golden 09 Mr. Ernst Hirsch Ballin 10 Ms. Alexandra Nesterenko 11 Mr. Reinier Nijmeijer 12 Ms. Lyudmila Novoselova 13 Mr. Ivo Opstelten 14 Ms. Marta Pertegás 15 Ms. Tsisana Shamlikashvili 16 Mr. Hugo Hans Siblesz 17 Mr. Daan de Snoo 18 Mr. Ruth van der Pol 19 Ms. Irena Vanenkova 20 Mr. Huub Willems 21 Mr. Frans van Zoelen 22

Word of Welcome

Mr. Ivo Opstelten, Minister of Security and Justice

I would like to wish you a warm welcome to this seminar, organised by the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice and the Russian Ministry of Justice.

This event is one of many activities taking place this year to mark 400 years of political, diplomatic, cultural, literary, economic, maritime and religious links between the Netherlands and Russia. The starting point was 1613, when letters of credence were presented by envoys of the new Tsar Michael. Later, Tsar Peter the Great’s period of residence in Zaandam and Amsterdam was a historic moment in relations between our two countries.

The theme of the seminar is ‘Better Justice, Better Business’. The more stable and solid a country’s legal foundations are, the more effectively and reliably people and companies can do business there. It is essential for companies from each country to be well informed about the legal system of the other. In the unfortunate event that a dispute arises, it is in everyone’s interest for it to be resolved properly and quickly in a way that satisfies both parties.

The aim of this seminar is to compare the scope for dispute settlement in the Netherlands and Russia and to explore solutions to problems. I regard it as a forum for exchanging information and best practices, making comparisons and putting forward proposals for good ways to settle disputes.

Given the content of the programme and the experts who will be speaking here today, the seminar has the makings of a great success. The results will be an important source of input for the discussion that will take place at the St Petersburg International Legal Forum from 15 to 18 May this year.

The long-standing relations between our countries call for great results, which will make those relations even closer and stronger. I wish you all a productive and instructive day.

Ivo Opstelten Minister of Security and Justice of the Netherlands

Elena Bezdenezhnykh

Deputy General Director – Head of Corporate Governance, Asset Management and Legal Unit of MMC Norilsk Nickel

Education Graduated from Krasnoyarsk State University with a degree in law.

Professional experience Started working in 1995 for Zavenyagin Norilsk Mining and Metallurgical Combine, climbing the ladder of service from legal adviser to Director of Corporate and Legal Department.

In 2008, she was appointed Director of Legal Department of MMC Norilsk Nickel.

In March 2012, she was assigned Deputy General Director – Head of Corporate Governance, Asset Management and Legal Unit.

Elena Borisenko

Deputy Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation

Official Representative of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation in the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation

Education 1995 – 2000 Saint-Petersburg State University, Law Faculty

Professional experience 2012 – present Deputy Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation

2009 – 2010 and 2011 – 2012 Advisor to the Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation, Official representative of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation in the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation

2010 – 2011 Director, Department of Legal Aid and Cooperation with Judicial System, Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation

2008 – 2009 Advisor to the Head of the Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastral Records and Cartography of Russia (Rosreestr)

2000 – 2008 In-house counsel and lawyer in private practice, member of the Saint-Petersburg Bar Association

Frans van der Doelen

Member of the CEPEJ and Programme Manager at the Ministry of Security and Justice of the Netherlands

Dr. F.C.J. (Frans) van der Doelen is associated with the Department of the Justice System at the Ministry of Security and Justice, where he holds the position of Program Manager Innovation Agenda Justice System. Van der Doelen was recently involved with topics like cost-covering court fees, legal aid and dispute resolution, administrative punishment and the evaluation of the modernization of the judiciary organization. He is the Dutch representative at the Commission on the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) of the European Council, and member of the Evaluation Working Group which is responsible for the publication of the biennial report called European Judicial Systems.

Arkadiy Dvorkovich

Vice Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Russia-Netherlands Bilateral Year

Education 1994: Graduated from the Economics Faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University with a degree in Economic Cybernetics.

1994: Graduated from the New Economic School with a Masters in Economics.

1997: Graduated from Duke University in North Carolina with a Masters in Economics.

Experience 1994: Consultant, senior expert, chief executive and scientific director of the Economic Expert Group of the Russian Ministry of Finance.

2000: Expert at the Centre for Strategic Research.

August 2000: Adviser to the Minister for Economic Development and Trade.

2001: Deputy Minister for Economic Development and Trade.

2004-2008: Head of the Presidential Experts' Directorate.

2008-May 2012: Aide to the President of the Russian Federation.

May 21, 2012: Appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation by Presidential Executive Order.

Jeffrey Golden

Chairman of The P.R.I.M.E. Finance Foundation, The Hague and Visiting Professor and Governor at the London School of Economics and Political Science

Jeffrey Golden is Chairman of The P.R.I.M.E. Finance Foundation in The Hague, and a member of the Foundation's Panel of Recognised International Market Experts in Finance, a Visiting Professor in the Law Department at the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Governor of the School, and a Director of MFX Solutions, Inc., an industry initiative providing currency hedging for microfinance. He recently retired from international law firm Allen & Overy LLP, which he joined as a partner in 1994 after 15 years with the leading Wall Street practice of Cravath, Swaine & Moore. He was the founding partner of Allen & Overy's US law practice and senior partner in the firm's global derivatives practice and has extensive experience of a wide range of capital markets matters, including swaps and derivatives, international equity and debt offerings, US private placements and listings and mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. He acts for the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, was a principal author of ISDA's master agreements and has appeared as an expert witness in several high profile derivatives cases. Jeffrey has served on the American Bar Association's working group on the rule of law and economic development (Chair), the Financial Markets Law Committee's working groups on amicus briefs, emergency powers legislation and Enron v TXU (Chair), the Financial Law Panel's working groups on agency dealings by fund managers and other intermediaries and building societies legislation, the Federal Trust's working group on European securities regulation and the European Commission's study group, the City of London joint working group and ISDA task forces on the legal aspects of monetary union. He is Chair of the Society of English and American Lawyers (SEAL) and a former Chair of the American Bar Association's Section of International Law, Co-Chair of its Financial Engineering for Economic Development (FEED) and International Criminal Court task forces and a former Co-Chair of its International Securities and Capital Markets and U.S. Lawyers Practicing Abroad Committees, an elected member of the American Law Institute and a Life Fellow (Co-Chair, International) of the American Bar Foundation. He also serves on the Steering Committee of the ABA/UNDP International Legal Resource Center, on the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20, as a member of the ABA House of Delegates and as Section of International Law Liaison to the ABA Financial Markets Regulatory Reform task force (Chair, Derivatives Working Group). He studied at Duke University, the London School of Economics and Political Science and Columbia University School of Law, from which he received his J.D. degree with honors in 1978. He is General Editor of the Capital Markets Law Journal (Oxford University Press), a member of the Editorial Board of Derivatives Use, Trading & Regulation, a trustee of the International Bar Association Foundation, Chairman of the LSE Alumni Association and a member of the International Advisory Board of Columbia Law School, the Duke Global Capital Markets Center Advisory Board, the World Legal Forum Advisory Board, the International Lawyers for Africa (ILFA) Advisory Committee and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Local Capital Market Development Legal and Regulatory Assessment Advisory Panel. Recent awards for Jeffrey Golden, his projects and his law firm teams include Best Newcomer 2012 – P.R.I.M.E. Finance (Global Arbitration Review), Derivatives Law Firm of the Year 2009 (RISK), 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 (Derivatives Week); FT Innovative Lawyers Award 2007 (Financial Times); and Capital Markets Team of the Year 1998 (Legal Business). He has topped the rankings for derivatives lawyers and drawn accolades from all leading law firm directories, including, among others, having been hailed as "Mr Derivatives" (Chambers) and "legendary" (Legal 500) and credited with having "written the law on derivatives" (Legal 500). 9

Ernst Hirsch Ballin

Professor of Dutch and European Constitutional Law at Tilburg University and Professor of Human Rights at the University of Amsterdam

Education Born in Amsterdam, December 15, 1950 Meester in de rechten (equivalent to LL.M.) 1974 University of Amsterdam, cum laude

Doctorate 1979 University of Amsterdam, cum laude, dissertation “Publiekrecht en beleid” (Public Law and Public Policy), Alphen aan den Rijn: Samsom

Career 1974-1977 Assistant, Department of Constitutional Law, University of Amsterdam

1977-1981 Policy and legislation advisor, Ministry of Justice

1981-1989 Professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law, Tilburg University

1984-1989 and 1995-2006 Deputy Justice, Centrale Raad van Beroep (Appellate Court for the Public Service and Social Security Law)

1987-1989 Royal Commissioner for the Review of Legislation

1989-1994 Minister of Justice

1994-1995 Member of Parliament (House of Deputies)

1995-2000 Member of Parliament (Senate)

1994-2006 Professor of International Law, Tilburg University

1999-2000 Member of the Convention in charge of drafting the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union

2000-2006 Member of the Council of State

2003-2006 President of the Judicial Division of the Council of State

2005-present Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences

2006-2010 Minister of Justice, 2010 also Minister of Interior

Alexandra Nesterenko

President of the Union of Corporate Lawyers of Russia

Education Graduated with honors from the Faculty of Law, Zhdanov Leningrad State University.

Professional experience After graduating, Alexandra Nesterenko worked as a lawyer in the Leningrad City Bard Association. After an internship in the Paris Bar Association, she worked in the international Law Firm “Gide Loyrette Nouel” in Paris. In May 1992 she opened a branch of this company in St. Petersburg. In 1998 she organized and headed the Legal Department of the branch of international concern “Unilever” in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

Since 2004 – she is a member of the Board of Directors, director of legal support for the company “British American Tobacco Russia”. In 2006, she created and headed the Legal Department of “BNP Paribas Vostok”, the Russian branch of the international bank, as a vice-president on legal matters and corporate relations.

Since 2007 – she is the deputy director-general on legal matters, SC “Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies”, later “ROSNANO”. Since 2005 – she is the President of the non-profit partnership “Association of Corporate Lawyers”.

In 2006, she was awarded by the European Committee on Awards and Prizes under UN, the Order of Catherine the Great “For outstanding service to the people” and for a significant contribution to the international legal community.

In 2010 she was awarded the OKYUR “Success” award in the nomination “Leader of the Year”.

Reinier Nijmeijer

Managing Counsel and Head of Legal Russia at Shell Exploration and Production Services (RF) B.V.

Reinier Nijmeijer studied Law at the University of Utrecht and International Relations at the University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands. He graduated with a Master in Law in 1984 and started as “advocate” with the law firm Stibbe & Blaisse in Amsterdam.

In 1989, he joined Shell International and worked until 1993 with the Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij in The Netherlands. After one year in the Shell Head office in The Hague, he became the Head of Legal for Petroleum Development Oman LLC, where he was, amongst others, extensively involved in (the upstream side of) the Oman LNG Project. In 1998, he joined Shell International in The Hague where he worked as Senior Legal Counsel and Vice President Commercial for the Middle East and Russia. In 2003, he was appointed Regional Counsel for the Middle East, Russia/Caspian and South Asia and based in Dubai. In 2007 he assumed the position of Associate General Counsels for EP New Business Development in The Hague, overseeing the legal support for Shell’s global upstream new business activities. In 2009, he was appointed Associate General Counsel for Russia and Caspian responsible for the legal and contractual support for Shell’s interests in Russia and Caspian region.

In working for Shell, Reinier has been involved in most of the Shell operations and new projects in the Middle East, South Asia, Russia and the CIS. He has traveled extensively within and gained experience with most of the Governments, National Oil Companies and the fiscal and legal systems in use in these regions. In his role as Associate General Counsels for New Business Development he was involved in the full range of Shell’s EP new business activities around the world, ranging from new country entries, acquisitions and divestments and corporate acquisitions. In 2013 as a result of restructuring took a role of Managing Counsel and Head of Legal Russia.

Lyudmila Novoselova

Judge of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation

Education In 1984 she graduated from the Faculty of Law at the Lomonosov Moscow State University.

In 1991 she defended her candidate dissertation on the subject of: “Civil legal means of ensuring discipline in settlements within economic activity.”

In 1997 she defended her doctoral dissertation on the subject of: “Problems of civil regulation of settlement relations.”

Professional experience From 1984 to 1992 – various positions in the State Arbitration of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR).

By resolution of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation #2643-1 on April 2, 1992, she was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation.

She has experience in the legal profession for over 25 years.

She has the highest degree of qualification for a judge.

Distinguished Lawyer of the Russian Federation.

Doctor of Juridical Science, Professor. Author of over 200 scientific publications on civil rights.

Has a departmental award – the Medal “For Services to the judicial system of the Russian Federation” II degree.

Ivo Opstelten

Minister of Security and Justice of the Netherlands

Personal details Full name: Ivo Willem Opstelten Place and date of birth: Rotterdam, 31 January 1944 Place of residence: Rotterdam Civil status: married, four children

Education Secondary school, Emmen 1969: Degree in law, Leiden University

Career After graduating, Ivo Opstelten worked for the municipality of Vlaardingen (1970-1972). He was then Mayor of, successively, Dalen (1972-1977), Doorn (1987-1980) and Delfzijl (1980-1987).

In 1987, Mr Opstelten was appointed Director-General for Public Order and Safety at the Ministry of the Interior. He was Mayor of Utrecht from 1992 to 1997 and Mayor of Rotterdam from 1999 to 2008. He was acting Mayor of Tilburg from 2009 to 2010.

In 2010, from 4 August to 4 September and then again from 13 September to 7 October, Ivo Opstelten was the mediator in the negotiations that resulted in the formation of the Rutte-Verhagen government. From 14 October 2010 to 5 November 2012 he was Minister of Security and Justice in this government.

On 5 November 2012 Ivo Opstelten was appointed Minister of Security and Justice in the Rutte-Asscher government. Party political positions and outside activities

Ivo Opstelten has been vice-chair (1986-1993) and chair (2008-2010) of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). He has also held numerous administrative and public positions, including chair of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities.

Marta Pertegás

First Secretary of The Hague Conference on Private International Law

Marta Pertegás holds a Doctor of Laws degree. She joined the Permanent Bureau in February 2008 as Secretary and focuses on the Hague International Litigation Conventions and other projects related to commercial international law. She became First Secretary in February 2011.

Ms Pertegás studied law at the University of Barcelona, Spain; she completed a Master of Laws and PhD thesis on "Cross-border enforcement of patent rights" at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. From 1 October 2002 to 1 October 2008, Ms Pertegás taught private international law, international and comparative procedural law and World Trade Organization law as a full-time tenured professor at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. She is currently teaching "Law of Global Transactions and Litigation" in Antwerp and is frequently invited to give presentations on the work of the Hague Conference in conferences and seminars. Ms Pertegás has written a large number of publications on private, family and commercial international law.

From 1999 to 2008, Ms Pertegás was a Member of the Bars of Barcelona and Brussels (European Union's roster) and practised part-time of counsel (one day per week). She served as a Consultant in European International Private Law during the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2001. Since 2003, she has been a Member of the Groupe belge de Droit International Privé (which assisted with the development and assessment of the Belgian Code on Private International Law). In addition, Ms Pertegás worked as an ad hoc Consultant for the DG Justice and Home Affairs of the European Commission in relation to the Green Paper on Succession.

Ms Pertegás speaks excellent Dutch, English, French, Spanish (mother-tongue) and Catalan. She has a basic knowledge of German and Italian.

Tsisana Shamlikashvili

President of the Center of Mediation and Law and President of the Russian National Organization of Mediators

Education In 1986 – graduated from Tbilisi Medical Institute.

In 1990 – received a doctor's degree in neurology at Moscow Medical Academy.

In 2004 – received a master's degree in law at Moscow Juridical Institute.

Professional experience In 2005 – founded the Scientific and Methodological Center for Mediation and Law.

Since 2007 – accredited CEDR mediator.

Executive director for the United Mediation Services at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

JAMS fellow.

Hugo Hans Siblesz

Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration

Hugo Hans SIBLESZ

Born March 29, 1948 in The Hague

Married, three children

Law Degree, Free University (Amsterdam)

Foreign languages English, French, German

Professional career

2012 – Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague

2006 – 2012 Director-General for Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1998 – 2001 Deputy Director-General for Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1994 – 1998 Director of the Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1994 Political Counsellor, Permanent Mission to NATO – Brussels

1990 – 1994 Political Counsellor, Netherlands Embassy – Paris

1980 – 1990 Assistant Legal Advisor (i.a. law of the sea, human rights, outer space, disarmament, international organisations, terrorism, drugs), Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1973 – 1980 United Nations Department (i.a. human rights, disarmament, sanctions) Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1971 – 1973 Military service: platoon commander (infantry)

Daan de Snoo

Director of the Netherlands Mediation Institute

Education 1979 – 1982 Erasmus University Rotterdam 1972 – 1978 Leiden University 1966 – 1972 Hugo Grotius

Professional experience 1982–1986 Lawyer in the general practice in Rotterdam

1986–1995 Port related logistical services in Rotterdam

1995–1996 Commercial Executive at Hanno Rotterdam

1996–2007 Deputy Secretary General of the Dutch Bar Association (legal practice, communication, professional rules en quality systems)

Since 2007 CEO Dutch Mediation Institute (NMI)

Member of the board of the foundation for mediation in environmental cases, the board of the foundation for mediation in penal cases and member of the board of trustees of the Center for International Legal Cooperation.

Ruth van der Pol

Court of Appeal Judge at the Court of Appeal Arnhem –Leeuwarden

Education and work Law studies (civil/commercial law) Leiden University 1982-1987, Lawyer (advocate) at Pels Rijcken en Droogleever Fortuijn, The Hague, 1987-1995, Judge at the District Court of Haarlem criminal law (investigating judge) and civil law sections, 1996- 2001, Judge at the District Court of Arnhem, civil law section 2002-2006, Justice at the Court of Appeal, Arnhem, civil law section, 2006 – September 2009, Vice-president at the District Court of Arnhem, civil law section (training young judges and judge in summary proceedings), October 2009- September 2011, Justice at the Court of Appeal of Arnhem-Leeuwarden, civil law section since October 2011

Field of activity Civil law in general, more in particular contract law, corporate law, bankruptcy law, (European) competition law and civil procedure law, both in first instance and in appeal. Apart from this i have a keen interest in, and experience with, human rights (ECHR) related issues.

Other Activities Participant and speaker at the conference on the issue of transparency of justice, St. Petersburg, Russia, November 2002, organised by the Russian NGO ‘Citizens’ Watch (гражданский контроль) in cooperation with Russian military judges. Participant and speaker at the ‘International and Theoretical Conference on the Subject of Judicial Protection of Investments, Ownership and Other Civil Rights dedicated to the 85th anniversary of economic justice in Belarus’, on behalf of the Dutch Judicial Council for the Judiciary and the Dutch Ministery of Foreign Affairs, Minsk, Belarus, October 2007. A 14 day teaching practise at the Smolninsky Court, the Leningrad Oblast Court and the Federal Arbitrazh Court in St. Petersburg, Russia, July 2008. Lecture for students of the St. Petersburg Institute of Law named after ‘Prince Oldenburgsky’ (Санкт-петерьургский институт права имени принца П. Г. Олденьургского) on the issue of ‘Judicial professionalism’, published in новая ютиция, no. 1, 2009 (2). Co-organizer of, and participant in, the Amicus-Curiae Moot-Courts for students in cooperation with the St. Petersburg Institute of Law, held in St. Petersburg, Russia, 2009, 2010 and in 2013. Assistent project coördinator, in coöperation with the Russian NGO Citizens’ Watch (Гражданский контроль) and the St. Petersburg Bar, of the project ‘European Standards in civil and criminal proceedings’ for members of the St. Petersburg Bar (seminar and workshops on several aspects of the role of lawyers in civil and criminal proceedings) in Russia), autumn 2011 - spring 2013. Lecture for students of the St. Petersburg Institute of Law and lawyers on the topic ‘best practises in the analyses of a civil/ commercial law case and do’s and don’ts at the advocates plea before a court of law’, September 2012. Trainer of students participating in the IMC in The Hague in 2013 in cooperation with the St. Petersburg Institute of Law namend after ‘Prince Oldenburgsky’ Expert (Russia) for CILC, Centre for International Legal Coöperation at The Hague. Member of the ‘Centraal Tuchtcollege voor de Gezondheidszorg’ (Disciplinary court for the health care, appeal instance).

Irena Vanenkova

Executive Director of the International Mediation Institute (IMI)

Irena Vanenkova is Executive Director of the International Mediation Institute (IMI).

Irena is a CEDR-Accredited mediator (1998) as well as holder of the MATA advanced mediation certificate. Irena holds the English Tutor Diploma of The Linguistic University in Moscow (1983), a Bachelor of Economics at the Moscow Institute of Business Studies (1997), and a Diploma in Public Relations Management at the Moscow State University (2001).

Irena’s prior career included positions as Commercial Projects Manager – Russia of International Distillers & Vintners Limited (1992-97), Deputy Chief Representative – Russia of CDR International (1997-98), and Public Relations Manager of IKEA Russia (1999-2006). Irena is a Russian citizen.

Huub Willems

Former President of the Dutch Enterprise Court at the Court of Appeal of Amsterdam and Professor of Corporate Litigation at the University of Groningen

Huub Willems (15th August 1944) has been a member of the Court of Appeal in Amsterdam since 1981, serving until 1989 as Justice and as Vice-President thereafter until the 1th of August 2009. From 1990 through 1995, Mr. Willems was the President of the Criminal Division. From the 1th of January 1996 until the 1th of August 2009, he did serve as President of the Netherlands Enterprise Court, a separate and special Court within the Court of Appeal. From the last date onwards he has been appointed as Deputy Justice in the Enterprise Court and in the Court of Appeal.

On the 1th of June 2009 Mr. Willems has been appointed as the fist professor on the newly established chair Corporate Litigation in the Faculty of Law of the University of Groningen.

Mr. Willems is Deputy-Chairman of the Regional Disciplinary Tribunal for Professionals in the Health Care in the Region Groningen.

In addition, he trains judges and takes part in writing legal publications in the Russian Federation, Kyrgyzstan and Georgia. Furthermore, Mr. Willems participates in legislative projects in the Russian Federation, particularly in the field of the Russian Trade Register Act and the Russian Civil Code.

Her Majesty the Queen did appoint Mr. Willems by Royal Decree of March 31, 2005 as Officer in the Order of Orange of Nassau.

Frans van Zoelen

Head of the Legal Department of Havenbedrijf Rotterdam N.V. (Port of Rotterdam Authority) and Legal Counsel of the International Association of Ports and Harbours

Frans van Zoelen is Head of the Legal Department of Havenbedrijf Rotterdam N.V. (Port of Rotterdam Authority) and Legal Counsel of the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH - www.iaphworldports.org). He chairs the Legal Committee of IAPH and is member of the Legal Advisory Committee of the European Seaport Organisation (ESPO - www.espo.be). In the Netherlands he chairs the Dutch Legal Network for Shipping and Transport (DLNST - www.dlnst.nl), and is member of the Board of the Dutch Association for Maritime and Transport Law (NVZV - www.nvzv.nl).

Frans van Zoelen holds a master in civil and public law from Erasmus University Rotterdam and is further specialised in real estate law, company law, competition law and maritime law. Also with a master in Public Administration from the Nederlandse School voor Openbaar Bestuur, his emphasis is on how the public and private sectors interface, a focus essential for safely navigating in complex port and industrial environments.

Frans van Zoelen also is a long-distance runner and a writer of short stories for Dutch and UK literary magazines. He lives in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, together with his wife and son.