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Meet the Arbitrators

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Go Filter by Type: All Quality Arbitrator Technical Arbitrator Filter by Country: AllBrazilChinaGermanyGreeceHong KongIndiaNetherlandsSingaporeSwitzerlandTurkiyeUnited KingdomUnited States Of America Sort Results: Country Surname (A-Z)

• Mr Alfredo Cucala

  Quality Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: English, Portuguese

  Cucala Consultoria EireliBrazil

  T: 55 66 9624 2403

  E:

• Ms Rongmin Guo

  Technical Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: English, Chinese

  Beijing Cotton Outlook Consulting Co LtdChina

  T: 86 108 808 6622 Ext 821

  E:

  LinkedIn Profile

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  2014.

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Technical.

• Mr Feng Du

  Technical Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: Chinese, English

  Changzhou Keteng Textile Co LtdChina

  T: 86 130 6136 8960

  E:

  LinkedIn Profile

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  2009.

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Technical Arbitrator.

  Company name (name of company you work for during the day when not arbitrating)

  Changzhou Keteng Textile Co Ltd, China

  ICA Committee/Board experience

  Former member of ICA Rules Committee. Current member of China Country Focus Group.

• Mr Fritz Grobien

  Technical & Quality Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: English, German

  Albrecht, Mueller-Pearse & Co Trade (GmbH & Co) KGGermany

  T: 49 421 80713935

  E:

  

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  Over 20 years, starting arbitrating in 2003.

  Experience

  30 years’ experience in cotton trading. President of the Bremen Cotton Association. Chairman CICCA. Member of EU Cotton Advisory Group.

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Quality and Technical.

  Company name (name of company you work for during the day when not arbitrating)

  Albrecht, Mueller-Pearse & Co. Trade.

  ICA Committee/Board experience

  President of ICA, 10 years LCA/ICA Board experience, various committees. Former ASC member.

• Mr Axel Trede

  Technical Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: English, German

  Cotton Service International GmbHGermany

  T: 49 421 363 1033

  E:

  

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  2005.

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Technical.

  Company name (name of company you work for during the day when not arbitrating)

  Cotton Service International GmbH.

  ICA Board / Committee Experience

  Member of ASC

• Mr Josep Barderi Torm

  Technical & Quality Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: English, Catalan, French, Greek, Spanish

  Josep BarderiGreece

  T: 30 69807 03555

  E:

  

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  2010.

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Quality and Technical.

  Experience

  25 years’ experience in cotton trade. Current Vice-President of the Centro Algodonero Nacional – Spain.

  ICA Committee/Board experience

  Member of ICA Rules Committee and Arbitration Strategy Committee.

• Mr Kevin (Zhiwei) XUE

  Technical Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: Chinese, English

  Newcrop (HK) International Trading Co LtdHong Kong

  T: 86 18600986100

  E:

  

  Experience:

  20 years experience in cotton trade 12 years experience in textile export / fabric import Started arbitrating in 2023 Kevin Xue has profound expertise and experiences in international cotton trade, having worked with both American and Chinese key merchants, including Weilbros Cotton Inc, China National Cotton Group Corporaton (CNCGC), and Xingyu (Hebei) Textile Raw Materials Co Ltd for the past eighteen years. His positions ranged from front line sales manager to senior management roles as general manager. Kevin’s experiences with Weilbros included working for diverse international branch offices in the UK, Australia, Brazil and France. This helped him establish in-depth knowledge of the cotton and textile industry from the seller’s perspective. He has particularly gained a strong sense of how the Chinese buyers make purchase decisions under China’s regulatory framework in the context of global cotton supply chain, as well as cross-cultural client communication and services. Working with CNCGC and Xingyu enabled him to further understand the cotton good trade practices from buyer’s perspective, including the state-owned enterprises (SOE) and private-owned enterprices (POE). He gained insight into the impacts of China’s policies on balancing between domestic and international cotton supplies. Kevin currently is a member of the ICA Rules Committee, ICA Ambassador, on the panel of experts of cotton industry in Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG) since 2014. He also was a member of non-executive ICA Arbitration Strategy Committee and a member of the ICA Code of Conduct Working Group. He attended the ICA Complete Cotton and ACSA Memphis Cotton School in 2006 and 2017 respectively.

  Languages spoken:

  Chinese/English, fluent

  Email:

  [email protected]

• Mr Mohan Anish Koundanya

  Technical Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu

  Global Business SolutionsIndia

  T: 91 4442649411

  E:

  LinkedIn Profile

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  2025

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Technical

  Experience

  15 years’ experience in cotton trading. ICA Bremen Quality Expert Qualified Cotton Classer for ELS/GIZA, CATGO, Egypt

  Company name (name of company you work for during the day when not arbitrating)

  Global Business Solutions, India

• Mr Andrew Kelley

  Technical Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: English, French

  ED&F Man Cotton BVNetherlands

  T: 31 20 7540196

  E:

  

  ICA Board Experience

  Past Director and Treasurer of the ICA

• Mr Nick Hungate

  Technical Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: English

  R1 International Pte LtdSingapore

  T: 44 7703 393398

  E:

  

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  30 years.

  Qualifications

  BA (Hons).

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Technical.

  Company name (name of company you work for during the day when not arbitrating)

  R1 International Pte Ltd

  ICA Committee/Board experience details

  Chairman of Arbitration Strategy Committee and former Director of the ICA. .

• Mr Bill Ballenden

  Technical Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: English, French

  Louis Dreyfus Company Suisse SASwitzerland

  T: 41 58 688 2607

  E:

  

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  2000.

  Experience

  18 years’ experience of technical arbitration. Bill started his career as a trainee trader with Cargill. He has lived and traded cotton in Africa, India and China and headed Asia and the European and Black Sea regions for Louis Dreyfus, before starting his own company in 2018. Fully fluent in French, Bill is an English native language speaker.

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Technical.

  Company name (name of company you work for during the day when not arbitrating)

  Dragontree.

  ICA Committee/Board experience details

  Former Board member of the International Cotton Association Ltd 2003 to 2007. Former member of ASC and Rules Committee.

• Mr Pierre Chehab

  Technical Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: English, French

  Louis Dreyfus Company Suisse SASwitzerland

  T: 41 58 6882596

  E:

  

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  Started arbitrating in 2003.

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Technical.

  Company name (name of company you work for during the day when not arbitrating).

  Louis Dreyfus Company Suisse SA

  ICA Committee/Board experience details

  ICA Vice-President. Member of both the ICA and BCI Board. Member of ASC. Former Member of ICA Rules Committee and Values differentials.

• Mr Tim North

  Technical Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: English, French, Spanish, basic knowledge Portuguese

  Tim North ConsultingSwitzerland

  T: 41 79 554 5726

  E:

  

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  Tim began his cotton career in 1978 with Weil Brothers-Cotton Inc and joined ECOM Cotton Group in 2009 where he is currently Co-CEO of ECOM USA. Tim is a past President of the Western Cotton Shippers Association and is Vice Chairman of the American Cotton Shippers Association. Tim also serves on the board of the National Cotton Council of America. Tim started arbitrating in 1995.

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Technical.

  Company name (name of company you work for during the day when not arbitrating)

  ECOM USA.

  ICA Committee/Board experience details

  Past ICA President. Member of ICA Board. Member of ICA Pool of Chairmen. Tim serves on both the Arbitration Strategy Committee and previously served on the ICA Rules Committee.

  Languages

  English, French, Spanish, basic knowledge Portuguese

• Ms Minji (Maggie) Zhai

  Technical Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: Chinese, English

  Louis Dreyfus Company Suisse SASwitzerland

  T: 41 58 688 2700

  E:

  LinkedIn Profile

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  2016.

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Technical Arbitrator.

  Company name (name of company you work for during the day when not arbitrating)

  Louis Dreyfus Company Suisse SA.

  Experience

  ICA arbitrator. 15+ years’ experience in cotton trading platform with Louis Dreyfus Company, including 5 years in Louis Dreyfus China.

• Mr Leon Picon

  Quality Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: English, Turkish

  Orta Anadolu Ticaret ve Sanayi Isletmesi TASTurkiye

  T: 90 212 315 3200

  E:

  

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  2014

  Experience

  Leon has worked for Orta Anadolu since 1999, responsible for cotton buying. Leon is Founder and current Chairman of IPUD (Good Cotton Practices Association - Strategic Partner of BCI in Turkey) and is a Board member of National Cotton Council of Turkey.

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Full Quality Arbitrator, Probationary Technical Arbitrator.

  ICA Committee/Board experience details

  Leon is a current board member of ICA Ltd since 2016, a member of ICA Rules Committee and a member of ICA Cotton Consumers Committee.

• Mr Jim Beard Jr

  Quality Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: English

  Cargill Cotton LimitedUnited Kingdom

  T: 44 151 242 7500

  E:

  

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  10 years.

  Experience

  James has been involved in the cotton industry for 21 years . The first 9 years with Wakefield Inspection Services Ltd and then with Cargill Cotton Ltd for the past 12 years . James has been an ICA member for 20 years

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Quality arbitrator

  Company name (name of company you work for during the day when not arbitrating).

  Cargill Cotton Ltd

  ICA Committee/Board experience details

  James has been a member of the ICA Quality committees for 18 years and Chairman for the last 5. James has been a member of the ICA Value Differences committee for the last 10 years and is a current member of the ICA Quality Arbitration Strategy Committee.

• Mr Chris Williams

  Technical Arbitrator

  Liverpool Cotton Brokers LimitedUnited Kingdom

  T: 44 7429 432176

  E:

  

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  2015.

  Qualifications and experience

  15 years’ experience in the cotton industry working for Plexus and Cargill including a five-year spell in Shanghai. Now a partner in an independent commodity consultant based in Liverpool, UK.

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Technical.

  Company name (name of company you work for during the day when not arbitrating)

  Liverpool Cotton Brokers Ltd

  ICA Committee/Board experience details

  ICA Board member and former member of ICA Rules Committee. Past member of ICA Arbitration Strategy Committee.

• Mr Richard Pollard

  Technical Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: English, Portuguese

  Pan Asia Services LtdUnited Kingdom

  T: 44 78887 37375

  E:

  

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  31 years, starting arbitrating in 1994.

  Professional Qualifications

  Fellow SIArb - Singapore Institute of Arbitrators. Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Quality and Technical.

  Company name (name of company you work for during the day when not arbitrating)

  Pan Asia Services Ltd, United Kingdom

  ICA Committee/Board experience

  Former member of Board of Directors ICA. Former Chairman ICA Rules Committee. Member of Arbitration Strategy Committee.

• Mr David Adcroft

  Technical Arbitrator

  Languages Spoken: English

  David Adcroft Arbitration and Consultancy Services LimitedUnited Kingdom

  T: 44 7490 437121

  E:

  LinkedIn Profile

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  2017.

  Experience:

  David has over 35 years' experience in cotton merchanting , having started his career with Bunge Ltd Liverpool in 1975. David then moved to Bunge N.V. Antwerp for 4 years and then worked for 10 years with Allenberg Cotton Co. in Memphis TN. David has served 15 years as Director of Louis Dreyfus Cotton International N.V. in Antwerp Belgium and 8 years as a Director with Louis Dreyfus Suisse S.A.in Geneva Switzerland.

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Technical.

  ICA Committee/Board experience:

  David is a Past President of ICA (2008/09) and has served on Board of Directors for 10 years as well as various committees.

• Mr Andrew Hursthouse

  Technical Arbitrator

  inHOUSE Commodity ConsultingUnited Kingdom

  T: 44 7748973188

  E:

  

  When did you start arbitrating or length of arbitration career?

  20+ years ago

  Experience

  1994-2018: Cotton Merchant, Trader & Risk Manager. Trading Director of Cargill Cotton UK. Platform Risk Manager for Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain. 2018-current: Commodity Consultant: inHOUSE Commodity Consulting Ltd.

  Type of arbitrations you’ve done and do i.e. are you a quality and/or technical arbitrator?

  Technical

  Company name (name of company you work for during the day when not arbitrating)

  inHOUSE Commodity Consulting Ltd

  ICA Committee/Board experience details

  Past President 2008. Former Board member/Arbitration Strategy Committee Member/Rules Committee Member. Current member of ASC.

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