The International Court of Arbitration (ICA) promoted its deputy counsel Abhinav Bhushan – the first Indian lawyer to have made it into the ICA – to regional director for South Asia, reported the PTI.

Bhushan will replace Sylvia Tee who leaves the ICA’s parent, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) on 31 March. He will be based in the ICC’s Singapore offices but will travel throughout South Asia.

The ICC has created an India Arbitration Group, presided over by former ICC vice president and senior advocate Ciccu Mukhopadhyay, according to PTI, and is constituted of Indian arbitration practitioners. Bhushan’s appointment follows the creation of this group.

Bhushan told Legally India: “India remains a very important market for the ICC Globally, in 2014, India ranked among the top 10 countries from where ICC arbitrations originated. Additionally, 25% of the ICC cases from South East Asia applied Indian law to the relevant commercial dispute, as required by the contract.”

“Cross-border deals, in particular, are serving as the catalyst for economic expansion in Asia, and especially India. At any stage of the business relationship, a dispute may arise and can, either, be fatal to the relationship, or if resolved efficiently, can help the parties meet their business objectives.”

“ICC arbitration and ADR services serve as the ideal tools to help parties achieve these objectives without having to face unexpected costs. Additionally, the ICC’s unparalleled attention to arbitral procedure strengthens the quality and enforceability of its awards.”

“Ultimately, we are aiming to continue to play a significant role in fostering the economic growth which India aims to achieve.”

Bhushan was based in Paris until this appointment, as one of two deputy counsel hired by the ICA in 2012 as part of its commonwealth team.

He graduated from GLC Mumbai in 2008 and from the Columbia Law School LLM program in 2011. He also worked with Mulla & Mulla in Mumbai.