New Young ICCA Co-chair announced
Name: Nhu-Hoang Tran Thang
Age: 34
Hometown: Lausanne, Switzerland
Current City: Geneva, Switzerland
Current Employer: LALIVE
Education: LL.M, Northwestern University (2009); Master 2 in Litigation, Arbitration and ADR, Paris II Assas University (2008); Master 2 in International and European Economic Law, Paris X Nanterre University (2007); Master in International Business Law, Paris I Sorbonne University (2006); Master in International Relations, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (2005)
How did you get involved in international arbitration? In the last year of my undergraduate studies in international relations, I took the classes of inspiring Professors Brigitte Stern and Jean-Michel Jacquet on the resolution of international economic disputes and State contracts, respectively - definitely a turning point. All of a sudden, I had discovered what my dream career was. International arbitration appeared to me to be a wonderful mix of all the fields I had previously studied: law, economics, and politics. This is probably why I love it so much.
What is your favourite virtue? Self-awareness
What are your favourite qualities in another person? Positivity and open-mindedness
What is your chief characteristic? High energy
What is your main fault? Over-enthusiasm paired with an incapacity to hide it
What is your favourite occupation? Working on my food pictures Instagram account, as it implies either cooking and eating, going out and eating, traveling and eating or just having a good time at home and…eating.
What is your idea of happiness? Family time
What is your idea of misery? Lack of the rule of law (and all that this entails)
If not yourself, who would you be? I would love to be an indoor cat
Where would you like to live? Orange County, California, unfortunately not a major arbitration hub yet, but stay tuned for the first Young ICCA event to be held in Los Angeles in the near future.
Who is your favourite prose author? Franz Kafka
Who is your favourite hero/heroine in fiction? Edmond Dantès aka the Count of Monte Cristo
Who is your hero in real life? Bill Gates, for using his talent and success to carry out an impressive philanthropic mission with Melinda Gates
What historical person do you most dislike? The many untried criminals responsible for massive civilian killings, and I would probably start with Pol Pot
What is your favourite name? Phương (female) or Phúc (male) as Vietnamese names, Jennifer and Nicolas for Western style.
What do you hate the most? Terrorism
What is your natural talent? Connecting people
What is your favourite arbitration-related decision? The decision of the tribunal in the Delagoa Bay arbitration (US and UK v Portugal) of 29 March 1900, an old case but a useful scale to measure the “goingness” of your concern.
Who is your favourite arbitrator? Pierre Tercier
Who is your mentor? I cannot decide between my grandfather and my older sister. They have equally always been my greatest supporters and advisers, both at times of failure and success.
What is your motto? “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have” (Thomas Jefferson)