As one of the most respected events, the Alexander lecture was founded in recognition of the contribution of Mr. John Russell Willis Alexander (1897-1985) to the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Mr. Alexander had dedicated 40 years of service as Council member and was elected President of the Institute of Arbitrators, as it was named at the time. Most recently, drawing from over 28 years of experience in litigation and dispute resolution in the UAE and the GCC counties, Essam Al Tamimi, Senior Partner spoke on the future of arbitration in the Middle East in view of the current political environment where he addressed expert arbitrators from the region and abroad.