Dear members of the DIS,
We are very pleased to announce today that Dr Ramona Schardt, LL.M. (Virginia) will take over the office of Secretary General of the DIS starting 1 January 2023.
Dr Schardt is a dispute resolution specialist with 20 years of experience in arbitration, litigation and alternative dispute resolution. As Division Litigation Counsel, Dr Schardt currently manages international arbitrations, litigations, and alternative dispute resolution proceedings of Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co KG in Munich. Previously she was a Senior Legal Counsel in the central litigation department of Siemens AG.
Before joining Siemens Dr. Schardt worked for several years as counsel in the dispute resolution practice group of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP in Frankfurt a.M.
As a member of the drafting committee, Dr Schardt contributed significantly to the revision of the 2018 DIS Arbitration Rules. In addition, she has been an active member of the DIS User Council, contributing the perspectives of the corporate users of arbitration.
Dr Schardt studied law at the Friedrich-Schiller-University in Jena, where she also obtained her PhD. As a Fulbright scholar, she studied at Georgetown University and the University of Virginia, where she received her Master of Laws, as well as at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Dr Schardt’s appointment follows a diligent and comprehensive selection process organised by the Board with support of external executive search consultants and including a one-day assessment centre. She introduced herself and her goals for the DIS in a joint meeting of the Board and Advisory Board of the DIS. Thereafter she was appointed as new Secretary General of DIS by a unanimous vote of the Board.
The Board is very much looking forward to working with Dr Schardt and to jointly continuing the process of reforming the DIS, strengthening the DIS as the leading German dispute resolution institution and developing Germany as a place of arbitration.
Best regards,
The Board of Directors