dr hab. Beata Gessel-Kalinowska vel. Kalisz
Założycielka kancelarii Gessel
Member of the Program Council of the Polish Climate Congress
An international arbitrator, founder, and senior partner of the GESSEL law firm, and a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
A renowned international arbitrator and expert in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity/venture capital, and commercial law. She is the senior partner and founder of the GESSEL law firm and the initiator of the GESSEL for Climate working group, which developed the first citizen lawsuits in Poland addressing deficiencies in climate and energy policies. Her academic interests include climate litigation in investment arbitration.
She is a member of advisory bodies and working groups at some of the world's leading arbitration institutions:
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Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague (2024–).
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ICC Committee on Arbitration and ADR at the International Court of Arbitration (2022–).
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Arbitrators' Council of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (2022–).
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She was a member of the International Court of Arbitration at the ICC (2015–2021), contributed to the revision of arbitration rules in the ICDR/AAA Rules Revision Task Force, and participated in the 2024 IBA Task Force for the revision of the IBA Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest in International Arbitration.
She served as the President of the Lewiatan Arbitration Court (2011–2017) and was named its Honorary President in 2017. Additionally, she chairs the Audit Committee of the Polish Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (PSIK) and is a board member of the Polish Association for Arbitration and Mediation.
Her arbitration career is complemented by academic pursuits. In 2023, she joined the Scientific Council of the Institute of Legal Studies at the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN). She is Vice Chair and a trainer in the ICC Advanced Arbitration Academy for CEE (2023–2024), shaping future arbitrators.
She taught international arbitration, M&A transactions, and commercial law at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University (2012–2023). She has also delivered guest lectures at prestigious institutions such as Stockholm University, Humboldt University, the University of Leicester, Queen Mary University of London, and in Paris. She has also participated in the Virtual Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration program of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb).
