Niamh Leinwather
Secretary General,
Vienna International Arbitral Centre of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber
In 2024, we have still not broken the glass ceiling. It is high time that we make real progress. We need to strengthen and support women throughout their careers. Each and every stakeholder has a duty to contribute to closing the gender gap. Unfortunately, international arbitration still has a long way to go before sustainable progress has been made. In my tenure at VIAC gender will play an important role.
I support the IGC Panel Parity Pledge.
I support the IGC gender-based violence pledge.
Personal Commitments
In 2026, I commit to building on the momentum of our previous efforts to address gender imbalance in international arbitration. In 2025, we successfully organised a highly impactful event, The Future of Women in CEE: What Lies Ahead. Considering its success and the positive feedback received, we will organise another dedicated ArbitralWomen event this year in February. This upcoming session will continue to provide a platform for sharing experiences, discussing challenges, and promoting actionable strategies to achieve greater gender parity in the field.
In 2026, I commit to continuing the work under The ADR Wellbeing Toolbox project by organising a dedicated event or pre-recorded session specifically for women in ADR. In 2025, we successfully organised two events under this initiative, though they were not exclusively focused on women. For 2026, the essence remains the same: creating a supportive space for open dialogue, expert insights, and practical strategies to empower women in confidently navigating unique challenges such as fertility, work-life balance, and other personal and professional hurdles.