HKA is proud to be a Platinum Sponsor of the 2nd ICC Tokyo Arbitration Day which is taking place on 23 April 2024.
HKA Experts Dr. Kourosh Kayvani, Jonathan Ellis, and Regional CEO Benjamin Highfield are looking forward to attending the conference where experts and legal practitioners will discuss the latest developments in international arbitration in North Asia.
HKA speaker at the conference
Benjamin Highfield
Partner, Regional CEO, Asia Pacific
E: benjaminhighfield@hka.com
Benjamin Highfield is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a claims and disputes specialist at HKA. He has more than 15 years’ major project experience in the construction industry, spanning buildings, transportation infrastructure, oil and gas, power and water markets. Additionally, he regularly advises clients on commercial and contractual matters, as well as claims management and dispute resolution.
Benjamin has led teams on multiple oil and gas, water and power projects and has negotiated high value settlements with major governmental organisations. With his extensive experience of many of the major standard forms of contract, he has been employed by government bodies and large private companies to advise on a range of broad and diverse matters.
Benjamin is an experienced delay and quantum analyst and has prepared multiple claims for extension of time, disruption, prolongation and acceleration. He has drafted detailed contractual arguments for disputed variations, termination, suspension and arbitration amongst others. He is a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Meet our Experts who will be present at the conference
Dr. Kourosh Kayvani
Partner, Head of Forensic Technical Services, Asia Pacific
E: KouroshKayvani@hka.com
Dr. Kourosh Kayvani is a Chartered Professional Engineer with over 30 years of experience. He has been appointed as a technical expert, and supported the named expert, on numerous occasions.
Kourosh has been cross-examined in litigation and has delivered expert reports for disputed projects and structural failures in long-span roofs and industrial processes and infrastructure.
Kourosh’s experience spans academia, expert advisory, expert witness roles, and engineering practise. He has played leading roles in the design and delivery of many innovative, complex, and award-winning projects across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the UK, the Middle East, and Africa. His project portfolio includes Wembley Stadium in London, West Kowloon Terminus in Hong Kong, 5 Martin Place commercial tower and Bankwest Stadium in Sydney, ANSTO OPAL nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights near Sydney, and Melbourne Star Observation Wheel, amongst many others.
Kourosh’s expertise involves structural analysis, design and construction engineering of sports stadia, tall buildings, cable-supported structures and bridges, long-span roofs, telecommunication towers, and impact-resistant and vibration sensitive facilities. He has specialised experience in finite element analysis (FEA), wind engineering, aseismic design, fatigue assessment, and development of design codes and standards.
Kourosh is a fellow, and board director, of Engineers Australia, a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, an adjunct professor at the University of Sydney’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and a board director at the Australian Steel Institute. He has received numerous awards and plaudits for his structural engineering prowess, with particular emphasis on his contribution to long-span structures worldwide. Kourosh has also served as member of Standards Australia’s code committees for concrete structures (AS3600) and wind loads (AS1170.2) for many years.
Jonathan Ellis
Partner, Forensic Accounting and Commercial Damages, HKA
E: JonathanEllis@hka.com
Jonathan Ellis is a forensic accountant with nearly two decades of experience and specialises in both the quantification of damages and valuations, in particular in dispute contexts. He has worked on matters before the UK and Singapore High Courts as well as in ad hoc, SIAC, LCIA, ICC, HKIAC, UNCITRAL and ICSID arbitration forums. He has provided oral testimony on a dozen occasions, in both court and arbitration, and has been engaged as a tribunal appointed expert.
Jonathan has advised and supported clients in mergers and acquisitions transactions, corporate restructuring, financial reporting, and expert determination. He is experienced across multiple sectors including energy, power, pharmaceutical, mining, and manufacturing. His consulting experience also includes advising utility suppliers in the Middle East, in respect of both water and power.
Since 2017, Jonathan has been recognised among the leading arbitration expert witnesses worldwide by Who’s Who Legal, where he has been classified as a “Global Elite Thought Leader” and a “National Leader” in the inaugural Southeast Asia Arbitration list.
Jonathan holds a master’s in accounting and management science and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Asia Pacific Institute of Experts. He is a member of the Association of International Energy Negotiators and the thought leadership group of the Singapore ICC Arbitration Group.
If you have any questions, please write to AsiaPacific@hka.com.
