London International Disputes Week (LIDW) has appointed Quadrant Chambers chief operating officer Sarah Longden and Stewarts partner Sherina Petit as board members.
The duo replace outgoing members Ben Giaretta of Fox Williams and Emily Morris of 7 King’s Bench Walk.
Longden was promoted to COO in 2024 after seven years as Quadrant’s business development director. During that time, she established strong partnerships with senior clerk Simon Slattery and Poonam Melwani KC, the head of chambers. In addition to her time at Quadrant, Longden’s 30 years’ experience in the legal sector includes stints at St Philips’ Stone Chambers, 11 Stone Buildings and legacy DJ Freeman (now Locke Lord). She also holds an MBA.
She has been an active member of LIDW’s strategy group since it was launched and instrumental in driving the organisation’s global outreach, with successive iterations reaching new audiences and setting new attendance records since the pandemic.
Longden said: “It has been a pleasure to have been involved with LIDW since its inception. Having supported the evolution of LIDW’s marketing, data use and engagement with its members, the organisation looks very different from where it started. I am looking forward to continuing my involvement and guiding LIDW through the next period of exciting change.”
Petit is a dispute resolution partner at Stewarts, where she heads the firm’s international arbitration department and leads its India practice. She joined from Norton Rose Fulbright in 2023 after 15 years at that firm, with experience spanning commercial litigation, mediation and international arbitration.
The latter is a key focus for LIDW – especially its signature Arbitration Day, this year to be held at 3 Verulam Buildings, Gibson Dunn and Debevoise & Plimpton.
Petit said she was pleased to join the board, noting London’s role as a global disputes hub was “more important than ever”. She added: “Having worked on numerous complex, cross-border disputes, I have seen the continued strength and influence of English law in practice,” while promising to promote LIDW internationally across its tripartite focus on arbitration, litigation and mediation.
Giaretta and Morris, meanwhile, have supplied much-needed experience to LIDW and, alongside LIDW chair Richard Bamforth, who heads up the international arbitration group at CMS, were responsible for LIDW’s post-pandemic refresh. That included an enhanced website, improved branding, stronger event management and increased outreach.
Giaretta is also chair of the board of trustees at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, while Morris is director of marketing and business development at 7KBW.
Bamforth said the new appointments reflected “LIDW’s continued evolution as a mature, substantive institution with a global presence through its international community”.
He added: “Both exemplify the calibre of leaders committed to positioning London as a centre of global excellence for legal services and innovation – principles that sit at the heart of LIDW26.”
Bamforth thanked Giaretta and Morris for their “immense contributions” to LIDW, adding: “Both were instrumental in its inception and evolution into becoming a preeminent gathering of the global disputes community.”
LIDW26 takes place in London from 1-5 June. The Global Legal Post is a media partner and participating member of LIDW and will be hosting a series of round tables as part of the week.
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