Organising Committee
Vienna
University of Vienna
Juridicum
Natascha Tunkel
Organising Committee (IBA)
Natascha Tunkel is a highly accomplished lawyer and mediator with over fifteen years of experience in complex dispute resolution. She advises clients across all stages of proceedings, from initiation to enforcement, with a focus on commercial disputes in sectors such as technology, life sciences, energy, engineering, and intellectual property. Her academic background in procedural and insolvency law, paired with her practical expertise, makes her especially effective in multi-forum disputes. Recognized for her strategic insight and commercial acumen, Natascha acts as counsel, arbitrator, and mediator, delivering clear and pragmatic solutions even in the most challenging cases. She leads KNOETZL’s investigations team, bringing strong analytical skills and experience in asset tracing and data forensics to high-stakes matters. As a mediator, her calm, impartial approach and ability to distill complex issues into actionable strategies consistently achieve strong outcomes. She serves on the VIAC Mediation Advisory Board and as Vice Chair of the IBA Mediation Committee.
Nikolaus Pitkowitz
Organising Committee (VIAC)
Nikolaus Pitkowitz is the founding partner and head of dispute resolution at Pitkowitz & Partners, Vienna, and Vice-President of VIAC. He holds law degrees from the University of Vienna (JD and PhD) and the University of Sankt Gallen, Switzerland (MBL) and is also qualified and certified as a Mediator. Dr. Pitkowitz has been practising law since 1985. His practice, which has always been very international with a strong focus on CEE, initially mainly comprised transactional work in the fields of Real Estate and M&A and soon expanded to international dispute resolution. Nikolaus Pitkowitz is considered one of the preeminent Austrian dispute resolution practitioners.
Elisabeth Vanas-Metzler
Organising Committee (VIAC)
Elisabeth Vanas-Metzler joined the VIAC Secretariat in October 2017. As of January 2018, she served as Deputy Secretary General of VIAC; since September 2025, she has been Managing Counsel at VIAC. Elisabeth Vanas-Metzler studied law at Vienna University (Mag. iur. 2003, Dr. iur. 2008), Geneva University (2002), and Harvard Law School (LL.M. 2007). She served as a research assistant at the Department for Business and Commercial Law at the Law Faculty of Vienna University. Later, she worked with renowned international law firms in Vienna (Austria) and Bogotá (Colombia), first as an associate and then as an attorney-at-law; her practice focused on international dispute resolution. Elisabeth Vanas-Metzler has been very active in this field, including publications, lectures, and memberships. She speaks German and English.
James Claxton
Organising Committee (IBA)
James Claxton is a mediator and ombudsperson specialist with the Office of the Ombudsman for United Nations Funds and Programmes. He began my career as an attorney with international law firms in Paris before serving as legal counsel at the World Bank in Washington. More recently, he worked as a mediator, arbitrator, and academic based in Japan. Altogether, James has more than 15 years of experience in international dispute resolution.
Joan Stearns Johnsen
Organising Committee (IBA)
Joan Stearns Johnsen has over thirty years of experience mediating and arbitrating commercial matters with special expertise with financial and corporate disputes. Prof. Johnsen teaches Mediation Advocacy, Negotiation, and Arbitration at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and is the Director of the law school’s Institute for Dispute Resolution. Prof. Johnsen is Co-chair of the Mediation Committee of the IBA, a past Chair of the ABA’s Section of Dispute Resolution, and a Council Member of the Council of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution („CPR“).