Board of Trustees

Current Positions

• Founder, Houerbi Law Firm
• Board Member, ICC Tunisia
• ICC Court Member
• Board Member, African Arbitration Association
• Court Member, Lagos Chamber of Commerce International Arbitration Centre
• Founder and President, Ifriqya Arbitration Forum

Biography

Sami Houerbi is an attorney and international arbitration practitioner with more than 30 years of experience in arbitration, dispute resolution, construction, energy, and international business law.

He acts regularly since 2006 as Counsel and arbitrator under ad hoc and institutional international arbitrations under the ICC, DIAC, ACIC, ADCCAC, CRCICA and SWISS Rules with proven experience in the implementation procedures of international awards.

He began his legal career in 1992 with French and German law firms in Munich and Paris before founding Houerbi Law Firm, a law firm specializing in international arbitration and alternative dispute resolution.

From 1999 to 2005, he served as Deputy Counsel at the ICC International Court of Arbitration, where he supervised and managed numerous international arbitration proceedings.

From 2005 to 2021, he acted as Director for Arbitration and ADR for the Middle East and Africa at the ICC International Court of Arbitration. During this period, he played a leading role in promoting ICC arbitration and ADR services throughout the MENA and African regions.

Among his major contributions were:

• supporting the establishment of ICC offices and case management teams in the Gulf region;
• promoting the appointment of local arbitrators and arbitration practitioners;
• founding the ICC Arab Group;
• launching the ICC MENA Conference and the ICC Africa Conference;
• creating the ICC Africa Arbitration Commission.

Since 2021, his professional activities have mainly focused on the development of arbitration and ADR in Africa. He actively contributed to the establishment of ICC Tunisia and continues to support arbitration initiatives and institutional development across the continent.

He is Board Member, African Arbitration Association (AfAA) and also the Founder and President of the Ifriqya Arbitration Forum, an organization dedicated to promoting arbitration and ADR practices within the African business community.

Education

• Lawyer at the Tunis Bar
• LL.M., Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
• Postgraduate Diploma in International Law, University Paris II
• Law Degree, Law School Assas- Paris II
• Pre-Law Degree, Saarbrücken University, Germany

Languages

• Arabic
• English
• French
• German