The 20th victor of the ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition is the National University of Singapore, who took first place over Australia’s University of New South Wales in the final mediation session.
In the historic Émile Boutmy Lecture Hall of Sciences Po University in Paris, the final of the 2025 ICC Mediation Competition took place on Saturday, 8 February. It brought participating students together one last time to watch the two teams tackle the final mock mediation problem.
Authored by Rissiane Goulart, a Strategic Commercial and Dispute Resolution Attorney at Goulart & Associados, the scenario focused on unauthorised logging in protected timber harvesting zones. The session was mediated by Andy Rogers, Director of Communications and Mediator at the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution.
The National University of Singapore reached the semi-finals of the Mediation Competition in 2024, while the University of New South Wales had reached the final rounds in previous editions, and won the Competition in 2018 and 2016. Mervyn Lin and TianAo Li represented the National University of Singapore on stage, while teammates Joan Goh and Taesha Tan and coaches Seth Tay and Melvin Loh supported from the audience.
Mr Lin said:
“This week has been a rollercoaster of emotions. We have a huge culture of mediation at our school and we are so excited that we could use everything we have learned during this competition. The final session was intense, we had to really stretch our knowledge because of the strength of the other team, which made it all the more enjoyable. We didn’t expect the win and I want to congratulate the Australian team on their strong performance.”
The ICC Mediation Competition is one of the biggest educational competitions worldwide dedicated exclusively to international commercial mediation. Hosted in Paris from 3-8 February, the 20th edition of the competition this year saw 48 university teams from 32 countries compete to resolve international business disputes through mediation. Guided by professional mediators and administered under the ICC Mediation Rules, over 75 mock mediation sessions took place. In total, over 300 students and professionals took part.
The judges for the final were Raffaella Maria Pileri, Joanna Campos Carvalho, David Lutran, Jody Sin, and Ido Kleinberger.
Mr Kleinberger said:
“This competition is an amazing opportunity for me as a professional and for the students. As mediators, we aspire to look at the problems together instead of looking at each other. The teams did an extraordinary job in trying to find an agreement together while striking the balance to ensure your company’s interests are defended. The session was very true to life: The teams encouraged each other to speak, establishing an open relationship. The call was very close but in the end the Singapore team deserved the win.”
The trophy was awarded by Alexander G. Fessas, Secretary General of the ICC International Court of Arbitration Secretary and Director of ICC Dispute Resolution Services.
He said:
“Mediation is a sign of an advanced level of civilisation and understanding of each other. In ancient Greece, mediation was a way to find a fair solution for each other. Sometimes we forget the lessons of the past to understand the world today. Openness in dispute resolution, but also in trade, is central to understanding how the world operates. Through mediation, we can overcome our differences peacefully.”
The runner-up team from the University of New South Wales consisted of Lihara Delungahawatte, Kyla Rivera, Lina Zaioor, Rhea Baweja, and coaches Anvi Kohli and Steve Lancken.
Ms Delungahawatte said:
“We already have some experience in similar student competitions but this week was really special to us. Not only are we incredibly proud to make it to the final round, the ICC Mediation Competition pushed us to our limits, enabling us to reach our maximal potential. The nights were often short, the mock mediation problems challenging, and the sessions intensive but in the end it was all worth it.”
Re-live all the highlights of the ICC Mediation Competition on X and Facebook by following the official event hashtag, #ICCMW2025. A recording of the final session is also available on the ICC Official YouTube channel @ICCWBO1919.
For more information on ICC mediation services, visit the ICC International Centre for ADR.
