Merilampi’s Managing Partner and Partner in our dispute resolution practice Heidi Merikalla-Teir has been appointed as Chair of the Board of the Arbitration Institute of the Finland Chamber of Commerce (FAI) for a three-year term starting as of 1 January 2022.

Chairmanship of the FAI Board is a position of trust. Merikalla-Teir will continue in her role as the Managing Partner of Merilampi and Partner in the dispute resolution practice, in which role she mainly concentrates on serving as an arbitrator and a mediator in domestic and international commercial disputes.

Merikalla-Teir may continue serving as an arbitrator in arbitration proceedings conducted under the FAI Rules as the Chair and the members of the FAI Board may be appointed as arbitrators by one or more of the parties or by party-nominated arbitrators. The Chair and the members of the FAI Board may also serve as arbitrators in arbitration proceedings governed by the rules of other arbitral institutions and in ad hoc arbitrations.

During 2015-2019, Merikalla-Teir worked as the Secretary General of the FAI and as a Director at the Finland Chamber of Commerce heading its Dispute Resolution Services. Therefore, she is familiar with the FAI’s activities.

"I am grateful for the trust the Finland Chamber of Commerce has shown in me by the appointment. It is a privilege to continue working for Finnish arbitration and the FAI. The FAI Secretariat under the direction of the Secretary General Sanna Kaistinen is doing excellent work, which we at the FAI Board will support in our role", Heidi Merikalla-Teir states.

You may read the Finland Chamber of Commerce’s press release on the composition of the FAI Board here.

The FAI Board renders decisions as provided for under the FAI Rules. The Board appoints arbitrators to domestic and international arbitrations, and administers proceedings conducted under its Arbitration Rules or Expedited Arbitration Rules. The FAI can also act as appointing authority under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. Moreover, the FAI administers proceedings conducted under its Mediation Rules. The Board is assisted in its work by the Secretariat, which is responsible for the administrative tasks relating to the arbitration proceedings conducted under the Rules. The Secretariat works under the direction of the Secretary General.