Irish lawyer Niamh Leinwether is to take over as Secretary General of the Vienna International Arbitration Centre (VIAC).

UCD graduate Leinwether, a principal associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Vienna, begins the job in the new year.

She succeeds Alice Fremuth-Wolf, who is moving to Swiss disputes funder Nivalion.

First Irish woman 

Niamh Leinwether, who speaks fluent German, is the only Irishwoman so far to be admitted to the Austrian Bar.

She has been with Freshfields’ international arbitration group in Vienna since 2010, working on post M&A, construction, and energy disputes.

Leinwether previously worked with DLA Piper and is trained in both common law and civil law.

Greener arbitration

Earlier this year, VIAC launched its investment arbitration and mediation rules, along with an electronic case-management system, to promote greener arbitration.

VIAC is also licensed for work in Russia.