18 August 2025 – Singapore
The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (“SIAC”) announced the appointment of Mr Samuel Leong as Deputy Registrar, effective 18 August 2025. Mr Leong rejoined SIAC in March 2023 as Supervising Counsel, having previously served at the SIAC Secretariat from 2012 to 2014. Prior to his return, he practised international arbitration in the Singapore office of a leading global law firm, acting as both arbitration counsel and arbitrator.
Recognised internationally for his expertise, Mr Leong has been named a Global Elite Thought Leader by the Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal), included in the Legal 500 International Arbitration Powerlist for Southeast Asia and recognised as a Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer. He has been described as “one of the leaders of the next generation” and commended for his “impeccable knowledge of arbitration” and “deep understanding of arbitral institutions”.
Mr Leong holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Malaya and a Master of Laws (LLM) from Columbia University School of Law, where he studied as a Fulbright and Harlan Fiske Stone scholar. He is admitted to the Malaysian Bar, fluent in Bahasa Melayu and conversant in Mandarin Chinese.
Commenting on the appointment, Ms Gloria Lim, Chief Executive Officer of SIAC, said:
“Having worked closely with Samuel, we are pleased to see him take on the role of Deputy Registrar. His dedication and expertise will be invaluable as he joins Vivek, our Registrar, in leading the SIAC Secretariat. I have no doubt they will steer the SIAC Secretariat to greater heights of excellence.”
The SIAC Secretariat currently comprises 17 lawyers qualified across 13 jurisdictions. In the coming months, the Secretariat is expected to welcome new appointments across multiple seniority levels.
The full press release is available here.