33 Bedford Row arbitrator, Dr Katherine Simpson, received the CPR International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Diversity in ADR.
"In 2007, the CPR National Task Force on Diversity in ADR created an Award for Outstanding Contribution to Diversity in ADR to recognize a person or organization who has contributed significantly to diversity in the alternative dispute resolution field."
Katherine’s activities and accomplishments in relation to diversity include the following:
In 2020, having found that the EU and Canada had not appointed any women to the Chairpersons roster for the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA), Katherine presented the EU and Canada with a list of 70 qualified women. After a two-year process, the EU signed the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge and created a new process for appointing arbitrators to both trade treaty and investor-state disputes.
Katherine created, with Nancy Thevenin, the “Arbitrators of African Descent” List. Their work yielded a list of more than 120 qualified, diverse arbitrators.
Katherine was a founder and funder of the Ray Corollary Initiative, serving as Vice Chair from 2021 – 2024, and as its second Interim CEO. From 2022-2024, Katherine served as Chair of the American Bar Association’s Women in Dispute Resolution Committee.