DRBF Hosts Second Industry Stakeholders Roundtable in Washington, DC

Education & Training
16 Jul 2025

In May 2025, the Dispute Resolution Board Foundation (DRBF), in partnership with the Confederation of International Contractors’ Associations (CICA), hosted its second Industry Stakeholders Roundtable at Venable LLP’s offices in Washington, DC. The event brought together more than 30 participants representing 16 leading institutions with a shared commitment to advancing the Dispute Board (DB) process across sectors and regions.

This roundtable builds on the success of the inaugural 2024 gathering, where stakeholders from legal and ADR institutions, engineering and contractor associations, and funding agencies convened to exchange ideas and identify new opportunities for collaboration. One of the key initiatives born out of that initial meeting was the formation of a working group focused on identifying factors that may reduce the efficiency and effectiveness of Dispute Boards, and proposing practical, implementable solutions. The result of that effort was the launch of a new paper titled: “Enhanced Efficiency Increases Value of Dispute Boards: Addressing Practical Challenges Faced During DB Implementation with Recommendations for Improvement.” The paper was officially unveiled at this year’s roundtable.

The event featured insightful presentations from industry leaders including:

  • Catherine Karakatsanis, President, and Daduna Kokhreidze, General
    Counsel, of FIDIC – International Federation of Consulting Engineers
  • Peter Higgins, Chairman, NEC4 Contract Board, and Rekha Thawrani,
    Director, NEC Contracts Global
  • David Kassebaum, General Counsel, Millennium Challenge Corporation
  • Fanny Dastague, Director General, CICA
  • Ann Russo, Executive Director, DRBF


Participants also took part in small group discussions, focusing on actionable strategies to enhance the implementation and impact of Dispute Boards in achieving better project outcomes. The roundtable served as the capstone to a weeklong series of strategic meetings between senior DRBF leadership and key personnel at major development banks based in Washington, DC. These engagements aimed to deepen collaboration and reinforce the importance of effective Dispute Board practices in bank-funded infrastructure projects.

The DRBF extends its sincere thanks to all participants for their engagement, and to the
organizing team for their strategic vision and continued commitment to advancing the
use of Dispute Boards worldwide.