Bruneian King’s Counsel and arbitrator Professor Dr Colin Ong KC has been appointed as an Advisor to the GCC Arbitration Centre in Bahrain.
His appointment was announced at a ceremony held ahead of a three-day GCC Law and Arbitration Conference between January 25 and 29, where four other leading international arbitrators and arbitration counsel from the Middle East, France, the United Kingdom and the United States were also appointed. Dr Ong is the only Asian named as an advisor to the Centre.
The conference focused on the accelerating growth of foreign direct investment into Saudi Arabia and GCC countries, particularly amid major construction sector expansion, alongside discussions on modernising legal frameworks to support investment.
During the event, Dr Ong shared his experience as an international arbitrator and lead counsel in cross-border disputes, as well as his leadership roles across arbitration institutions.
He currently serves as President of the Arbitration Association Brunei Darussalam and holds positions including Chairman of the International Advisory Boards of the Thailand Arbitration Center and the Japan Institute for International Arbitration Research and Training. He is also a member of China’s Supreme People’s Court International Commercial Expert Committee, a board member of the Vienna International Arbitration Centre and Borneo International Centre for Arbitration and Mediation, and Deputy Chairperson of the Sarawak Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Dr Ong was a founding board member of Cambodia’s National Commercial Arbitration Centre and has assisted governments in drafting arbitration legislation, including Brunei Darussalam’s Arbitration Order 2009 and International Arbitration Order 2009.