Valikhan Shaikenov
“I have accepted the appointment as a VIAC Ambassador with much enthusiasm, as I see VIAC as a logical choice for trade partners from Central Asia and Europe. With bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and the EU surpassing 40 billion euros annually, and sectors like energy, logistics, and infrastructure driving these commercial ties, VIAC offers a neutral, expert forum for resolving cross-border disputes. Its specialization in international cases, along with its transparency and cost-efficiency, makes it well-suited for handling the growing volume of trade-related issues between these regions.”
Valikhan is a Partner at ADL Yeleuov, Shaikenov & Partners. With over 20 years of legal practice, he has worked across various areas as a transactional lawyer, arbitration and litigation counsel, international arbitrator, and law expert.
Valikhan’s expertise lies in civil law, civil procedure, and international commercial and investment arbitration. He has handled cases in diverse sectors such as construction, international trade, energy projects, oil and gas, shareholder disputes, debt restructuring, professional negligence, derivative transactions, insolvency, rehabilitation, tax litigation, and sovereign immunity.
Valikhan serves as a delegate to the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, appointed by ICC Ukraine. Additionally, he holds the role of co-chair of the KazBar Arbitration and Litigation Committee. Valikhan has also been appointed as an arbitrator under the LCIA, SCC, UNCITRAL, and TIAC Rules, serving as a co-arbitrator or sole arbitrator in cases seated in diverse locations such as London, Geneva, Stockholm, Washington, D.C., and Astana. These cases involved different governing laws, including English, Swiss, New York, Russian, and Uzbek laws, with parties originating from the UK, Switzerland, Spain, the US, Uzbekistan, Russia, and Kazakhstan.
Valikhan is a graduate of the ICC Advanced Arbitration Academy for Eastern Europe. He is named a Thought Leader in Arbitration in WWL Global (2023). He has studied and researched in Almaty, Washington, D.C., London, Moscow, Halle, and Berlin (Germany).
He is dividing his working time between Berlin, Almaty, and Astana.