Thought Leaders

Diana Akikol has been practising as an arbitration specialist for over 13 years. She has a particular focus on disputes arising out of sales, M&A, shareholder agreements, joint ventures, large construction and engineering projects, and agency agreements, as well as licence and distribution agreements.

Diana has also extensive experience as an arbitrator, having sat as president, co-arbitrator and sole arbitrator in over 30 proceedings.

Both as counsel and arbitrator, Diana has been involved in ad hoc (including UNCITRAL) and administered arbitrations (under the ICC, Swiss, LCIA and DIS Rules) governed by various arbitration acts and substantive laws.

In 2018, Diana was ranked second on the Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration – Future Leaders' list of the most highly regarded arbitration practitioners in Europe aged under 45 (partner section).

Diana serves on the ICC National Committee and on the ICC Arbitration Commission. She is a member of the Court of the Swiss Chambers’ Arbitration Institution (SCAI), the Board of the Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA) and the International Advisory Board of the Vienna International Arbitration Centre (VIAC).

Diana regularly speaks and publishes in her field, including on setting aside proceedings in Switzerland. She has published a book on the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and co-authored a commentary on the CISG.

Diana obtained a law degree from the University of Fribourg and a PhD, both summa cum laude, and was admitted to the bar in 2002, ranked first of her class. She worked as a law clerk for the High Court of Berne, before specialising in arbitration with a national law firm (2007–2014). She continued her practice as a co-founder of a Geneva-based boutique firm (2014–2020), before joining Walder Wyss as a partner in 2020.

Diana is fluent in German, English and French.

Diana Akikol has been practising as an arbitration specialist for over 13 years. She has a particular focus on disputes arising out of sales, M&A, shareholder agreements, joint ventures, large construction and engineering projects, and agency agreements, as well as licence and distribution agreements.

Diana has also extensive experience as an arbitrator, having sat as president, co-arbitrator and sole arbitrator in over 30 proceedings.

Both as counsel and arbitrator, Diana has been involved in ad hoc (including UNCITRAL) and administered arbitrations (under the ICC, Swiss, LCIA and DIS Rules) governed by various arbitration acts and substantive laws.

In 2018, Diana was ranked second on the Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration – Future Leaders' list of the most highly regarded arbitration practitioners in Europe aged under 45 (partner section).

Diana serves on the ICC National Committee and on the ICC Arbitration Commission. She is a member of the Court of the Swiss Chambers’ Arbitration Institution (SCAI), the Board of the Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA) and the International Advisory Board of the Vienna International Arbitration Centre (VIAC).

Diana regularly speaks and publishes in her field, including on setting aside proceedings in Switzerland. She has published a book on the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and co-authored a commentary on the CISG.

Diana obtained a law degree from the University of Fribourg and a PhD, both summa cum laude, and was admitted to the bar in 2002, ranked first of her class. She worked as a law clerk for the High Court of Berne, before specialising in arbitration with a national law firm (2007–2014). She continued her practice as a co-founder of a Geneva-based boutique firm (2014–2020), before joining Walder Wyss as a partner in 2020.

Diana is fluent in German, English and French.
With around 240 legal experts, Walder Wyss is one of the most successful and fastest growing Swiss commercial law firms, with offices in Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Berne, Lausanne and Lugano. The firm specialises in corporate and commercial law, banking and finance, intellectual property and competition law, dispute resolution and tax law. Clients include national and international companies, publicly held corporations and family businesses as well as public law institutions and private clients.