Dr. Matthew Secomb
Biography
Overview
Matthew Secomb is the Head of the International Arbitration practice in Asia-Pacific. He focuses on international arbitration, with a particular emphasis on energy-related and construction disputes.
Faced with complex proceedings where billions can be at stake, clients look to Matthew for his cutting-edge advocacy skills and essential insider know-how.
Matthew spent nearly ten years in White & Case's Paris office before moving to Singapore in 2015. Prior to joining White & Case in 2006, Matthew worked as counsel to the ICC International Court of Arbitration, where he oversaw hundreds of arbitrations in a wide array of industries and territories. This background has given Matthew a deep insight into ICC arbitration practice.
He has been listed as one of the top Asia-Pacific based lawyers in Who's Who Legal: Global Elite Thought Leaders – Arbitration. Matthew is also listed across WWL Arbitration, WWL Construction and WWL Energy.
Matthew's familiarity with arbitration procedures under most institutional rules and ad hoc proceedings makes him a valued legal resource. His broad sector knowledge is matched by his significant international track record, helping clients to navigate the intricacies of complex, cross-border disputes.
He also acts regularly as arbitrator, having chaired or sat as sole or co-arbitrator in arbitrations under various rules (principally ICC and SIAC).
In addition to his counsel and arbitrator work, Matthew is an Adjunct Professor at the National University of Singapore, where he teaches a course on energy arbitration. He also lectures in International Commercial Arbitration at Queen's University.
The global dimension to Matthew's practice is based both on his professional experience and legal background. Qualified in Australia, England, Wales and Paris, he regularly represents domestic and multinational clients in arbitrations around the world.
Matthew also devotes time to supporting clients with contentious and non-contentious matters in the construction, oil and gas industries.
Equally at ease with the theoretical and practical aspects of international arbitration, Matthew is a respected writer and speaker on these issues.
Since 2012, Matthew's contribution to his field has been recognized by his citation in the International Who's Who of Commercial Arbitration.
Experience
JV agreements dispute
Representing an infrastructure investment firm, on a dispute relating to joint venture agreements with a project developer on offshore wind farms in Asia.
EPC dispute
Advising an oil & gas company on major EPC dispute involving an oil installation in Indonesia.
UNCITRAL LNG pricing
Representing an Asian energy company in an UNCITRAL LNG pricing arbitration.
LNG price determination
Representing an Asian energy company in a major London-based LNG price determination.
ICC price review
Representing an Asian gas company in an ICC price review arbitration under a long-term LNG SPA.
ICSID arbitration
Representing The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Samsung Engineering Co. Ltd. v. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an ICSID arbitration under the Saudi Arabia-South Korea BIT relating to the claimant's interests in a project for the construction of a power and desalination plant in Saudi Arabia.
Dispute over option rights
Representing a major petroleum company in a dispute over option rights over an oilfield against a subsidiary of a Russian state-owned oil company.
Ad hoc arbitration
Representing a major Japanese contractor in an ad hoc arbitration in London concerning a South-East Asian power project.
Tunnelling dispute
Representing a Japanese engineering company on a potential Singapore-seated ICC arbitration arising out of tunnelling for a major South-East Asian project.
Post-M&A SIAC arbitration
Representing a Korean private equity & venture capital firm in a post-M&A SIAC arbitration. The claims arose out of breaches of misrepresentations, warranties and covenants by the seller in a PE M&A transaction.
SIAC arbitration
Representing a PE fund in an SIAC arbitration concerning the valuation of shares in a South-Asian company.
European gas buyers
Representing various European gas buyers in several price reopener disputes.
Speaker at various conferences and guest lecturer at various universities; recent engagements include:
Emerging disputes in energy and the environment in Southeast-Asia, ICC Australia and ICC Indonesia (2024)
Public consultation on draft 7th edition of the SIAC rules, YSIAC (2023)
Hong Kong Arbitration Week (2023)
GAR Live: Beijing 2023
Energy Market & Disputes in an Almost Post-Covid World, The 11th Asia-Pacific ADR Virtual Conference: Resilience for Recovery: Resilience, Restoration, Recalibration (2022)
Session III Communication and Collaboration: Enhancing International Credibility of Arbitration under Economic Globalization, China Arbitration Summit 2022 and the 2nd CIETAC Global Arbitrators Forum (2022)
Mediation, Adjudication, and Arbitration in Specialised Fields, UNCITRAL Academy Conference (2022)
M&A arbitration, Practice guidances with new faces, ADR Vietnam Chambers (2022)
The SIAC Academy's Specialist Arbitration Series, Part 2: "Energy, Oil & Gas Arbitrations" (2022)
Decarbonisation and gas/LNG price reviews, World Gas Conference (2022)
Crossing Continents: What Can Singapore and Switzerland Learn From Each Other?", Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (2021)
What will dispute resolution look like in the future - and will clients and law firms like it? 6th IBA Asia Law Firm Management Conference (2021)
Arbitration and Meeting the Demands of the Future Energy Sector, Dzungsrt & Associates LLC webinar series with Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (2021)
International Arbitration in the New Normal: dos and don'ts for digital networking and online hearings, THAC International ADR Webinar Series 2021
The decommissioning movement in Southeast Asia, Offshore Support Journal Conference, Asia (2021)
Adapting Arbitration to a Changing World: Key Themes and Issues relating to the Construction Industry in the UK and the Asia-Pacific, 2021 International Arbitration Survey, White & Case / Queen Mary University of London (2021)
Workshop on LNG Price Reviews in Asia, White & Case and Energy Studies Institute, National University of Singapore (2021)
Investor-State contracts and Investment arbitration in specialised sectors – mining and oil and gas, Singapore International Arbitration Academy 2021, organized by NUS Centre for International Law
Navigating Arbitral Proceedings - Strategy and Skills, Vietnam Academy for Arbitration (2021)
Arbitrating Gas Price Review Disputes in Asia, SIAC North East Asia Webinar (2021)
Arbitrators' Studio - In conversation with the notorious GKK, International Chamber of Commerce (2021)
Energy Disputes: An Update from the Arbitrators, ITA-IEL-ICC Joint Conference on International Energy Arbitration (2021)
SIAC South Asia Academy 2020 - The Making of an Advocate and an Arbitrator
Twelve months of managing disputes on construction projects in the shadow of COVID-19: what's worked and what hasn't?" (2021)
Mediation and Arbitration: The Process of Enforcement, 60th Global Legal ConfEx, APAC (2020)
Eight months of managing disputes on construction projects in the shadow of COVID-19 (2020)
Energy disputes in Asia, 5th Annual GAR Live Singapore (2019)
Parallel proceedings in arbitration, SIAC, Singapore (2018)
Dissecting Bifurcation, 4th Annual GAR Live Singapore (2018)
Be Ready for a Price Dispute When It Arrives, Long Term Gas Supply Contracts: Asia Conference, Singapore (2018)
Matthew has written one book (Interest in International Arbitration, Oxford University Press, 2019), seven book chapters and over 30 other articles, notes and book reviews. His recent publications include:
Chapter 8, "Specific performance of contractual or other pre-existing obligations", Provisional and Emergency Measures in International Arbitration (e-elgar.com) (with Clemency Wang)
Decarbonisation and gas/LNG Price Reviews, OGEL 4 (2022), in Energy Transition (with Philip Tan)
"May the Force Majeure with you", Fuels and Power, Petromin Online, April – June 2021, pp 35-36 (with Catherine Yoon)
Chapter 13 – Project Finance, "Managing 'Belt and Road' Business Disputes: A Case Study of Legal Problems and Solutions", Wolters Kluwer, April 2021 (with Philip Tan)
"Mind the Gap: Decommissioning Challenges in Asia", Platform, 28 Apr 2021 (with Saul Daniel, Aditya Singh)
Chapter 15: Singapore, The Third Party Litigation Funding Law Review (4th ed), 2020 (with Adam Wallin, Gabriella Richmond)
LNG in Transition: Navigating an Evolving Market, Pratt's Energy Law Report, Vol 20 No 5 May 2020, p 167 (with Paul Harrison, Micah Sadoyama, and Alexander Woody)
Chapter 17: Singapore, The Third Party Litigation Funding Law Review (3rd ed), 2019 (with Adam Wallin, Gabriella Richmond)
"Singapore Court confirms limited scope for adjudication set aside", BuildLaw® , Building Disputes Tribunal, 2017 (with Adam Wallin)
Chapter on "Multi-party, Multi-contract Rules and the Arbitrators' Role in Finding Consent", The Powers and Duties of an Arbitrator, Wolters Kluwer, 2017
"Hubs on the horizon: How and when will an Asian LNG hub price signal hit long-term LNG contracts?", Gastech News, January 2017
Leading individual in Singapore: International Arbitration, Asia Pacific Legal 500 2024
Leading individual in Dispute Resolution: International Firms, South Korea – Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024
Named Litigation Star in International Arbitration, Benchmark Litigation: Singapore 2022
Named in Who's Who Legal: Southeast Asia
- Energy 2023
- Construction, since 2022
- Arbitration, since 2021
Chambers Asia-Pacific: Dispute Resolution - Arbitration, Singapore
- Leading individual, since 2021
- Recognized Practitioner 2020
Named in the Who's Who Legal:
- Global Elite Thought Leaders – Arbitration, since 2020
- Construction, since 2022
- Energy– Power/Electricity, since 2021
- Global Leader Arbitration 2021
- Thought Leaders Arbitration, since 2017
- Arbitration – Future Leaders 2017 (most highly regarded individual under 45)
- Arbitration, since 2012
- France: Arbitration 2014-2015
