Poster introducing the AIAC YPG Council members for 2026–2028, with Core Committee member Kelly Zhang highlighted in a red box
The AIAC YPG Council for 2026–2028. It was a pleasure to find my own name on the list.

I have some good news I’d like to share: I’ve been appointed to the Core Committee of the Young Practitioners Group (YPG) of the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) for the 2026–2028 term.

On 18 September 2026, AIAC announced the members of the new YPG Council. Seeing “Kelly Zhang” listed among the Core Committee is an honour, and I’m looking forward to working with everyone on the council. The full announcement is in AIAC’s LinkedIn post⁠LinkedIn#aiac #aiacypg #youngpractitioners #adr #internationalarbitration | Asian International Arbitration Centre𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗖 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗣𝗚 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲–𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟴 The AIAC is pleased to announce the constitution of the new AIAC Young Practitionerswww.linkedin.com.

About the AIAC YPG

According to the announcement, the AIAC YPG brings together alternative dispute resolution (ADR) practitioners and enthusiasts under the age of 40, giving young peers a platform to connect and collaborate.

The new YPG Council is made up of Co-Chairs, Core Committee members and Regional Representatives. It serves as the central steering and coordinating body for the YPG, building international networks and supporting young practitioners in professional exchange across the dispute resolution field.

The members announced this time come from a range of regions. What I’m most looking forward to is sitting down with peers from different jurisdictions: faced with the same dispute, how do they see the problem, and which route do they choose to resolve it? Those conversations are the reason I wanted to be part of this platform.

Page one of the AIAC announcement of 18 September 2026 on the YPG Council, listing Kelly Zhang at No. 8 as a Core Committee member
Page one of the announcement: my name is at No. 8, under the role of Core Committee.
Page two of the AIAC YPG Council announcement, listing the remaining Regional Representatives and describing the YPG's goals for exchange and collaboration among young practitioners
Page two: the Regional Representatives, and what the YPG hopes to build for young practitioners.

The next two years

Joining the Core Committee gives me a more direct way to take part in this community of young practitioners. I hope to bring the cross-border dispute resolution questions I care about into the conversation, and to listen carefully to what others have learned. I’m happy to put in the time on future YPG events and collaborations, and to take on concrete work.

I also hope to meet more young arbitration practitioners through this platform. If international arbitration is your field too, I’d be glad to hear from you. When there are events open to a wider audience, I’ll share them here.

My thanks to AIAC for the trust, and to the friends who have supported me along the way. For today, I just wanted to write this moment down. I look forward to meeting the new YPG Council and getting started on the 2026–2028 term.