Saniza Othman

Saniza is an experienced lawyer with a multifaceted legal career. Qualified as a Fellow of the Chartered Instituted of Arbitrators, she is also an accredited mediator and adjudicator. After a stint as a barrister in London, she relocated to Hong Kong and worked in-house at Credit Suisse Investment Banking and BNP Paribas where she specialised in derivatives and hedge funds.

With a passion in giving back to the community, Saniza has held several leadership roles in non-profit organisations in Hong Kong. She is the Chairlady of the Hong Kong University Alumni Association of the LL.M in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution, where she is the donor of a prize for the top student in Alternative Dispute Resolution. She is the Chair of Diversity sub-committee at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators East Asia Branch and serves as a judge in international arbitration and mediation competitions.

Saniza is a co-Founder of the Michael & Saniza Collection that supports game changing artists, contemporary Chinese ink artists, women artists, disabled artists and the preservation of a family legacy. Growing up in a diplomatic family, she understands the importance of using dialogue to achieve harmony and sees arts as one of these channels. She is a Founding Patron of the M+ Museum, a committee member of the Friends of Hong Kong Museum of Art, and a member of the Asia Society Hong Kong Arts and Culture Council.

Saniza earned a LL.M (Distinction) in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution from the University of Hong Kong and received her LL.B from the University of Wales, United Kingdom. She holds the FT Non-Executive Director Diploma. A member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, she read the Bar Vocational Course at the renowned Inns of Court School of Law in London and received a Post Graduate Diploma in Professional Legal Skills from the City University in London. In her love for life, Saniza enjoys gourmet cooking, ballroom dancing and globetrotting. A seafarer, she is a qualified sailor for boats up to 50 feet and an advanced nitrox scuba diver. She has also raised several million dollars for commercial chamber and charities that support children’s cause.