Mediator impartiality and implicit bias

Elizabeth Solomon is a Trinidad and Tobago mediator, attorney-at-law, international conflict prevention and peacebuilding specialist, and Assistant Secretary General for Foreign and Community Relations at CARICOM. She brings extensive experience in political, post-conflict and commercial mediation, combining legal expertise with diplomatic and negotiation skills. Following an award-winning journalism career, she spent nearly 20 years with the United Nations and other international organisations, including Oxfam. Her peacebuilding work has supported inclusive dialogue and democratic institutions in Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Somalia, Sierra Leone and Cyprus. A former Industrial Court judge, she founded Dialogue Solutions and champions inclusive mediation and women’s participation in peace processes. 

Susanne Schuler is an experienced international mediator, facilitator and conflict management specialist who serves as Global Director of Development at the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR). With more than 25 years of professional experience, she has conducted over 150 mediations and worked across more than 30 countries. Her practice encompasses commercial and corporate disputes, workplace conflicts, family businesses, business and human rights, and intercultural challenges. With a background in law and business, she combines analytical expertise with a people-centred approach to resolving complex disagreements. Fluent in five languages, Susanne has trained and coached over 4,000 delegates, helping organisations build trust, strengthen communication and achieve sustainable outcomes.

Chair

Michael Bartlet has worked as a lawyer, mediator and public interest lobbyist. He is currently a Reader at SOAS where he convenes undergraduate and postgraduate ADR modules and teaches Public Law. He has taught in schools, colleges and universities and for the British Council in Ecuador. After taking a degree in English Literature, he qualified as a Barrister and worked as supervisory solicitor for Gateshead Law Centre and Parliamentary Officer for British Quakers. Michael has trained as a civil, family and community mediator and has been working at SOAS since 2016. He is the author of Mediation and other forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution, Routledge (2025).