Chérine Sophia FTOUKI

Chérine Sophia Ftouki is an International Arbitrator, Strategic Advisor in Energy, Natural Resources & Climate Governance, and Academic Researcher specialising in International Dispute Resolution and Public International Law. She has taught Investor-State Dispute Settlement at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona and recently served as a Global International Arbitration Specialist (Consultant) at a leading international law firm, where she built a reputation as a trusted adviser in arbitration.

Chérine Sophia holds an LL.M. in International Dispute Resolution from King’s College London and a Master’s in International Law from La Sorbonne-Panthéon Paris I. With dual legal education in both civil and common law, she possesses diverse expertise spanning Investor-State Arbitration, International Commercial Arbitration, Public International Law, and International Energy Trade Law. She is well-equipped to handle high-value, complex cross-border disputes across a wide range of sectors, including energy and natural resources, construction, engineering, infrastructure, telecommunications, IP, and banking.

Before founding Almatura & Partners, Chérine Sophia’s career began at a London boutique firm, where she collaborated closely with the arbitration team on contentious matters involving the US and Latin America, particularly in energy projects, offshore drilling, and maritime transactions. She then joined the Energy & Infrastructure group of a prominent American firm in the UK, working with clients in the MENA region. There, she contributed to major projects disputes in the construction and shipping sectors, working with governments, NGOs, and corporations.

Chérine Sophia also brings extensive experience in cross-border energy negotiations, specialising in upstream and downstream operations, energy transition, green energy incentives, and market access issues related to LNG, solar, hydrogen, infrastructure, and mining disputes. She honed her skills in handling disputes across Africa, Latin America, and the MENA region, contributing to high-profile international arbitrations under ICSID, ICC, LCIA, and ad hoc proceedings. Fluent in English, French, Arabic, and Spanish, she actively participates in proceedings in these languages and has a working knowledge of Russian.

A specialist in Energy Transition Law, Climate Change, and Environmental Governance, she leads research in Environmental and Natural Resources Dispute Resolution. Her work includes contributions to projects related to the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), model agreements developed by non-governmental organisations to facilitate treaty negotiations in the environmental sector, and arbitration involving sovereign immunity considerations.

CONSULTING IN ENERGY, NATURAL RESOURCES & CLIMATE GOVERNANCE 

In addition to her work as an Arbitrator and Academic Lecturer, Chérine Sophia serves as a Strategic Advisor specialising in Energy and Environmental Governance. In this capacity, she leverages her institutional expertise to tackle global sustainability and regulatory challenges. She provides high-level advisory services to sovereign states, multinational corporations, and institutions (including UN bodies and the World Bank) on navigating climate governance, regulatory compliance, and the legal friction of the energy transition.

Her expertise in climate governance has been recognised by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Recently, she was nominated as an Expert for two landmark publications within the Seventh Assessment Cycle, the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities (Review Cycle 2025–2027) and the 2027 Methodology Report on Inventories for Short-lived Climate Forcers. In this capacity, she reviews the methodological robustness of global standards for urban climate adaptation and emissions verification, further informing her approach to science-based dispute resolution and strategic advisory