Ashurst appoints new Perth disputes partner strengthens focus on WA resources market

Matthew joins from Holman Fenwick Willan LLP (HFW) where he was Managing Partner of the Perth office and a member of the firm's Australian Executive. He has been a partner of HFW since 2013. Matthew spent over a year on secondment to Woodside before becoming a partner. Prior to joining HFW, he worked with Shearman & Sterling in Singapore, Denton Wilde Sapte in Dubai and Gadens in Melbourne. 

At HFW, Matthew was one of three Australian partners on the the firm's Diversity and Inclusivity Committee and, in addition to Managing Partner and Executive Team roles, he was Deputy Chair of Global Innovation and a Sustainability Ambassador.

Matthew has an extensive network among key players in the energy and resources sectors and his appointment demonstrates Ashurst's commitment to grow its already substantial offering to clients in these industries.

Ashurst's Head of Dispute Resolution for Asia Pacific, Jeremy Chenoweth, commented:

"We are delighted to welcome Matthew to our Perth disputes team. He is a dedicated and highly experienced construction arbitration partner whose resources industry expertise will enable us to capitalise on significant growth opportunities in Western Australia and to better support existing and prospective energy, resources and infrastructure clients throughout our global network." 

Matthew said:

"I am honoured to join Ashurst's reputable disputes team in Perth and look forward to adding value to the partnership, particularly in the arbitration space, where Ashurst has a very strong market presence and a high quality, long-standing client base. I look forward to using Ashurst's superior global platform to pursue new opportunities, realising the vast potential for growth in Australia's resources industry."

Matthew Blycha's appointment as partner follows that of Nicholas Mavrakis who joined Ashurst's disputes team in March from Clayton Utz.