Marta Garcia Bel

MARTA GARCÍA BEL focuses her practice on international arbitration and cross-border disputes. With more than a decade of experience, Marta represents multinational companies, sovereign states, and state-owned entities in complex commercial and investor-state arbitrations conducted under the rules of ICSID, the ICC, UNCITRAL, and other leading arbitral institutions. She works fluently in English, Spanish, and Italian.

Marta handles disputes across a broad range of industries, including energy and natural resources, infrastructure and construction, financial services, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, technology and telecommunications, hospitality, and food production and distribution. Her experience encompasses disputes arising from expropriations and other governmental measures, concession contracts, long-term supply and pricing arrangements, post-M&A transactions, and the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards.

In addition to her disputes practice, Marta advises clients on the structuring and protection of cross-border investments, negotiations with governments and state-owned entities, and matters of public and private international law. She has coordinated proceedings and legal strategies spanning multiple jurisdictions and has extensive experience working throughout Latin America and Europe.

Marta serves as co-chair of the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center’s AI Task Force. She helped draft the SVAMC Guidelines on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in International Arbitration, published in 2024. She regularly speaks on artificial intelligence, international arbitration, and public international law.

Marta was named Arbitration Future Leader—Non-Partner by Lexology Index, formerly Who’s Who Legal (2026); Rising Star in Arbitration by Euromoney/IFLR (2021–2022); and Best Lawyers: Associate Ones to Watch in Arbitration in Spain (2024–2026). She was also named one of Startup Italia’s “Unstoppable Women” for her leadership in the technology and innovation sector in Italy (2023–2025).

• British and Spanish investors in an investor-state case against the State of Colombia in connection with a toll-road concession.
• A Spanish EPC contractor in an ad hoc arbitration against a subcontractor arising out of the construction of a gas processing facility in Saudi Arabia.
• A hospitality company in an ICC arbitration against a major hotel group in relation to two service and management agreements.
• A state-owned entity in an ICC arbitration in relation to a long-term LNG purchase agreement.
• A family of Spanish and Venezuelan investors in a UNCITRAL arbitration against Venezuela under the Venezuela-Spain BIT concerning the expropriation of their food distribution business in Venezuela. Secured an award of US$357 million.
• A family of Spanish and Venezuelan investors in a UNCITRAL arbitration against Venezuela under the Venezuela-Spain BIT concerning the expropriation of their food distribution business in Venezuela.
• A Spanish investor in an ICSID Additional Facility arbitration against Venezuela under the Venezuela-Spain BIT concerning the expropriation of their food distribution business in Venezuela.
• A Spanish bank in an ICSID Additional Facility arbitration against Bolivia under the Bolivia-Spain BIT in relation to Bolivia’s decade-long inability to complete the nationalization of the private pension fund administration sector. Achieved a favorable award of US$105 million.
• A major Mexican telecommunications company and its Colombian subsidiary in a US$1.2 billion ICSID Additional Facility arbitration against Colombia under the investment chapter of the Mexico-Colombia FTA, concerning adverse measures affecting their telecommunications investments.
• A group of Spanish agri-food investors in an ICSID arbitration against Venezuela under the Venezuela-Spain BIT, arising from the expropriation of its investment in a leading agribusiness company. Obtained a US$2.8 billion award.
• A Spanish toll-road operator in an ICSID arbitration against Argentina under the Spain-Argentina BIT concerning governmental measures that modified the tariff regime set out in two major Argentine highway concessionaires in Buenos Aires. Secured a settlement valued at US$250 million.
• A Spanish toll-road operator in an ICSID arbitration against Argentina under the Spain-Argentina BIT concerning governmental measures that modified the tariff regime agreed in two agreements signed in 2018.
• A Peruvian investor in an arbitration under the ICSID Additional Facility Rules against Venezuela under the Peru-Venezuela BIT, regarding the expropriation of his telecommunications sector investments.
• Three oil and gas operators in a commercial arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules against the Republic of Ecuador and EP Petroecuador stemming from the termination of two oil production-sharing contracts. Obtained a US$515 million award, plus interest, in 2018.
• An oil and gas operator in a commercial arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules against the Republic of Ecuador, concerning a 12% interest in the liquidation value of the 2018 award that was transferred to EcuadorTLC through an assignment of rights.
• A Italian telecommunications company in a post-M&A ICC arbitration with a Brazilian company.
• An Italian international energy services company in a gas price review arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules. The arbitration was settled.
• An Italian international energy services company in a gas price review arbitration under the ICC Rules. The arbitration was settled.
• A pharmaceutical company in an ICC arbitration regarding compliance violations and breaches of warranties under a share purchase agreement.

Some of the above matters were handled prior to joining Sidley.

• Co-chair of the AI Task Force – Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center
• International Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• Club Español e Iberoamericano de Arbitraje
• Women in a Legal World (WLW)
• Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge
• La Carica delle 101