Noah J. Hanft is an independent arbitrator, mediator and dispute resolution consultant recognized globally for his ability to find the most effective and efficient ways to resolve all manner of disputes. His career experiences as an advocate, a neutral, and the President and Chief Executive Officer of a leading global dispute resolution organization have provided him with a unique perspective and deep understanding of dispute resolution.
Mr. Hanft served as General Counsel of MasterCard Worldwide for 13 years where he oversaw all legal and regulatory matters and had global responsibility for public policy, compliance, and government regulations and served as Corporate Secretary and at one point, Chief Franchise Officer, where he oversaw a number of business functions, including licensing, franchise rules, fraud prevention and detection, security (information and physical) diversity and philanthropy.
During his tenure, he navigated the company through a host of legal and regulatory challenges, negotiating resolutions of a vast array of disputes, including:
- Class actions
- Commercial
- Intellectual property
- Employment
- Theft of trade secrets
Mr. Hanft was an early adopter of mediation and personally mediated settlements of many of the company’s major business conflicts. He led the strategy that transformed the structure of MasterCard from a not-for-profit association to a well established and highly regarded public company and personally handled the negotiations between stakeholders around the world to secure approval for the company’s highly successful IPO. This included managing the complex securities issues related to the structure of the transaction.
Mr. Hanft’s enthusiasm for ADR, and effectiveness as an advocate in ADR, led him to begin serving as a mediator in 2012, while still MasterCard’s General Counsel. That same passion for dispute resolution was a critical driver in Mr. Hanft’s decision to take on the leadership of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (“CPR”) as President and Chief Executive Officer. In this role, which he held from 2014 until July of 2019, Mr. Hanft led a globally recognized preeminent ADR provider and thought leader.
During his tenure, the organization was widely recognized and awarded for innovation and development of best practices in both arbitration and mediation. Mr. Hanft is a frequent author and speaker on many topics related to arbitration, mediation, and the management of business conflict.
Areas Commonly Mediated
- Commercial/Business
- Contract
- Employment
- Workplace
- Partnership Disputes
- Intellectual property
- Securities
- Defamation
- Financial Services
- Consumer Credit
- Insurance
- Personal Injury
- Bankruptcy
- Civil rights
Education
- New York University School of Law, LL.M., 1982
- Brooklyn Law School, JD, Law, 1976
- American University, BA, political science, 1973
Certifications
- Certified as a mediator by the Center for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR)
Associations
- Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
- Member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals
Serves on the:
- AAA Commercial panel
- AAA Employment Arbitration panel
- AAA Mediation Panel
- FINRA Arbitration panel
- FINRA Mediation Panel
- Second Circuit Court of Appeals Mediation Panel
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Mediation panel
- Southern District of New York Mediation Panel
- New York State Commercial Division Mediation panel
- Eastern District of New York Mediation and Arbitration panels
- CPR Panel of Distinguished Neutrals