Alumni Industry Series | Human-centred, results-driven: Dispute resolver Albert So (PDPA 2010) turns conflicts into win-wins

Mediation has gained significant ground in Hong Kong in recent years, fast becoming the gold standard for resolving commercial disputes and livelihood issues. Recognising its value, an increasing number of organisations are now embedding these conflict resolution and communication skills into their corporate training.

As chairman of the Hong Kong Mediation and Arbitration Centre (HKMAAC) and a sector trailblazer, Albert So (PDPA 2010) has mediated countless complex disputes, from the Lehman minibond crisis to medical incidents and consumer complaints. One principle has guided him throughout this time: “Talk it through slowly. There is no need to reach for weapons.” Witnessing the industry’s evolution firsthand, he has come to believe that further GBA integration and advances in technology will sharpen Hong Kong’s edge in handling cross-border conflicts, bringing the city closer to its vision of becoming a global mediation hub.

Beyond right and wrong: Defusing emotions to resolve deadlocks

Albert studied information engineering at university, but a minor in law sparked a change in direction. After securing a second degree in law, he joined the enforcement division of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). When the Lehman minibond crisis hit Hong Kong in 2008, the HKMA proposed mediation as a resolution mechanism, yet public awareness of the process was limited. “We were sent to community centres to hold briefings. Emotions were running extremely high. The moment mediation was mentioned, people booed. Some even threw water bottles at us,” Albert recalls.

Creating a rational buffer zone amid volatile emotions is at the heart of mediation. According to Albert, a mediator’s first task in untangling any conflict is to understand and defuse the emotional undercurrents of both parties. This human-centred approach employs shuttle mediation, where the mediator meets with each party separately, as well as holding joint sessions. Mediators also apply psychological techniques such as normalisation to objectify differences and ease tension. The goal is to find common ground and reach a win-win outcome.

In 2009, Albert co-founded HKMAAC with a group of legal professionals to promote mediation and train practitioners. He chuckles at the sheer volume of public misconceptions around the discipline. Some confused “mediation” with “meditation”, imagining disputes being resolved through quiet contemplation. Others expected the mediator to act as a judge and hand down a verdict on fault. As a practising solicitor, Albert draws a sharp distinction: “Litigation seeks justice and truth for a specific client. At the mediation table, however, both parties are our clients. We don’t take sides. Instead, we focus purely on finding solutions, sparing everyone the time and cost of going to court.”

Albert points out that a mediator is not a judge, but someone who helps both parties reach resolution through a human-centred approach

Embracing the opportunities of a mediation hub

Since its founding over a decade ago, HKMAAC’s membership and students have grown to more than 20,000. Albert has observed that mediation is being applied to an ever-widening range of scenarios across Hong Kong. “It began with contracts and commercial matters. Then we gradually moved into professional services. We have since entered the realm of livelihood disputes, such as estate matters, consumer rights, property management, even sports. Wherever there is conflict, mediation has a role to play.”

The establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation in Hong Kong in 2025, alongside the national 15th Five-Year Plan supporting Hong Kong’s development toward a leading centre for international legal and dispute resolution services, marks a profound institutional milestone. Albert foresees that the “GBA Mediator” mechanism will become the linchpin for resolving complex cross-border conflicts, noting that further formalisation and standardisation will unlock immense market potential. Technology and AI are also reshaping the field. From smart advisory tools to generative AI applications, processes can now be significantly streamlined. “On the mainland, for instance, courts already have a robust infrastructure for online mediation,” Albert explains. “In many places, AI is even used to input key terms and generate settlement agreements.”

Albert is one of over 200 mediators listed on the GBA Mediator Panel (2025). He hopes cross-border mediation mechanisms will become increasingly formalised in the years ahead

From the negotiating table to corporate culture

In contrast to the rigid, adversarial nature of traditional litigation, Albert’s natural warmth and approachability make him an ideal fit for mediation. That personal trait, combined with his interdisciplinary knowledge, serves as his signature toolkit to untangling disputes. Seeking to layer his legal expertise with commercial fluency, he completed the CUHK Business School Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Accountancy (PDPA) in 2010 — a credential that proved to be a vital strategic asset.

“Looking beyond a purely legal lens, business and accounting literacy allows us to introduce objective benchmarks and clarify many issues,” he notes. Albert also recalls meeting quite a number of former colleagues and industry partners in the classroom, an experience that added to the enjoyment of learning and spoke to the programme’s strong standing in the profession.

He encourages Business School alumni to embrace mediation as a philosophy for enduring commercial success: “Mediation thrives naturally in the business world because commercial players operate on a fundamentally rational footing. The parties rarely act purely out of spite; they understand that their paths will cross again. Rather than settling for mutual destruction, it makes far more sense to engineer a win-win that preserve the relationship for the long term.” Ultimately, he emphasises that mediation is far more than post-crisis fire-fighting. It is an operational mindset — a communication framework that, when embedded into employee soft skills, resolves friction at its infancy and eliminate disputes right at the source.

Albert actively promotes the mediation mindset through diverse channels, taking this approach to conflict resolution to all levels of society

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