This Feedback Digest covers 8 feedbacks related to 8 recent cases. Helena De Backer has a long and outstanding track record in mediation. Helena De Backer is one of the founders of the Brussels Business Mediation Center (BBMC) of which she currently takes the vice presidency. Her experience and results combined with her academic correctness and understandable discourse on mediation makes her a welcomed speaker at national and international seminars. It is no surprise that, by the Parties for whom she has acted as a mediator, as well as their attorneys, she consistently has been rated at the highest Performance Levels. Three main characteristics are consequently repeated by all the parties as reason of their satisfaction and the success of her mediation: her knowledge of the dossier and all underlying issues, her empathic, cross – cultural, international personality and her solution driven attitude. Knowledge of the dossier and especially defining each party’s particular problem is a conditio sine qua non for Helena De Backer. All the parties praise her brilliant mind and her ability to catch immediately what is really at stake regardless of the topic; international trade, commercial contracts, industrial property, family matters, lawyer’s disputes, etc. Her next step is providing the parties with an adequate environment for a constructive dialogue and to start the dispute resolution process. Parties have repeatedly focused on her personality next to her academic skills as the reason for their successful mediation. Helena De Backer speaks four languages fluently. Her international profile makes her dealing with parties regardless of cultural differences. During the mediation process parties described her as; calm, listening, clarifying, pragmatic, empathic and firm. The reason of mediation is to reach a solution, that is what it is all about. Instead of focusing on the past she focuses on the future, knowing each party’s particular problem. She keeps the parties concentrated on the key issues and their future interests. It is this professional, result – driven approach of mediation that all parties, regardless of topic, appreciate. The costs were reported within international standards and parties found a high degree of satisfaction. All would use Helena De Backer again as their mediator.

This feedback digest was last updated 2 March 2011.