A Decade of Dispute Resolution: Building Hunt ADR from the Ground Up

Ten years ago I took the plunge to see whether I was capable of being successful in my own right rather than just being a cog in a larger more established machine.

It started on 11th April 2016, the day Hunt ADR was incorporated. I chose that date purposefully (it could have been any early April date) as it was my dad’s birthday. A family business of the present respecting family of the past.

In the first two years I picked up some interesting roles working with law firms and other ADR bodies – including Consumer Dispute Resolution where we started a journey that would last for the best part of 7 years across different platforms. I got to work with RICS Dispute Resolution Service on one or two of their mediator training courses, which piqued my interest further in training and led to an opportunity to become a certified trainer with ADR ODR International Limited. I also did a few mediations and things were going OK.

Then in 2018 I got a phone call that changed everything. It was ABTA on the line asking if I would like to bid to provide their arbitration service. I had worked on the ABTA arbitration scheme on and off since 1995, across both CIArb and CEDR. It was a very tempting opportunity and I went for it. In July 2018, with a platform provided via CDRL and a group of arbitrators I selected based on their performance over a period of 20 years, we started providing independent arbitration to ABTA, its members and their customers. Hunt ADR went overnight from being ‘just me’ to being the largest provider of arbitration in the UK by volume – and we remain so to this day.

We have since managed more than 6,000 arbitrations and a hundred or so mediations on the ABTA scheme, which provides for the cost effective, quick resolution of disputes without the need for consumers to go to court. Thank you to so many of those who have been involved since then, especially the 150+ arbitrators we appointed (many of which were originally part of our ground-breaking ArbEx programme) and Charles Fachiri, ABTA’s senior customer information manager, who I have worked with on this scheme for longer than we would both like to remember.

Training & CPD

Also in 2018 I decided to put Hunt ADR forward as a mediation training provider with the Civil Mediation Council (CMC) (of which I am now a Fellow). We got approved and so started my journey as a mediator trainer. This rewarding role has seen me and my unrivalled Faculty working with hundreds of professionals seeking to be, and in the main part, becoming, CMC accredited mediators.

In total we have delivered more than 60 five-day mediator training courses in venues in London, Manchester, Lincoln, Belfast, Malaga and online. I’ve loved, and continue to love, working with permanent and temporary Faculty members Kelly Thornton, John Jarrett, Dennis Hamill, Johanne Thompson, Trevor Lockhart, Malina Hotaran, Diana Wallis, the late Nigel Frost, Chris Cooper, and Assessors Roger Levitt and Martin Medforth. These have been part of a much wider list of support faculty and students – thank you all so much.

A special thank you also to Marcus Rutherford for his support, professionalism and wisdom. Marcus is the Head of the Travel Arbitration Panel and Appeals – supported in Appeals by Alexander Trukhtanov FCIArb and James Tumbridge both of whom have been sources of support and guidance for a long time.

We have worked closely with universities up and down the country and overseas. I have Guest Lectured at the University of Exeter Law School hosted by Sue Prince for many years and have guested at Anglia Ruskin University (Dr Scott Steele), the University of Hull and the University of Kent – and in Spain at the University of Malaga alongside the mighty John Brebner.

Of specific note, four years ago our mediator training course was incorporated into the LLM in International Law and ADR at Ulster University School of Law. Thank you to John Keers BL, Rhonda Black and Dr Esther McGuinness and the whole team at UU for making me and Faculty so welcome. It is a highlight of the year spending a week with you.

Our innovative AI-led ‘on demand’ training has seen under and post-graduates from around the world – as well legal and other professionals – learn about mediation and arbitration in a controlled environment. We have led in the use of AI for delivering this type of content for five years now.

Four specific thank yous

I would also like to thank four people who have consistently supported me and Hunt ADR with nothing personal to gain – alongside Marcus I thank Stephen Ward, Ben Rigby, Amanda Lee FCIArb and James Walker. You have all made a huge difference to Hunt ADR and my own personal experience. Thank you also to our accountants, Accounting IT Ltd and to Jenny Daly who was my bookkeeper-cum-business consultant for many years. There are many I will have missed, don’t be offended, I value you all.

Foodbanks podcasts and partnerships

Other Hunt ADR projects I am proud of include the establishment of Cycle for Foodbanks, a static cycle of just over 2,000km to raise donations for foodbanks. It’s come to a halt for a while as my knees aren’t really up to it, but so far we have, with the help of others, raised well over £3,000 in donations, and we encourage anyone reading this to pop a donation to their local foodbank – any donation helps, no matter what the size.

I’m also proud of my podcast, No Disputing That, and my newsletter Greggonomics. No Disputing That has had some incredible guests and more episodes are planned for the next few months. What I love the most is the jingle, written by my brother George, who died in 2024 leaving a huge unfillable hole in all our lives.

We love to collaborate and have recently partnered with The Barrister Group to grow mediation, train mediators and develop commercial arbitration offerings, and I’m now available for appointment as a mediator via the team at TBG Mediation. We also work closely with The Ombuds Group / Dispute Resolution Ombudsman who deliver our travel arbitration suite with first class administration, a talented pool of arbitrators and a portal which is easy to use for all parties.

Our family

Finally, something I alluded to earlier. Hunt ADR is a family business. All five of us have worked in the business at different times and each has contributed in their own unique way. We survived COVID and other challenges, not least dealing with some people who purposefully tried make life harder than it should be. While I head the business, it remains very much a family affair and nothing at all would be done without the support of my now adult children – Robbie, Alice and Will, and of course, my amazing wife Ellie.

These are just some of the highlights of the last 10 years. There is more to be done and a willingness to continue to operate as a reliable service provider, to partner, collaborate and grow mediation, arbitration and dispute resolution for the good of all.