Jeremy Barton
Former General Counsel
KPMG

Jeremy Barton has served for many years as General Counsel at several international accounting and consulting organisations, most recently at KPMG UK, where he advised the Chairman and CEO on strategic legal and regulatory matters, including M&A, litigation, governance and risk management, and built the diverse and multi-disciplinary legal department to some 100 lawyers, auditors and other professionals.

Jeremy serves on a number of advisory boards in the legal sector and for five years was a Member of the European Board of the Association of Corporate Counsel. He enjoys biking in the Surrey Hills and running in the African bush.

Jonathan Blair
Director of Blair Advisory Ltd, providing strategic, operational and mentoring support to the professional practices sector

Building on more than 14 years' experience of leadership and management in the professional services sector, Jonathan set up Blair Advisory Ltd, and now acts as an advisor and mentor to Managing Partners, CEOs and leadership teams in the UK and Europe.

Jonathan was the UK Managing Partner (CEO and COO) of Womble Bond Dickinson UK LLP from 2008-2022, serving four consecutive terms.

George Brown
Consultant-compliance, legal and risk

George has over 40 years’ experience of dealing with risk and regulatory issues, as well as disputes, working as a lawyer both in-house and in private practice. He has extensive experience in dispute resolution and regulatory enforcement, both domestic and international.

He retired from Reed Smith LLP in January 2025, after working there for 24 years. Whilst at Reed Smith he spent over a decade working as part of the in-house legal team, dealing with governance and compliance, developing and implementing policies to control risks, and dealing with disputes.

George now advises on compliance, legal and risk issues, as well as holding Board positions and working with charities.

Dominic Carman

Dominic Carman is a London-based freelance journalist and writer, specialising in the business of law and international law firms. His work ranges from thought leadership and report writing to digital content and media training for a range of clients including: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, the European best friends of Slaughter and May, Hogan Lovells, CMS, Bird & Bird, Forsters, Fieldfisher, Sullivan & Cromwell, Lockton, Kroll, Butterfield Trust, J.P. Morgan as well as IT companies servicing the international legal market, including Fulcrum Global Technologies and Enable Business Solutions. He contributes to Legal Business, Legal Week, the Times, Sunday Times, Telegraph and Guardian.

Spencer Collins
Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer
Arm

Spencer is Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Arm and leads each of the global legal, compliance, company secretary, government affairs and corporate development teams. Spencer has more than 20 years of industry experience and has served as lead counsel on many of the highest-profile M&A and investment transactions in the technology sector.

Before joining Arm, Spencer was Managing Partner and General Counsel at the world's largest technology-focused investment fund, SoftBank Vision Fund. Spencer has also served as a partner in the investment team at SoftBank Vision Fund. Prior to SoftBank, Spencer practiced as a technology-focused M&A and investment lawyer in the London offices of White & Case and Allen & Overy (A&O). He also spent time on secondment from A&O to Fenwick & West in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Spencer was named General Counsel of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2023 and the British Legal Awards 2023. In 2024, Spencer was named by the Financial Times in its annual list as one of the world’s top 15 in-house legal leaders and the Arm legal team was named In-House Legal Team of the Year (Large Team) at the British Legal Awards 2024.

Anna Cooper
Legal Director and Associate General Counsel
Amazon UK and Ireland

Anna Cooper is the Legal Director and Associate General Counsel for Amazon UK and Ireland. She joined Amazon in 2012 and has held a number of leadership roles in both London and Luxembourg, including leading teams supporting EU Last Mile Delivery and Pan-EU Retail, Stores Expansion, and Corporate Procurement. In June 2023, she assumed her current leadership position for the UK, with Ireland being added in March 2025. She also serves as Data Protection Officer and Board Member for several Amazon entities.

Prior to Amazon, Anna was a Mergers & Acquisitions lawyer at Allen & Overy in London, before moving to Sydney to join the M&A team at Herbert Smith Freehills.

Passionate about inclusion, Anna is actively involved in mentorship and apprenticeship programs aimed at developing emerging talent within the legal field. At Amazon, she also serves as the Inclusion Lead for EU Legal and is a Bar Raiser in our recruitment processes, helping to maintain fair and objective talent acquisition practices.

Outside of work, Anna enjoys running, Peloton, watching cricket and traveling. She lives in Hertfordshire with her husband, two sons, and their cat, Fred.

Timiko Cranwell
GC and Operations Director
Jamie Oliver Group

Timiko Cranwell is currently the GC and Operations Director of Jamie Oliver Group looking after the Media, Restaurants, Product and Social Impact verticals of the business internationally. She has held Board level roles at AB InBev and Pernod Ricard leading Legal, Communications, ESG and Government Affairs teams. Prior to that she was GC of an international hotel group and also worked at Viacom. Her training and early PQE experience was at Allens and Linklaters LLP specialising in Structured Finance. She is a Trustee of the Hampstead Community Association.

Rachael Davidson
General Counsel and Company Secretary
LifeArc

Rachael now primarily focuses on interim roles and is currently the interim General Counsel and Company Secretary at LifeArc, a charity that focuses on advancing unmet patient healthcare needs. Prior to LifeArc, Prior to moving into interim work Rachael served for many years as General Counsel and Company Secretary in regulated organisations including the National Grid, Airwave and O2 with responsibility spanning legal, compliance, ethics and risk management.

During her time at National Grid Rachael acted as executive sponsor for work on wellbeing and mental health including sitting on the Government’s Thriving at Work Steering Group and the Business In the Community board. To support her interest in welling and mental health Rachael has also recently completed a Master of Science in Neuroscience. Rachael also serves as a voluntary magistrate.

Rachael hails originally from Australia outside of work lives in the midlands, spending time walking the family dog and is married with two teenage children.

Michelle Elstein
Founder & Corporate Energiser
Courageous Co.

Michelle has over twenty years of private corporate sector experience, including influential senior roles in international organisations, spanning the investment banking, legal and technology sectors, including Linklaters, Lehman Brothers, Olswang, Morrison & Foerster and Kleinwort Benson. She has successfully aligned leaders and teams to the corporate mission and transformed cultures, winning awards for campaigns that have led to increased corporate performance and employee engagement. Being a fitness enthusiast, Michelle has crossed a few finish lines along the way too. Having recovered from a traumatic cycling accident in 2015, she qualified as a personal trainer and executive coach. Blending these skills with her corporate leadership and personal resilience experience, she founded Courageous Co. to be a different kind of leadership and team performance firm. Today, Michelle and her team work with global leaders and teams to help them think and operate in ways that transform their performance. Michelle has a trademark energy that others find motivational and inspiring.

Alan Evans
General Counsel and Director General
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)

Alan Evans is General Counsel and Director General of the Legal Group at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), leading a team of 1,750 legal and other professionals that provide in-house legal support to HMRC and Treasury Ministers. He is also a member of the HMRC Executive Committee – leading a complex organisation of 65,000 colleagues, tens of millions of customers, and overseeing a major transformation programme. Alan leads across the department on governance, values, propriety and ethics.

Alan has held a number of other senior legal leadership roles in government in the last 20 years – including working with Ministers as Legal Director to the Business and Environment departments - and has chaired and served on a number of cross government boards. Earlier in his career, he was a legal adviser to the Cabinet Office and at the European Commission in Brussels. Prior to working in government, Alan practised as a commercial litigator in the City. He is a past member of the Law Society’s European and Employment Law Committees.

Dan Fitz
Emeritus Director and former General Counsel
The Francis Crick Institute

Dan Fitz is the former General Counsel and Company Secretary of the Francis Crick Institute and of BT Group plc. He has also served as GC of two other listed UK plcs, Misys and Cable & Wireless. Now retired from full-time work, Dan is consulting with an AI data centre company on how to get their legal needs met efficiently and effectively as they enter a growth phase. Dan sits on the Development Board of The Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law. Until recently, he also sat on the Chancellor’s Global Advisory Board of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dan has long been active in the in-house legal world and is a past chair of the Association of Corporate Counsel, the world’s largest association of in-house lawyers.

Michael Francies
Retired Managing Partner
Weil Gotshal & Manges (London) LLP

Mike Francies retired from the partnership in 2024. He was Managing Partner of Weil’s London office from 2000 – 2023 and Co-Managing Partner in 2024 and 1999. He was a partner in the Corporate group and a member of the Firm’s Management Committee.

Mike had experience in all types of public and private transactions, with an extensive track record spanning both cross-border and domestic across a range of industry sectors. He advised private equity funds, corporates and financial advisers in relation to private equity and M&A, joint ventures, IPOs and equity issues, and corporate restructurings. He was considered a leading transactional lawyer for advising on transformational domestic and cross-border deals, with Chambers and Legal 500 stating that Mike was “superb choice of counsel for…high-value M&A deals” and “a first-class PE lawyer”. He was recognised as an “exceptional lawyer”, “phenomenally hard-working and universally respected”, known for his “attentiveness and versatility” and for bringing “a depth of experience and deliver[ing] a great service.”

Mike was recognised by numerous legal and industry commentators over the years, including: reported by The Lawyer as the most recommended Private Equity lawyer in the UK by general counsel; featured in Private Equity Manager magazine’s ‘Legal Power 30’ list of the 30 most influential private equity lawyers; shortlisted as one of the UK’s Top Innovative Lawyers in the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards; awarded “Partner of the Year” at The Lawyer Awards; recognised as “Deal Lawyer of the Year” at the Legal Business Awards; and listed in The Times’ “Law 100: UK’s Most Powerful Lawyers”.

Andrew Garard
General Counsel and Company Secretary
Pennon Group plc

Andrew Garard is a very experienced global General Counsel and Company Secretary with a demonstrated history of building and leading award winning multi national teams across a range of industries.

Responsibilities have also included business continuity, risk management, health and safety, insurance, compliance, content management, regulatory and policy affairs, HR and corporate communications.

Janet Gaymer
Employment Lawyer
The Janet Gaymer Consultancy

Dame Janet Gaymer is an eminent employment lawyer, who was the Senior Partner of Simmons & Simmons, before becoming the Commissioner for Public Appointments and a Civil Service Commissioner. She is a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Business Banking Resolution Service. After stepping down as Commissioner, she occupied a number of different roles in Westminster She was a Non-Executive member and then Acting Chair of the Management Board of the House of Commons; a Non-Executive member of the House of Commons Commission and Chair of the two House of Commons Audit Committees; and an independent lay member of the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. She served on the Advisory Panel for the Independent Review of Legal Services Regulation conducted by Professor Stephen Mayson of University College, London, and co-chaired the Consultation Steering Panel for the Legal Services Education and Training Review

Oonagh Harpur
Independent Non Executive
KPMG

Oonagh Harpur has inhabited boardrooms for over thirty years, as a serial CEO, Chair, Non Executive director and Trustee in the energy, health, financial and professional services sectors in the UK and USA. As the first non-lawyer CEO and subsequently in advisory and non exec roles she has worked with the boards of many professional services firms including Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, DLAPiper and Linklaters, and the Government Legal Department. Oonagh is an Independent Non Executive at KPMG U.K. L.L.P. and a member of its Public Interest Committee; Trustee, Scientific and Medical Network, Chair, Ethical Leadership Group and member IWFUK and Fellow, Chapter Zero.

Caroline Kenny
Associate General Counsel
Facebook

Caroline Kenny has been Associate General Counsel at Facebook since 2016 and oversees Facebook’s Core App products globally including Groups, Dating, News and Search. Previously at the Financial Times, Google and RPC’s tech team, Caroline has been advising at the heart of technology and online content for over a decade. Caroline has been described as a “real live wire” in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 2018 list and “a true specialist in the digital market” on the Legal 500 GC Powerlist 2019. She spends her time outside work running long distances and also around after three small boys.

The Hon. Mr Justice Robin Knowles CBE

Accountable to an international Steering Group, Sir Robin is the judge with day-to-day responsibility for the Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts (SIFoCC), the global forum of the world’s commercial courts.

A High Court Judge in England & Wales, Sir Robin sits principally in the Commercial Court but also deals with public law and criminal law cases. He is a designated judge of the Financial List. Sir Robin was Chairman of the International Committee of the Judicial College, and a member of the Civil Justice Council. He remains a member of the Financial Markets Law Committee and its governing board. Before appointment to the High Court Bench, as Queen’s Counsel Sir Robin sat part-time as a judge and a mediator and an arbitrator. He was Chairman of the Commercial Bar Association.

Sir Robin has a career-long involvement in the encouragement and coordination of legal pro bono work, nationally and internationally, and chairs the board of the National Pro Bono Centre. With others, Sir Robin led work to achieve the Rolls Building in London, the world’s largest dedicated business dispute resolution centre. He also assisted Qatar in establishing its International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre.

Outside the law, Sir Robin was chairman of the UK umbrella charity for children’s palliative care and children’s hospices, and of London’s first children’s hospice.

Matthew Layton
Deputy Chair of the Board of Governors
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

Matthew Layton was the Global Managing Partner of the leading international law firm, Clifford Chance LLP from 2014 to 2022, having spent almost four decades with the firm as a pre-eminent M&A and private equity lawyer.

Since retiring from Clifford Chance, Matthew is a Senior Adviser to FTI Consulting LLP and a member of the Advisory Board of Cognia Law and BARBRI International. Matthew also works with and advises the founders of a number of legal tech businesses as well as acting as a consultant to law firm leaders, general counsel and private equity investors.

Matthew is the Deputy Chair of the Board of Governors at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and Chair of the Board of Trustees of Tender, a charity which works with young people in schools and other youth settings using drama-based workshops to explore healthy relationships and prevent violence against women and girls.

Lauren Livingston
Founder
Compass Leading

Lauren Livingston is a Mastered Executive Coach and the Founder of Compass Leading, a leadership advisory and executive coaching business. Lauren coaches and trains internationally with senior professionals and aspiring leaders to become the leader they want and need to be.

Lauren brings her long track record of leadership expertise to her clients. Lauren spent over 20 years in law, 17 of which working for global private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, where for over 9 years she was CVC’s longest standing and first female global General Counsel and named by a leading Magic Circle law firm as one of the pre-eminent General Counsel’s of her generation. Lauren has “walked the walk” and intimately understands the demanding dynamics of being a leading professional. Besides being a coach and lawyer, Lauren is also a mother, Trustee of Power2, speaker and writer.

Isabelle Meyer-Barchechath

Isabelle is a seasoned legal professional with over 25 years of experience across multiple industries, including private banking, luxury goods, technology, and retail. Prior to relocating to the UK, she held various positions in Switzerland, including Associate Director Legal at J.P. Morgan and Head of Compliance, Vice President at HSBC.

More recently, she served as Group Functions Legal Director at Kingfisher plc, where she led multiple legal teams, and as Legal Director at Moët Hennessy Europe (LVMH), where she built the legal function supporting over 40 markets and was a member of the Executive Committee.

In 2014, she was named as one of the Hot 100 UK lawyers, and during her time at Just Eat, she and her fantastic team won the British Legal Award's Legal Department of the Year.

Isabelle is qualified as a solicitor in England & Wales and in Ireland, and as a barrister in Switzerland. She also holds a Certified Information Privacy Professional qualification. She is passionate about justice and team development and actively promotes diversity and inclusion as a speaker for Speakers for Schools, a not-for-profit organisation that supports students from underprivileged backgrounds.

Ian Moyler
Principal Consultant
Prosperant LLP

Ian was for 32 years at Brick Court Chambers, 22 years as Senior Clerk. Ian was responsible He has Litigation market knowledge and contacts in the areas of International Arbitration, Commercial Law, Competition / Anti Trust Law and Public and Human Rights law, both domestically and internationally. Ian is currently engaged as a Consultant for PROSPERANT LLP where he assists managing change in Legal entities including Law Firms and Barristers Chambers . He also works with Grant Thornton LLP alongside their Business Development team.

Parminder Nahl

Experienced General Counsel, Board Advisor and Training Principal leading a multi-disciplinary legal team for a global conglomerate. Previously worked at FBN, an emerging market bank, and practiced at the London offices of Allen & Overy LLP. Extensive experience and expertise in cross border debt finance transactions, restructurings and risk management.

A Liveryman and Freeman of the City of London contributing to philanthropic activities supporting the charitable and educational sectors in the UK and a student mentor for Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

Lara Oyesanya
Non-Executive Director
PensionBee Group plc

Lara is an experienced financial services chief legal officer, general counsel, and company secretary with international experience. She’s skilled in regulatory, payments, enterprise risk management, consumer protection, SME law, offshore, employee relations (contentious and non-contentious), corporate transactions, and commercial banking. An Independent Non-Executive Director at PensionBee Group plc, a Board Trustee at Shaw Trust, a Contributing Editor, at LexisNexis Encyclopaedia of Banking Law, and a Fellow of The RSA. 'Business Woman of the Year' & 'Corporate Leader', 2018 FL National Awards. Ranked in The Lawyer Hot 100 2021. BBBA Financial Services Senior Leader of the Year 2021, ‘Woman in Legal’ winner of the 2022 Women4Africa Awards. Formerly, Zepz's Chief Legal Officer and Group General Counsel, Contis General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer, legal director at Klarna, senior legal counsel at Barclays and BAE Systems, a divisional counsel at RAC, a legal director at HBOS (Lloyds Banking Group) and Group Head of Legal at Lex (Lex Autolease). Former co-opted member of the University of Cambridge Council Committee (CBELA) that advised the Vice-Chancellor on benefactions. A solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales and a barrister of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. A law graduate (LL.B Hons) of the University of Lagos with an LL.M in Comparative Company Law.

Patrick Somers

Patrick Somers recently retired as a senior corporate partner from Dentons UK and Middle East after a 40-year career in law. He spent the majority of his career as an international M&A partner at leading global law firms, including Dentons, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP), DLA Piper, and Squire Patton Boggs, establishing himself as a trusted advisor in complex, high-stakes transactions.

In addition to his extensive private practice experience, Patrick served as General Counsel for FTSE 100 company Lattice Group, the owner of the UK’s entire gas transmission and distribution network. During his tenure, he led a large legal team responsible for delivering comprehensive, high-quality legal support to the highly regulated infrastructure division, Transco. Under his leadership, the legal team navigated significant industry challenges, culminating in Lattice Group’s acquisition by National Grid.

Throughout his career, Patrick has championed the seamless collaboration between in-house and external legal teams, striving to ensure that legal advice is actionable, timely, and offers clear value for money. While he acknowledges progress in this area, he remains committed to advancing industry standards.

Ed Walker
Co-Founder and Chief Corporate Officer
Transport UK Group

Ed Walker is Co-Founder and Chief Corporate Officer of Transport UK Group, the UK bus and rail passenger operator.

He joined Transport UK Group (previously Abellio) as General Counsel to support the group navigate the impact of Covid on the industry business model and transition itself towards a new future in a radically and permanently altered industry. He steered the Group through its highly complex Management Buyout in 2023 and sits on the Group Shareholder Board and Group Executive. Prior to Transport UK Group, Ed carried out similar roles in international tobacco, African petrol station retailing, oil refining, international building materials distribution and general insurance.

Clare Wardle
General Counsel and Company Secretary
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

Clare Wardle is a General Counsel and Company Secretary and member of the Executive Leadership Team of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, leading risk, compliance, security and legal teams across 29 countries. Previously General Counsel and Company Secretary of Kingfisher plc, Commercial Director of Tube Lines plc, Head of Legal at Post Office. Currently NED at The City of London Investment Trust plc and chair of the Royal British Legion Industries’ Development Board, previous board memberships include Basketball England (chair), Modern Pentathlon Great Britain, encryption and digital signatures, sheltered housing and retail.

Penelope Warne

A leader and a pioneer of women in law for over 40 years .Formerly Chair and The Senior Partner of CMS UK for 11 years and an Energy law expert for over 30 years. Also Professor of Energy of the Centre for Energy, Mineral Law & Policy of Dundee University. I have served as a Board member of a number of Boards including The Law Society of England and Wales and IMD Switzerland. I am the Founder of Law Everything which provides commercial energy advice, legal, mentoring and diversity services to a broad mix of companies, organisations and individuals.

Matthew Wilson
Chief Legal Officer
Fremantle

Matt is Chief Legal Officer at global content producer Fremantle. Fremantle produces over 12,000 hours of original programming every year across drama, entertainment, documentaries and film. He joined Fremantle in August 2021 and sits on the global board. Prior to Fremantle, Matt was based in Amsterdam as General Counsel for EMEA & APAC for Uber, leading a diverse, international team who helped Uber Rides to scale, launch Uber Eats and JUMP bikes (now Lime) and stabilise and grow the business across over 50 countries, culminating in a successful listing on the NYSE in 2019. Matt started his career with four years at Baker & McKenzie, followed by an overall six-year stint in senior roles for global telco Telefónica with a spell at Arsenal Football Club in the middle. Matt studied Economics and Politics and is a practicing Solicitor (England and Wales).

Angela Yotov
General Counsel and Executive Committee Member
FTSE

Angela Yotov is the General Counsel and Executive Committee member of the FTSE insurance company, Direct Line Group plc. She was previously General Counsel of Close Brothers Group plc, a FTSE financial services group and at RateSetter, a high growth fintech firm, which was subsequently acquired by Metro bank. She was in private practice at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Latham & Watkins. Angela is a passionate supporter of D&I and is the Executive Sponsor of the Neurodiversity and Disability network at Direct Line. She is a non-executive director and trustee of FareShare, the UK’s largest food redistribution charity. Angela is also a strong supporter of mentoring having been a 30% Club Mentor and a co-founder of Mentorix, a not-for-profit, General Counsel mentoring scheme for GCs of the future.