{"id":164176,"date":"2024-03-20T10:55:42","date_gmt":"2024-03-20T10:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legal500.com\/events\/?page_id=164176"},"modified":"2026-03-09T11:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T11:39:13","slug":"speakers-2026","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/events\/enterprise-gc\/speakers-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Speakers 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Matt Wilson, general counsel, Fremantle<\/strong>
\nMatt is group general counsel 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 general counsel for EMEA & APAC for Uber, and previously held roles at Telefonica o2, The Arsenal Football Club and Baker McKenzie.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Helen Barraclough, group GC, Smith & Nephew<\/strong>
\nHelen Barraclough is Group General Counsel, Company Secretary and Chief Risk Officer at Smith + Nephew. Helen has extensive experience navigating complex regulatory landscapes, providing strategic support to growth strategies and driving a high-performance culture. Helen\u2019s other inhouse experience includes senior positions in WPP and Nomura International plc.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mark Gregory, general counsel, Rolls-Royce<\/strong>
\nMark Gregory was appointed General Counsel at Rolls Royce in 2015, Mark has over twenty years of legal, regulatory, risk, compliance and governance experience and has been a member of the Executive Team ay Rolls Royce for nearly ten years. Before this role, Mark held various positions in the Group, most recently as Head of Legal and Commercial.Before joining Rolls-Royce in 2005, Mark trained and practiced at Lovells (now Hogan Lovells) in London and Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Huma Allana van Reesch, GC, EMEA, Starbucks<\/strong>
\nHuma Allana van Reesch sits as EMEA general counsel at Starbucks, leading a team that covers 42 markets and handles regulatory challenges, crisis and risk management while implementing strategic priorities for the group. Huma has extensive in-house experience, especially in the retail, consumer goods and health sectors, having previously worked for the likes of Coca-Cola Enterprises and Reckitt.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Simon Edwards, commercial partner, Trowers & Hamlins<\/strong>
\nSimon is a Partner in Trowers & Hamlins Commercial team, with over 20 years’ experience advising on and negotiating commercial contracts for household name clients. Simon works closely with in-house legal teams and has spent time on secondment at 3 global consumer businesses. Simon is passionate about helping to develop individuals and high-performing teams, and has experience leading cross-functional teams, such as sector groups and currently the Trowers GC Steering Committee.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kelly Young, interim head of legal and company secretary<\/span>, MOO<\/strong>
\nKelly is an experienced General Counsel & Company Secretary, with specific expertise in complex governance structures, leadership and transformation in highly regulated sectors. Kelly also holds two NED roles and is listed in the Lawyer Hot 100 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Craig Duff, GC, Keyloop
\n<\/strong>Since 2021, Craig has served as General Counsel and Data Protection Officer for Keyloop, a global provider of technology solutions to the automotive industry. He leads the global Legal & Compliance team, overseeing a wide range of initiatives, including legal matters, risk management, insurance, ESG, and business continuity.<\/p>\n

A UK-qualified solicitor with over 15 years\u2019 experience, Craig is passionate about building, developing, and contributing as a productive member of teams. He has scaled the Legal & Compliance team from two FTEs in the UK to a team of twelve across three countries.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n

\nVictoria Robertson, commercial partner, Trowers & Hamlins<\/strong>
\nVictoria is a commercial and data law specialist and partner in Trowers and Hamlin’s commercial team.She focusses upon complex contracts and projects and in particular those involving data privacy issues. She has particular expertise in a wide range of technology agreements, regularly advising both providers and customers of IT services.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n

Victoria advises clients within various sectors including technology, life sciences, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, education, charities and the public sector.<\/p>\n

She is vastly experienced in dealing with tricky contractual issues especially where personal data is involved and regularly advises clients in the private and public sectors upon data matters including regulatory compliance, international transfers, and innovative usage of personal data.<\/p>\n

Victoria has a particular interest in the life sciences, healthcare and fertility sectors, advising pharmaceutical companies, service providers in the pharma sector, fertility clinics and other service providers within the fertility sector. She is chair of the regulatory committee for the AI Fertility Society and regularly speaks on matters such as AI, ethics and data privacy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mark Maurice-Jones, general counsel & compliance officer, Nestle
\n<\/strong>Mark Maurice\u2011Jones is General Counsel and Head of Legal for Nestl\u00e9 UK & Ireland, leading a team of legal professionals who help shape the company\u2019s agenda through proactive business partnering and a strong culture of integrity. As the most senior legal voice in the organisation, Mark advises the C\u2011suite on strategy, risk and governance.<\/p>\n

Prior to Nestl\u00e9, Mark held senior legal roles at Kimberly\u2011Clark in the EMEA region, having begun his career as a competition lawyer in London and Brussels. He also serves on the Board of the Association of Corporate Counsel Europe (ACCE), where he co\u2011leads ACCE\u2019s ESG programme.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ben Stansfield, sustainability partner, Gowling WLG
\n<\/strong>Ben Stansfield is an environmental lawyer and joined international law firm Gowling WLG in 2019. He advises organisations across a range of industries on climate and sustainability issues, with a focus on adapting to the climate crisis, meeting decarbonisation targets and improving the natural environments where they operate. Mr Stansfield helps his clients \u201cgreen\u201d their property estate, incorporate sustainability measures into their supply chain, and meet their climate disclosure and reporting obligations. He co-chairs Gowling WLG\u2019s internal Environment Committee and has been a trustee of the UK Environmental Law Association for over ten years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sean Adams, commercial disputes partner, Gowling WLG
\n<\/strong>Sean has a broad commercial practice, with significant experience in a variety of sectors, including automotive, aerospace, financial services and renewable energy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sean focuses on corporate and commercial disputes for a wide variety of clients. Those disputes routinely include breach of contract claims, tort and negligence claims, post-M&A \/ acquisition disputes, investor and shareholder disputes, and serious and complex fraud claims. He also has significant experience handling supply chain disputes and assisting clients in seeking or responding to applications for urgent injunctive relief. Sean has a growing interest and practice dealing with FinTech disputes, particularly related to cryptoassets and blockchain technology and AI.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Bernardine Adkins, of counsel, EU, trade and competition, Gowling WLG<\/strong>
\nBernardine is a competition litigator advising on some of the most high-profile and complex cases in the Competition Appeal Tribunal, the High Court and the Court of Appeal. Qualified both in the UK and as a Brussels advocate, she has extensive expertise in competition, foreign investment and trade matters. Her practice spans complex cross\u2011border regulatory, trade and policy issues, and she frequently contributes strategic insight on geopolitics, tariffs, sanctions and emerging international trade frameworks.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Nicki Schroeder, group GC, Reach
\n<\/strong>Nicki is Group General Counsel at Reach Plc, the largest newspaper publishing group in the United Kingdom, including household names such as The Mirror, The Express and OK magazine. The group also has publications in the Republic of Ireland and the US. Nicki manages a team of employed legal and data protection specialists, supported by freelance prepublication lawyers providing out of hours editorial legal cover to our publications.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n

With more than 20 years in the legal media sector, she began her career in private practice where she had a thriving defamation and copyright defendant practice, before moving in-house. She has since worked in-house in both the broadcast and print sectors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lesley Wan, founder & CEO, The Eagle Club
\n<\/strong>Lesley is the Chair of the British Legal Awards Judging Panel and a highly experienced general counsel.<\/p>\n

Lesley has been a voracious champion of D&I throughout her career, and supported all strands of diversity by fostering a positive culture where people’s different backgrounds, views and values are given appropriate respect at work.<\/p>\n

She created the hugely successful Breakthrough Mentoring programme at Lloyds Banking Group to promote and retain female talent and built the membership to in excess of 15,500 employees across the organisation \u2013 the success of which she then used to raise the profile of other diversity initiatives at the bank.<\/p>\n

Lesley is on the board of EurOut at London Business School and is a keen supporter of LGBT+ issues. She is the Founder and CEO of Through the Looking Glass Charity (which provides less affluent students with rare insight into City professions) and Founder and CEO of The Eagle Club – a global network of senior business professionals and general counsel (which helps support women in leadership positions to reach their potential and build strong support structures).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Laura Field, SSQ
\n<\/strong>Laura leads the UK In-House team of SSQ, a global legal search and recruitment consultancy. SSQ works with law firms and companies within commerce and industry and financial services, from scale ups to FTSE and Fortune listed companies, to build their legal, corporate governance and company secretarial teams from General Counsel level down. Laura and her wider team advise senior lawyers on their career strategy and provide clients with market intelligence on all matters involving recruitment, retention and salary benchmarking.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sarah Ward, competition partner, Walker Morris LLP<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

Sarah is a partner in our Competition team and is ranked in both Legal 500 and Chambers for her expertise in navigating complex UK and international regulatory regimes. She advises clients across the retail, consumer goods, financial services and energy sectors, where compliance pressures are,\u00a0 significant and constantly evolving. With extensive in-house experience gained through secondments at De Beers, Unilever, Tesco and Royal Mail, Sarah brings a practical understanding of how regulatory risks play out within a business. Sarah regularly helps organisations identify their UK compliance risks, anticipate upcoming regulatory developments and implement governance frameworks that reduce the likelihood of issues arising.<\/p>\n

Sarah is known for providing user-friendly, commercial advice across all areas of competition law and foreign direct investment rules. She is particularly skilled at translating complex legal and economic concepts into clear, actionable guidance that supports business and GC decision-making.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Daniel Quy, general counsel and director of compliance & Ethics, Royal Mail
\n<\/strong>Dan is responsible for leading the Legal & Compliance team \u2013 which includes Commercial & Technology, Competition, Compliance, Crime, Employment, Litigation, IP and Property sub-teams. Dan is a qualified solicitor with 20 years\u2019 experience, focusing on postal services, logistics and supply chain, telecoms and TV.\u00a0 He has been at Royal Mail Group for almost 10 years, prior to this Dan worked in the Competition & Regulation team at Sky UK.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Vijay Rathour, Partner – cyber & digital investigations; global co-lead on cyber security, Grant Thornton
\n<\/strong>Vijay leads Grant Thornton\u2019s Cyber and Digital Investigations team, helping clients react to constantly evolving cyber threats, corporate governance concerns and investigations. He works to keep businesses running, and running well.<\/p>\n

For nearly twenty years he has managed some of the UK\u2019s most high-profile investigations and specialises in complex and cross-border matters. His team supports on the development of information governance systems, forensic evidence collection, information recovery and regulatory reporting.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

He is a former barrister, solicitor and FCA regulator and he works at the interface of legal and technical teams, providing strategic guidance and crisis management support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/div>\n


\nLawrence Grabau, chief legal officer, Pizza Hut UK
\n<\/strong>Lawrence is Chief Legal Officer for Pizza Hut UK, Europe and Latin America and Caribbean (Yum! Brands Inc.) where he is responsible for all legal and regulatory matters across these regions. Lawrence also sits on the Pizza Hut\u2019s International Operating Markets (IOM) leadership team.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In addition to his legal role, Lawrence also serves as General Manager (Interim) for Pizza Hut Germany.<\/p>\n

Prior to joining Pizza Hut, Lawrence was Head of Legal for KFC Western Europe at Yum! Brands Inc., where he sat on the leadership teams in Iberia, Germany, and Italy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kathryn Karssiens, associate director, forensic and investigations, Grant Thornton
\n<\/strong>Kathryn is an Associate Director in Grant Thornton\u2019s Forensic practice, specialising in high-profile, complex investigations on an international scale. She provides support to clients navigating high-stakes governance concerns, allegations of misconduct, and regulatory scrutiny. Kathryn’s experience includes a secondment to the UK’s Serious Fraud Office, where she served as the forensic accountant in the investigation and prosecution of Glencore Energy UK Ltd.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Steve Holt, global forensic and investigation services lead, Grant Thornton
\n<\/strong>Steve Holt is head of Grant Thornton\u2019s forensic and investigations services practice in the UK and co-leads the firm\u2019s global forensic practice. Steve has a particular focus on aiding companies facing urgent, complex, cross-border issues including fraud, bribery and corruption, misconduct and asset recovery.<\/span><\/p>\n

Steve has over 15 years of forensic accounting and investigations experience in high-profile and high-stakes cases. His work often involves the analysis and presentation of complex information from multiple sources in a clear format that may be used to support disclosure to regulators or as an expert report as part of legal proceedings.<\/p>\n

Steve has extensive experience investigating high-profile international assignments representing governments, public companies, and private individuals, and assists in both the recovery and seizure of substantial funds throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and South America.<\/p>\n

Steve was appointed to support the independent review of Boohoo Group plc\u2019s supply chain in response to media allegations raised surrounding supplier relationships. He has also been involved in investigation and recovery actions on behalf of a European government following a \u20ac300 million cross-border fraud; appointed in several investigations connected with allegations of bribery involving Operation Car Wash in Brazil; uncovered a \u20ac620 million cross-border money laundering scheme involving the manipulation of several international banks by a cartel of rogue businessmen; and led an investigation into concerns of misconduct at UK public interest organisation.<\/p>\n

Steve is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, is a certified fraud examiner, and holds a first-class honours degree in statistics from the University of Bath. He is also the Forensic Expert officer of the International Bar Association Anti-Corruption Committee.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n
\nAlison Beveridge, d<\/span>irector of legal compliance & company secretary, Mulberry Group PLC<\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/strong>Alison has extensive experience in driving strategic and operational change in consumer-focused industries, from the De Beers Group to InterContinental Hotels Group Plc.\u00a0 As Group GC at Ted Baker, Alison managed the Legal, risk, compliance and Communications functions and helped lead the business in its complex restructuring with Authentic Brands Group, and into an eventual trading administration.\u00a0 With this insolvency and crisis management experience, Alison went on to form part of the Executive Board which led the restructure and successful sale of Harland & Wolff Plc in Belfast.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ian Lopez, M&A partner, Fried Frank
\n<\/strong>Ian Lopez advises clients in connection with public and private mergers and acquisitions, equity capital market transactions, joint ventures, and corporate restructurings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ian is head of Fried Frank\u2019s European Mergers and Acquisitions Practice and advises companies across numerous industries, including healthcare, technology, financial services, telecoms, media and entertainment, insurance, and consumer and retail.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The Legal 500 UK recognizes Ian as a leading individual in the M&A: Upper Mid-Market and Premium Deals category, where clients describe him as “an experienced, smart, creative, friendly, collaborative, business-minded, proactive, and strong negotiator.” In addition, Ian has recently been added to Legal 500’s M&A Powerlist, which showcases the UK\u2019s top M&A lawyers covering all facets of Mergers and Acquisitions. He has also been recognised by Thompson Reuters as a leading individual in its 2025 Stand-out Lawyers list.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lisa Lischak, divisional general counsel, DCC Technology<\/strong>
\nLisa leads the legal, compliance and regulatory team globally for the technology division of FTSE 100 company DCC plc. She is also sustainability lead and a member of the DCC Technology senior leadership team. She has extensive cross-border experience in the energy, health & beauty and technology distribution industries working in the UK, US and Hungary.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n


\nMark Gregory, general counsel, Rolls-Royce<\/strong>
\nMark Gregory was appointed General Counsel at Rolls Royce in 2015, Mark has over twenty years of legal, regulatory, risk, compliance and governance experience and has been a member of the Executive Team at Rolls Royce for nearly ten years. Before this role, Mark held various positions in the Group, most recently as Head of Legal and Commercial.Before joining Rolls-Royce in 2005, Mark trained and practiced at Lovells (now Hogan Lovells) in London and Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Simon White, GC EMEA APAC, senior vice president, IQVIA
\n<\/strong>He leads the legal team across Europe, Middle East Africa and Asia, advising on issues including \u00a0from clinical trial litigation, acquisitions and anti-trust, sanctions and trade compliance, ESG, regulation, AI in public health and privacy. Prior to IQVIA, Simon was Chief Privacy Officer and Global Head of Contacting at Unisys and General Counsel EMEA LATAM and Chief Privacy Officer at Cognizant. He started his legal career at Clifford Chance, working in both the London and Amsterdam offices.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Stephanie Hamon, global head of vendor management, PG&C and legal, HSBC<\/strong><\/div>\n

St\u00e9phanie Hamon is helping legal functions to operate as an efficient business partner. She is changing legal service delivery, one step at a time. Expert in setting and delivering transformation programmes and commercial management strategies for in-house legal departments as well as broader legal operations strategies and implementation. She led the Barclays team that was named \u201cLegal operations team of the year\u201d at the 2019 UK Legal 500 Awards.\u00a0 She has also developed a new approach to law firms panel and engagement with the broader legal ecosystem. She promotes collaboration, relationship and efficiencies. She has over 20 years\u2019 experience working with legal and financial institutions in the UK, Europe and Asia Pacific. St\u00e9phanie has considerable expertise in senior stakeholder management, business development, strategy formulation and execution and client-focused relationship management. After setting up and running\u00a0 the legal operations consulting practice, helping their clients on all aspects of their role, at Norton Rose Fulbright, she I snow global head of Legal Market Engagement at HSBC.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n

\nSarah Wynn-Williams<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

Sarah Wynn-Williams is a lawyer, diplomat and technology policy leader whose career bridges government, NGOs and Big Tech. At Facebook (2011\u20132017), she led global public policy across multiple regions during a period of hyper-growth and heightened scrutiny, giving her a rare inside view of how product, politics and public trust intersect. Her 2025 memoir, Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism, became a New York Times #1 bestseller and ignited a global conversation about platform accountability, transparency and leadership ethics. In April 2025, Sarah briefed U.S. lawmakers at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing, sharing first-hand perspectives on Meta\u2019s international strategy and the policy dilemmas that shape the digital public square.<\/p>\n

Earlier in her career, Sarah served New Zealand in Washington, D.C. (2007\u20132011) and worked with international NGOs, experience that underpins her global outlook on speech, safety and regulation.<\/p>\n

On stage, Sarah is candid, insightful and forward-looking. She equips leaders and boards with the context, language and decision-making tools to navigate AI governance, content integrity and geopolitics\u2014translating complex policy into actionable strategy for organisations operating across markets.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Roger Flynn, business leader, public speaker
\n<\/strong>Roger Flynn has run businesses with turnovers between \u00a3400m and \u00a32bn, millions of customers and thousands of staff. An accomplished businessperson having worked at Director\/CEO level in five global companies across multiple industries at times of rapid change. He brings a wealth of experience as a practitioner in transformational change and digital disruption.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kate Southwell, SVP, group GC, Anglo American
\n<\/strong>Kate Southwell is Group General Counsel for Anglo American plc, a FTSE listed global diversified mining company. Prior to joining Anglo American Kate was General Counsel at Pala Investments, a mining focused private equity fund based in Zug, Switzerland. Kate is an experienced board advisor and Non-Executive Director and has been a director of Atlantic Tin, Nevada Copper and Dumas Mining. Kate is passionate about sustainable mining, improving safety and diversity in the industry, and in the role the mining industry can play in the just energy transition.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Harpreet Sagoo, GC and cosec, Ricardo Plc
\n<\/strong>Harpreet is Group General Counsel and Company Secretary for Ricardo plc. She began her career with Marconi Telecommunications, where she qualified as a lawyer in 2002. She has held several senior legal positions internationally, primarily focused on the technology sector, moving from listed companies to the startup world. Harpreet is a results driven professional with an excellent track record of building agile, responsive legal teams that can provide a tailored service to the business across various regions within a fast paced environment. Her extensive experience with creating legal compliance frameworks to address regulatory changes on a global basis, working on M&A, divestments, IP strategy, litigation, ethics and reducing the sales contract cycle has not reduced her appetite to lead and close complex legal high profile contracts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lewis Bowman, director, Axiom Law
\n<\/strong>Lewis Bowman leads Axiom\u2019s Commercial & Industry practice in London, helping legal and business teams tackle a range of tactical, strategic and operational legal support issues. He trained as a strategy & operations consultant at PwC for 10 years, advising clients on value-accretive strategies through both mergers and acquisitions, and ongoing business performance improvement. He joined Axiom in 2017 to help grow the London business, and currently partners with Axiom\u2019s largest global clients.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Matthew Leopold, head of market insight, Lexis Nexis
\n<\/strong>Matthew is a market strategist \u2013 specialising in technology marketing for the professional services industry. He has been involved in shaping market insight and creating transformation strategies for most of his career. He has led brand and insight marketing for FTSE 100 and NYSE listed businesses in the UK, USA and in a number of countries around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a strategist, Matthew always has an eye on the trends and opportunities of a market. He loves bringing the professional services market to life, showcasing not just how tech is revolutionising the industry \u2013 but explaining why and painting a compelling picture of the future.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Nick Skill, M&A, special counsel, Fried Frank
\n<\/strong>Nick Skill advises clients on a variety of UK and cross border corporate finance transactions, including public and private M&A, equity capital market transactions, joint ventures, corporate restructurings, and on minority stake deals in fund managers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Legal 500 UK mentions Nick in the Upper Mid-Market and Premium Deals category, describing him as \u201ca pleasure to work with.\u201d Nick was also featured in The Lawyer\u2019s Festival of Talent, which celebrates the Senior Associates and Junior Partners who worked on the standout deals shortlisted for The Lawyer Awards. Click here to read the full feature.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Philip Richter, M&A partner, Fried Frank
\n<\/strong>Philip Richter represents clients in transactions involving both public and private companies, minority investments, proxy fights and unsolicited proposals, and strategic partnerships and joint ventures.<\/span><\/p>\n

Philip is co-head of Fried Frank\u2019s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice. Clients seek his advice on corporate governance issues, defensive strategy, securities law compliance, and other corporate matters, and he frequently represents investment banking firms serving in a financial advisory role, drafting and executing fairness opinions.<\/p>\n

Chambers USA and Chambers Global: America\u2019s Leading Lawyers for Business have consistently recognized Philip as a leading individual in Corporate\/M&A. Philip also wins regular rankings within The Legal 500 in M&A: Mega-Deals, M&A: Large-Deals, and Financial Services: Regulatory. The New York Law Journal has named Philip an \u201cM&A Trailblazer,\u201d and Lawdragon has listed him among its \u201c500 Leading Lawyers.\u201d Furthermore, MergerLinks recognized Phil as the #4 Advisor Lawyer in New York for FY22.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Jean-Philippe Verdier, investment banker, Verdier & Co<\/strong>
\nJean-Philippe founded Verdier & Co. in 2016, having previously worked at Jefferies as Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking France. Prior to Jefferies, Jean-Philippe worked from 1998 until 2010 at BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank and Greenhill & Co.. With 25+ years of experience in corporate finance, he has successfully executed over 40 transactions with a cumulative value of \u00a320bn \/ \u20ac25bn.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
In addition to his professional experience, between 2016-2023 Jean-Philippe had been a member and lastly Chair of the Alumni Council of the London Business School and de-facto Board member of its Governing Body. From 2011 till 2020 he was also Co-Chair of the Sustainability and Climate Change think-tank of the French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n

\nKirin Kalsi, general counsel, compliance officer and data protection officer, E.ON UK<\/strong><\/div>\n
Kirin is the General Counsel for E.ON UK and serves as the organisation\u2019s Compliance Officer and Data Protection Officer, leading a recognised legal and compliance team supporting all UK operations. She has been with E.ON for over 17 years, becoming General Counsel in 2020, and she and her team have been featured in the GC Powerlist and shortlisted for multiple awards, including the FT Innovative Lawyers Europe and Lexis Nexis Legal Awards. A member of the E.ON AI Council, Kirin plays a key role in shaping responsible AI strategy and implementing emerging EU AI regulatory requirements from the perspective of a UK energy supplier with EU\u2011based ownership. She is a strong advocate for workplace AI adoption, championing tools such as Microsoft Copilot and a new Legal AI platform for contract automation and knowledge management.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n


\nElisabeth Lung, global head of litigation, risks – insurance, L’Oreal
\n<\/strong>Elisabeth Lung leads the Global Litigation, Risks, and Insurance department at L\u2019Or\u00e9al. Reporting to the Group General Counsel, she oversees the group\u2019s worldwide litigation portfolio, navigating complex international disputes where financial and reputational stakes are highest, while also leading the Group’s legal risk prevention and insurance strategies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before joining the world\u2019s number one beauty company in 2023, Elisabeth spent over a decade at the elite international law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, where she specialized in international arbitration and cross-border litigation for sovereign states and global corporations.<\/p>\n

A true multidisciplinary leader, Elisabeth is an alumna of the French \u00c9cole Normale Sup\u00e9rieure and holds advanced degrees in Business Law & Taxation (University Panth\u00e9on-Assas), History and Art History (Universities Sorbonne, Pisa & Munich). A member of the Cercle Montesquieu and Paris Place de Droit, she is an active figure on the Paris legal market and recognized voice on the evolving landscape of legal risk, insurance strategy, and the intersection of justice and reputational implications.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sylvie Gallage-Alwis, partner, Signature Litigation
\n<\/strong>Sylvie Gallage-Alwis is one of the founding members of the Paris office of the well-known specialized disputes firm, Signature Litigation (which has offices in London, Paris, Frankfurt and Gibraltar).<\/span><\/p>\n

Sylvie focuses her practice on assisting manufacturers in all the litigations they could face in France. In particular, she is one of the most highly regarded experts in product liability, product compliance, product safety and ESG in France. She is the lead expert on the French market on handling mass litigation, being at the origin of most pro-company case law rendered in recent years, notably in toxic tort cases.<\/p>\n

Sylvie is both an Avocat \u00e0 la Cour in France and a Solicitor in England & Wales. She is described in leading directories as a \u201cdynamic and determined litigator\u201c, who is \u201ca firm favourite among clients\u201c as \u201cshe always goes the extra mile to support her clients, and is proactive in seeking commercial solutions to disputes\u201c and is \u201canalytical, intelligent and responsive\u201c, \u201ca star in the international world\u201d, a \u201cwell-connected expert\u201d and a \u201cwonderfully bright and enthusiastic\u201d lawyer.<\/p>\n

Her team (the largest Product Litigation team on the Paris market) is ranked Band 1 in The Legal 500 and in Chambers & Partners. Sylvie is individually ranked as one of the only two lawyers recommended by The Legal 500 in Product Litigation in France.<\/p>\n

Sylvie is the only European member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Defense Counsel where she serves to help elaborating global strategies for the defense of companies which face global litigation.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hicham Khellafi, general counsel EMEA, Honeywell Industrial Automation
\n<\/strong>Hicham Khellafi is General Counsel EMEA at Honeywell International Inc., where he partners closely with senior leaders to support growth, manage risk, and drive sound decision-making across complex international operations.<\/span><\/p>\n

He leads a broad legal agenda covering corporate governance, major commercial matters, regulatory and compliance issues, disputes, and business transformation initiatives within Industrial Automation.<\/p>\n

Hicham is recognised for his pragmatic, business-focused approach and for translating legal complexity into practical outcomes that support operational and strategic objectives.<\/p>\n

Before joining Honeywell, Hicham trained in private practice at the Paris office of Clyde & Co. He is a French-qualified lawyer. He earned a Master\u2019s degree in Business Law from University of Paris X and an LL.M. from University of Oslo.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kendall Langford, general counsel and senior partner, Patron Capital
\n<\/strong>Kendall Langford is a pioneering lawyer, investor and social impact advocate whose career spans more than 28 years at the forefront of European private equity and real estate. She is one of the founding partners of Patron Capital Partners, established in 1999, and now serves as Senior Partner and General Counsel. Patron Capital has grown from a three-person start-up to one of Europe\u2019s leading private equity real estate platforms, with over \u20ac5 billion under management and seven dedicated funds investing in value-oriented and opportunistic real estate and real estate-related assets across Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kendall was successfully shortlisted by the Business Legal Awards 2025 as General Counsel of the year pursuant to a nomination put forward jointly by Travers Smith, Lovells, Simmons & Simmons, Goodwin, Osborne Clarke, Fladgate, Molinari and AM2 legal.<\/p>\n

Kendall recently led and coordinated the complex sale of a majority stake in Patron to Mitsubishi Estate Co one of Japan\u2019s largest listed real estate developers. The transaction is part of a long-term strategic growth plan for Patron which Kendall will continue to help drive through her role as a senior member on the executive committee.<\/p>\n

Kendall\u2019s career began at Clifford Chance, where she honed her legal expertise in banking and finance before moving in-house to Cargill Investments as head of legal for its European Value Investment Group. It was there she met Keith Breslauer, then at Lehman Brothers, who invited her to help build Patron as a founding member. Today, Kendall is integral to Patron\u2019s strategy, risk management, structuring and governance where she is recognised for excellent judgement, creative approach, energy, accountability and unerring commitment to drive initiatives forward.<\/p>\n

Beyond her work at Patron, Kendall has been committed to gender-lens and social impact investing. She is a founding investment committee member of the Women in Safe Homes Fund\u2014the first gender-focused real estate fund\u2014created to address the shortage of affordable and secure homes for women escaping domestic abuse and for ex-offenders. Through this innovative model, she has helped bridge the gap between social impact and institutional capital, ensuring investments deliver both financial returns and meaningful social outcomes.<\/p>\n

Kendall\u2019s commitment to social causes extends far beyond her professional sphere. She served as a Trustee of the Barbican Centre Trust for 7 years, shaping fundraising and strategy for one of the UK\u2019s premier arts and education institutions. A spirited horsewoman, she dedicates her personal time to equine therapy programmes for disadvantaged children and women and has raised funds for vulnerable communities through extraordinary endurance horse rides.<\/p>\n

She is also an active mentor and volunteer speaker for GAIN (Girls Are INvestors), helping to inspire and empower the next generation of women in finance and law. Fluent in French and Spanish, Kendall lives in London with her four children. Her professional excellence, pioneering spirit and lifelong dedication to social impact and diversity make her an outstanding leader and role model\u2014someone who has not only shaped the legal landscape of real estate private equity but also demonstrated how finance can be a powerful force for good.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dara Fernandez, founder, Cina Fernandez
\n<\/strong>Dara Fernandez is an international sanctions expert and US qualified lawyer with over 15 years\u2019 experience working as a financial crime specialist. She is co-founder of Cina Fernandez, a national security practice which advises governments, multinational corporations and international organisations on complex geopolitical and regulatory challenges. Dara is a fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) where she contributes to policy development, leads capacity-building programmes and supports strategic responses in high-risk, cross-border environments. Dara previously served as General Counsel in Honeywell\u2019s Global Trade team and was Global Head of Financial Crime at Bupa, where she led legal and compliance frameworks on sanctions, export controls, AML, ABC, proliferation and terrorist financing and fraud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ailsa Longmuir, head of corporate and transformation, technology & operations, Vodafone
\n<\/strong>Ailsa Longmuir is Head of Corporate and Transformation, Technology and Operations at Vodafone, where she leads the legal and operational strategy underpinning some of the organisation\u2019s most complex technology and transformation programmes. With a career that spans both private practice and in-house leadership, Ailsa brings a distinct lens to the intersection of corporate governance, digital transformation, and operational change at scale.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before moving into her current leadership role, Ailsa built her legal expertise advising on high-stakes corporate matters, and she continues to draw on that foundation in navigating the regulatory, commercial, and structural challenges that accompany large-scale technology change within a global telecoms business.<\/p>\n

Ailsa is a passionate advocate for the evolving role of lawyers in technology-driven organisations, and speaks regularly on how legal thinking can \u2014 and should \u2014 shape the way businesses approach transformation. She is committed to advancing the profession and to building diverse, high-performing teams that are equipped for the demands of a rapidly changing digital landscape.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Shaun Goodman, head of legal, Hyundai
\n<\/strong>Shaun Goodman is Head of Legal and Corporate Governance at Hyundai Motor UK Limited. He also acts at lead antitrust counsel for Hyundai Motor Europe. Prior to joining Hyundai, Shaun was an antitrust partner at a leading US law firm.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Meghan Foreman-Purves, head of legal, Europe & Asia Pacific, CIBC
\n<\/strong>Meghan Foreman-Purves is Managing Counsel and Head of Legal, Europe & Asia Pacific for CIBC. She is based in London and is responsible for leading the legal support for CIBC\u2019s global Capital Markets\u2019 businesses in the region. Meghan also acts CIBC\u2019s representative Board representative for two innovative market infrastructure initiatives, Fnality International Limited and Carbonplace Limited.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meghan is dual qualified as a solicitor in Australia and England and Wales with over 15 years\u2019 experience working in both private practice with King & Wood Mallesons and Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer and within financial institutions, including Lloyds Bank and Standard Chartered Bank.<\/p>\n

Before moving to London in 2011, Meghan acted in a pro bono role in Cambodia supporting the Civil Party Lawyers in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Natalia Chumak, partner, Signature Litigation (London)
\n<\/strong>Natalia Chumak is a long-standing Partner at Signature, having joined in 2014. She is a practicing arbitration lawyer who has been appointed internally as a Partner leading the strategic development of Signature’s International Arbitration practice across all our offices.<\/span><\/p>\n

Natalia has 20 years of arbitration and litigation experience in complex and high value international disputes often involving several jurisdictions and multiple parties. Her legal career has a strong historic foundation in acting for clients from Eastern Europe, the CIS region, Central Asia and the Caucases. Natalia has extensive experience in a variety of commercial disputes including contractual disputes arising out of SPAs and related contractual documentation, shareholders’ agreements, investment agreements, option agreements, debt finance agreements and related security documentation, personal guarantees, partnership disputes (in relation to offshore private equity structures).<\/p>\n

Natalia\u2019s experience spans across many industry sectors including energy (oil and gas upstream, electricity\/infrastructure), water, mining &natural resources, metallurgical, banking, agro-trading, construction, aviation, automobile, railway, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, manufacturing (plastics) and others.<\/p>\n

Natalia has been ranked in Chambers Global for nine years including in Chambers Global 2025 Guide. She has also been recommended in Legal 500 UK and Chambers UK Guides.<\/p>\n

Additionally, she is also quickly gaining recognition as an expert in AI matters, especially in international arbitration. Natalia leads Signature’s AI integration strategy. Working closely with Signature’s CEO and CFO, Natalia drives the firm’s approach to maximising both immediate and long-term benefits from AI. Natalia regularly writes and gives interviews on the issues of AI, particularly in international arbitration. She has been invited to join a Jus Mundi’s leading AI-focused panel at Paris Arbitration Week 2026 in March 2026, as well as speak at LegalTechTalk 2026 in London in June 2026.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Daniel Lichtenstein<\/span>, general counsel, Grant Thornton International
\n<\/strong>Dan Lichtenstein is General Counsel and Company Secretary of Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL), the international coordinating entity of the Grant Thornton network of assurance, tax and advisory firms.<\/span><\/p>\n

He has held these positions since 1 January 2013.<\/p>\n

His main roles are to protect the “Grant Thornton” brand around the world and to advise the GTIL global executive and board about legal issues and risks and how to mitigate them. This includes handling matters related to governance, policies, intellectual property, litigation, regulation, contracts, insurance and cyber.<\/p>\n

Dan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and a joint Juris Doctor\/Master of Arts from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign). He also recently completed an Executive Education\/Senior Leadership Programme course at the Harvard Business School.<\/p>\n

He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.<\/p>\n

Dan has served on the boards of various organisations, focused on different areas, including education and sport.<\/p>\n

He moved from Chicago to London in 2010 with his wife and three (3) children.<\/p>\n

His favourite quote and one he applies to everyday life is by Ted Lasso \u2013 \u201cBe curious, not judgmental\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Emanuel Bj\u00f6rn Bergqvist, deputy GC, Legora<\/strong><\/div>\n
Emanuel Bj\u00f6rn Bergqvist is Deputy Head of Legal at Legora, the collaborative AI platform transforming how law firms and their clients work. As Deputy Head of Legal Legora, Emanuel has a solid understanding of the complexities of legal work and where AI can significantly improve the speed and efficiency of legal teams. Having seen Legora grow from 50 to over 400 employees globally, he has experienced the change which Legora can bring in scaling operations and helping a legal team operate at speed. He joined Legora in early 2025 from a background in IP&Tech and banking and now helps lead a global legal team using its own platform to set the standard of how legal work gets done.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Matt Wilson, general counsel, Fremantle Matt is group general counsel 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 general counsel for EMEA & APAC for … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Speakers 2026”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27682,"featured_media":0,"parent":41380,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-164176","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/164176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27682"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=164176"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/164176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":254050,"href":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/164176\/revisions\/254050"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/41380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=164176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}