Head of EMEA and Global chief risk officer | Carlyle
Heather Mitchell
Head of EMEA and Global chief risk officer | Carlyle
Career Biography:
Heather Mitchell is a Partner, Managing Director and Head of the firm’s EMEA region. She is also Carlyle’s Chief Risk Officer, chairing the firm’s Risk Committee and global General Counsel for Investments. She is based in London.
Prior to joining Carlyle, Mitchell was an associate with the law firm Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP and she previously worked at Kaiser Group International, Inc. as Vice President, Corporate Counsel. Mitchell received her J.D. from the Cornell School of Law and her undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Ms. Mitchell sits as a board member of the Cornell Law School.
In 2021, Mitchell co-founded a charity Law-G, which supports female Afghan legal professionals. Through providing English lessons, IT support and lectures on law, the charity was set up to provide women who were lawyers, judges and barristers in Afghanistan, with the skills needed to take up employment and studies in the UK.
In 2024, Mitchell was included on Legal Business ‘The Private Equity Elite: the top general counsel in PE’. In 2018 she was named Individual General Counsel of the Year by Legal 500. Mitchell was named to the GC Powerlist from 2018 to 2022, whilst also being selected for The Hot 100 list in 2019.
What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past 12 months?
Carlyle’s Global Legal Investments (GLI) team work seamlessly across all of Carlyle’s global multi-asset platform – covering private equity investments through to credit transactions, renewable and sustainable energy, and infrastructure deals.
Over the last 12 months, the GLI team has played a key role in the following transactions: Carlyle Europe Technology Partners’ (CETP) acquisition of Adastra Group, a global IT consultancy and services provider; CETP’s agreement to sell Calastone, the largest global funds network, to SS&C Technologies Holdings; Carlyle Europe Partners’(CEP) acquisition of SNP Schneider-Neureither & Partner, a leading global provider of software and consulting services; and Carlyle’s Global Credit’s (alongside other lenders) agreement to commit £1.2bn of debt financing to OneAdvanced, a UK provider of enterprise software solutions.
Carlyle Global Credit also acted as sole lender in providing a financing package of €280m to Fitness Park, one of the largest operator and franchisor of fitness clubs in France, and provided a financing package to Suntera, an independent global provider of bespoke fund, corporate and private wealth services.
Carlyle Global Credit platform provided a financing package of €180m to Argon & Co, a global management consultancy that specialises in operations strategy and transformation. Carlyle Global Credit also provided a strategic investment of €250m to Sanoptis, a European leader in ophthalmology services.
Carlyle Global Credit co-led a €470m financing package for Bianalisi, a leading independent platform for integrated healthcare diagnostics in Italy, and co-led the provision of €800m in long-term partnership capital to Your.World, a leading European online solutions provider.
CEP sold Forgital, a provider of advanced aerospace and industrial forged products, to Stonepeak, and CETP sold 1E, a leader in Digital Employee Experience software solutions, to TeamViewer at an EV of $720m.
Carlyle acted as sole lender to provide £205m of acquisition financing to support Lanes Group, a leading UK wastewater infrastructure services provider.
How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?
At Carlyle, the Global Legal Investments (GLI) team plays a central and proactive role in ensuring organisational resilience during periods of instability or crisis. Our approach is built on deep integration with Carlyle’s business functions and a forward-looking legal strategy that prioritizes preparedness, agility, and alignment with the firm’s broader commercial objectives.
Led by Heather Mitchell, the GLI team includes dedicated experts across asset classes and sectors. This structural specialisation allows the team to anticipate and calibrate complex legal and commercial risks with precision. Our lawyers are embedded within deal teams and work in close collaboration with Carlyle’s leadership, portfolio company management, and external subject matter experts to support decision-making that protects both investments and reputation.
During times of volatility, ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to the Ukraine conflict, banking crises, and macroeconomic shocks such as inflation and interest rate fluctuations, the GLI team has proven its ability to adapt quickly. We have developed an approach to risk-management that goes beyond legal analysis to encompass geopolitical, operational, cyber, reputational, and regulatory risk dimensions. The team is involved early in strategic conversations, offering insights that shape business responses to unfolding events and safeguarding the firm’s resilience.
The GLI team acts as a strategic bridge across the firm, connecting legal, investor relations, communications, and compliance, to ensure consistent messaging and coordinated action. Continuous dialogue with portfolio companies enables real-time risk identification and mitigation, while also supporting investor confidence and fund-raising. Where required, we work closely with external counsel and crisis management teams to navigate complex cross-border legal challenges, from sanctions to cybersecurity incidents.
Importantly, this crisis-readiness mindset is not reactive but embedded in our operating model. The GLI team is fully aligned with business priorities, contributing meaningfully to resilience planning, deal structuring, and governance. In this way, Carlyle’s legal function has evolved from a traditional support role into a trusted advisor.
What strategies do you employ to ensure the successful digital transformation of a legal department while maintaining compliance with your country’s data protection laws?
At Carlyle, the GLI team is leading a transformative shift in the legal function by adopting a digital-first strategy that enhances legal operations while preserving the highest standards of data protection and compliance. The team’s approach to digital transformation is guided by three strategic pillars: operational efficiency through technology, proactive risk management, and global compliance alignment.
A cornerstone of this transformation is the implementation of a bespoke AI-powered e-billing and matter management system. This tool automates invoice validation, monitors compliance with Outside Counsel Guidelines, and enables granular analysis of legal spend. It provides real-time visibility into law firm performance, flags inefficiencies, and ensures billing accuracy – contributing to estimated savings of up to $5m annually. Crucially, this technology is hosted on secure platforms and configured to comply with data protection laws across multiple jurisdictions in which Carlyle operates.
Data protection compliance is deeply embedded in every facet of this initiative. GLI collaborated closely with internal privacy and cybersecurity teams to design system architecture and workflows that adhere to applicable legislation, including GDPR and CCPA. Access controls, audit trails, encryption protocols, and secure data storage were rigorously implemented to ensure confidentiality and minimise risk exposure.
Moreover, the GLI team introduced standardised Outside Counsel Guidelines that reinforce consistent compliance expectations with external partners. These guidelines include data handling requirements, billing protocols, and narrative screening—all monitored through the new digital system. By ensuring that law firms follow clear compliance parameters, the team has improved data stewardship across Carlyle’s legal ecosystem.
In parallel, the team’s strategic review process—conducted quarterly—leverages the new platform to assess law firm performance in terms of cost, quality, and compliance. This structured feedback loop supports informed decision-making and encourages accountability.
Carlyle’s GLI team has demonstrated how a sophisticated, human-led, and tech-enabled approach can drive meaningful legal digital transformation.
What is a cause, business or otherwise, that you are passionate about?
In 2021, Mitchell co-founded a charity Law-G, which supports female Afghan legal professionals. Through providing English lessons, IT support and lectures on law, the charity was set up to provide women who were lawyers, judges and barristers in Afghanistan, with the skills needed to take up employment and studies in the UK.
Partner, chief risk officer, head of EMEA and global general counsel for Investments | Carlyle
Chief risk officer, global general counsel for investments, and head, EMEA | The Carlyle Group
Chief risk officer, global general counsel for investments and head of EMEA | The Carlyle Group
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