Alison Statham is Global Vice Chair, Global General Counsel of PwC, leading the global legal function and advising senior leaders and member firms across the PwC network on complex legal, regulatory, governance and business matters. She brings more than two decades of experience at PwC, including six years as PwC UK’s General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer and a member of the UK Management Board. Alison has built her career around a clear view of the role of the General Counsel: not simply to protect an organisation from risk, but to help it make better decisions, pursue opportunity with confidence and navigate complexity with integrity. She began her career in private practice, training and qualifying as a commercial litigation lawyer at Linklaters, including a secondment to Hong Kong, before moving to Taylor Wessing. She joined PwC’s Office of General Counsel in 2002, where her work broadened beyond litigation into regulatory, corporate and commercial matters and complex cross-border issues. She became a partner in 2011 and later served as UK Deputy General Counsel. As PwC UK’s General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer, Alison led a multidisciplinary legal and risk function of more than 400 people and advised senior leaders on some of the firm’s most complex legal, regulatory, governance and reputational matters. Her experience spans significant litigation and regulatory investigations, governance reform, acquisitions and divestments, technology transformation and international matters across the PwC network. A consistent theme of Alison’s leadership has been to position Legal and Risk as practical enablers of business. She is known for balancing commercial opportunity with clear judgement on risk, quality, ethics and reputation, helping leaders navigate situations where there is rarely a simple answer. This has been particularly relevant in fast-developing areas such as AI, data and technology, where she has supported responsible innovation while encouraging legal and risk teams to embrace new tools and ways of working themselves. Alison has extensive experience of operating in environments of intense regulatory and public scrutiny. She has worked closely with regulators, independent governance bodies and senior stakeholders across multiple jurisdictions, bringing a measured approach to difficult issues and a strong focus on transparency, accountability and learning. Her appointment as Global General Counsel in 2026 reflects the breadth of that experience and the trust placed in her judgement across legal, risk, governance and complex international matters throughout her career. Her leadership style is equally central to her impact. Alison has built and led high-performing teams through significant periods of change, invested in succession and development, and created environments in which colleagues feel able to surface difficult issues early and challenge constructively. She is known for her calm judgement, integrity, pragmatism and ability to bring clarity to complex situations. Colleagues consistently describe Alison as thoughtful, balanced and trusted. She combines rigorous challenge with empathy, listens carefully before forming a view and is comfortable asking difficult questions when needed. She is also a passionate advocate for authentic and inclusive leadership, the development of others and supporting women’s careers in the workplace.