2025 CGIUKI Annual Conference

Chris Cowton is Emeritus Professor at the University of Huddersfield, where he served as Professor of Accounting (1996-2016), Professor of Financial Ethics (2016-2019) and Dean of the Business School (2008-2016). Widely published, in 2013 he was awarded the University of Huddersfield’s first DLitt (Doctor of Letters, a higher doctorate) in recognition of his contribution to the advancement of knowledge in business and financial ethics. He is also a recipient of the British Accounting and Finance Association's Life-time Achievement Award.

Chris is active in applying his expertise beyond the academic sphere. Recent assignments include being the architect and main writer of the ICAEW's multi-module online ethics CPD course, launched in November 2023. He also contributes as an Associate to the work of the Institute of Business Ethics, where he was Associate Director from 2019 to 2023.

He is a Chartered Governance Professional and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

David is Secretary General of the Magna Charta Observatory based at the University of Bologna. This global network of approaching 1,000 universities is concerned with promoting and protecting the fundamental values of autonomy and academic freedom and universities’ responsibility to society.  The Living Values project which he co-designed is used by universities around the globe. 

David was previously Director of International Projects at the UK’s Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, the founding Registrar and Acting Chief Executive of the British University in Dubai and head of the administration of two British universities. He also chairs Gulf Education Conferences. 

David was Master of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators from 2017-18.   He chaired the Education Committee from 2019 – 23 and chairs the steering committee for its research project. 

Dineshi leads Board Intelligence’s Board Review practice. She has worked extensively with boards and executive teams as a consultant and with individuals as a Thinking Partner. She cares deeply about helping people take smarter decisions that drive their organisations forward, purposefully and responsibly. Prior to Board Intelligence, she was a strategy consultant with 20 years’ experience at Credo (now Teneo). Dineshi holds an MEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Imperial College, London.

Dr Elizabeth is a London-based psychologist, speaker, workplace engagement consultant and educator, with a specialist focus in the workplace on optimising millennial and gen Z performance and retention. She has worked with a wide cross-section of society; from offenders in prison, to B2B companies and the C-suite that lead them.
Educated at Cambridge University (BA Joint-Hons, MPhil), she is also an Expert Educator and has a Doctorate in Psychology and Psychotherapy. With a unique fusion of corporate and psychological, academic and practical, experiences, Dr Elizabeth brings a dynamic, practical and refreshing approach to your workplace.

Dr Elizabeth works with at-risk adolescents & adults, extensively with trauma, harmful behaviours and suicidal ideation. She has her own private practice as well as working in community organisations and is proud of the new Mental Health Education programme she is developing for community schools.

Working with humans beneath the surface, Dr Elizabeth has a valuable insight to contemporary culture, needs and tendencies. Challenging glass ceilings, status quo and good-enough practice, Dr Elizabeth strives for better and best: bridging gaps at work, enhancing performance and maximising potential.

James is Head of Strategy & Innovation within the Nasdaq Governance Solutions team. He has 23 years of experience within corporate governance and has extensive knowledge of regulation, legislation and corporate governance processes, inclusive of emerging cybersecurity and technology trends.

Kat is an international keynote speaker, teacher, and consultant focused on improving mental wellbeing through small, impactful habit changes.   

After experiencing burnout and losing everything in 2016, she rebuilt her life by embracing a single, positive habit, which now forms the foundation of her work with global organisations, leaders, and individuals. A former Global Commercial Director & CEO, Kat understands the pressures of modern work environments and the constant demand for attention. She brings a unique perspective on how to thrive in a world dominated by distractions, exploring the downsides of attention overload and offering strategies to reclaim focus and resilience while improving performance. 

Keti Khukhunashvili is a Chartered Secretary with extensive experience in the financial services industry. She currently serves as Senior Company Secretary Europe at Schroders Investment Management (Europe) S.A. in Luxembourg. Keti was included on the 2025 Governance Hot 100 list as winner in the Technology Innovators category by DMJ, Brief, and Computershare. She has been at the forefront of Schroders’ efforts in utilising AI to support with minute taking and reducing the amount of time to produce the first draft by 60%. 

Before joining Schroders, Keti served as the Company Secretary of TBC Bank Group PLC and held various roles at its main subsidiary, JSC TBC Bank, including in investor relations and debt capital markets fundraising. Keti holds an LLM degree in banking and finance law from the City, University of London, and a BA degree in International Relations and Economics from Simmons University, Boston, MA. She is an Associate member of The Chartered Governance Institute of UK & Ireland.

Lucy Glover is a Company Secretary with over 20 years’ experience in FTSE 100 and AIM listed companies. Since December 2021, she has been the Deputy Secretary at Smiths Group plc, responsible for plc and subsidiary governance, listed company compliance, and share plans administration. Lucy is Secretary to the Innovation, Sustainability & Excellence, and Audit & Risk Committees, and established the ESG Regulation Oversight Group made up of senior stakeholders to oversee the myriad of ESG regulations that will impact Smiths over the coming years. Previously, she worked for Sainsburys, Landsec, Cape, and EY. Lucy holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Business from the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

Maureen was a civil servant for over 20 years, mostly within the different guises of the Department for Business Enterprise and Industrial Strategy (BEIS),  her last position being Head of Company Law and Reporting.  As part of that role she was responsible for a team who informed company law policy and supported Ministers on a number of legislative changes.

 In 2017 Maureen moved on secondment to the Financial Reporting Council, working on the review of the UK Corporate Governance Code and then the introduction of the Wates Principles for Large Private Companies.  In 2020 Maureen was appointed Head of Corporate Governance at the FRC.

Maureen has overseen the FRC’s annual reviews of Corporate Governance reporting, contracted research pieces and worked on AGM Guidance.

Michaela is a qualified Assistant Company Secretary at YouGov plc, where she supports the Deputy Company Secretary with Board and plc compliance. She also manages the company secretarial team responsible for overseeing over 65 entities worldwide.

Her career began at IG Group Holdings plc, a FTSE 250 financial services company, where she quickly established herself through her innovative approach to process improvement and automation. This allowed Michaela to significantly increase operational capacity and engage with high-level corporate governance matters early in her career.

Tracey Brady is an accomplished governance professional with over 25 years of experience in the Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) sector. She has recently joined Diligent as Vice President of Corporate Services, where she will oversee the development and management of Diligent’s Corporate Secretarial Services, which launched in January 2025.

Before joining Diligent, Tracey held a leadership role at KPMG, where she headed the UK company secretarial and global entity management practice. Her career began in 1999 as a company secretary in the fund management sector, later transitioning to the listed company arena, where she developed significant expertise in boardroom governance and corporate transactions.

In 2014, Tracey took on the role of Managing Director at Company Matters, a division of Link Group. Under her leadership, the business earned industry recognition for its excellence in corporate governance services. Tracey’s extensive experience and insight into the GRC landscape position her as a trusted leader, driving innovation and best practices in corporate governance.