Governance 2026: Speakers

Anjli Raval is the FT’s Management Editor. She reports on CEOs, boards, corporate governance, business life and the future of work. Previously, she was Senior Energy Correspondent covering oil and gas companies, energy policy and the global transition towards cleaner fuels. Before joining the natural resources team, she was an editor and reporter in New York writing about the US consumer economy. She has also worked in the New Delhi bureau and on the companies, markets, comment and analysis desks in London since starting at the FT in 2009.

April Skipp is the Principal Product Compliance Advisor and Corporate Secretarial Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Diligent Entities. With experience spanning both managed services and in-house roles, April brings deep expertise in corporate compliance and governance on a global basis. At Deloitte, April worked closely with clients to enhance operational efficiency through governance technologies while navigating international compliance frameworks and jurisdiction specific regulatory requirements. Today, April works within the Entities Product team, ensuring the solution evolves to meet the future-state needs of modern governance teams, bringing real-world experiences in to our Entities product.

Blair McDougall is the Labour MP for East Renfrewshire, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024. He currently holds the Government post of Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade).

Brad is a respected and experienced international executive, company director, corporate advisor, and adjunct lecturer. Brad has over 25 years’ experience within the State and Federal Government, private and publicly listed companies, and not-for-profit organisations in the areas of corporate, legal and energy and resources. Brad has experience across a diverse range of industries such as retail, education, hospitality, music, transport, mining, agribusiness, marine, health services, heavy industry, mining equipment, renewable energies, oil & gas, not for profit in Australia and various jurisdictions around the world. Since 2009, Brad has been a Specialist Adjunct Lecturer in Officer and Directors Duties, Governance and Compliance and Risk Management.

Bunmi is an accomplished Chartered Company Secretary. With over a decade of expertise spanning Corporate Governance, Share Plans, and Insurance, she has supported a diverse range of Financial Services and listed entities across the FTSE, AIM, and NYSE. Currently serving as Assistant Company Secretary at Wise plc, Bunmi is a dedicated advocate for empowering the next generation of governance leaders and the profession. Bunmi is also the Vice President of the Women's Corporate Governance Association.

Claire Phillips is Head of Corporate Governance for Aviva’s UK Insurance, Wealth & Retirement business, where she serves as Company Secretary across multiple entities and leads a team providing governance support to Boards and Committees across the division. She is responsible for ensuring compliance with corporate law and regulation, embedding effective governance frameworks, and supporting high quality Board decision making. A Chartered Company Secretary with over 20 years’ experience, Claire specialises in advising Boards and executive teams in complex, regulated environments, with a strong track record in governance transformation and building high performing functions that enable strategy and oversight.

Derek Leatherdale is Senior Geopolitical Risk Adviser at Sibylline Ltd, a leading provider of geopolitical and macro risk intelligence and information to corporate clients globally. Prior to this, Derek founded GRI Strategies Ltd, leading pioneering work with companies across industry sectors to improve internal approaches to corporate governance and management of geopolitical risk exposures. Before setting up GRI, Derek founded HSBC’s group geopolitical risk function, the first of its kind in the financial sector. This involved integrating expert geopolitical risk input into the group’s governance, strategy and risk management activity across a global portfolio of banking operations - covering investment and corporate banking, markets and asset management businesses, trade finance and other banking services.

Divya is a co-founder and our research and development lead. Specialist in human decision-making and behavioural science.

Eileen Mullan is a distinguished governance specialist, Non-Executive Director, and founder of Boardroom Apprentice, recognized for advancing diversity and inclusion in boardrooms and awarded an MBE for her voluntary service in Northern Ireland. Eileen has worked with organisations across the public, voluntary and private sectors. She is a highly-accomplished trainer, Non Executive Director, Board Advisor, facilitator and trained mediator. She has held Non-Executive roles within, Health, Regulation and Funding. Never shying away from a challenge, Eileen ticked delivering a TEDx Talk off her bucket list and her idea worth sharing was “make time for what matters to you”.

Em is a highly accomplished digital marketing strategist with a track record of delivering industry-beating results in declining markets. She specialises in using data insights to shape brand positioning, leadership development and sales enablement, working closely with C-suite executives from FTSE 100 and Fortune 250 companies. With experience managing risk and resources across a global portfolio of 1,000+ projects, Em understands how to drive impact at scale. Recognised as one of the Top 1% of global marketing influencers on LinkedIn, her work is frequently cited as industry best practice. With deep expertise in crisis management and organisational resilience, Emma is recognised for her ability to remain a calm and trusted advisor in the most challenging circumstances. She works closely with senior leaders to foster a culture of transparency, accountability and trust, ensuring that organisations respond to scrutiny with integrity whilst maintaining public confidence. Her work focuses on strengthening governance frameworks and demonstrating how openness and clarity can build credibility even in the most complex and high-stakes environments.

Erika Eliasson-Norris is redefining what governance means in today’s boardrooms—moving it beyond compliance to become a strategic powerhouse for business resilience and growth. As CEO of Beyond Governance, she champions a governance-first approach that drives transparency, strengthens leadership, and turns regulatory obligations into competitive advantages. Her expertise extends beyond the corporate sphere. As the Governance Assessor for the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry—the largest public inquiry in UK history—Erika is playing a critical role in shaping accountability and corporate reform for the UK. With over 15 years of experience advising FTSE-listed companies, including Low & Bonar, InterContinental Hotels Group, Premier Foods, and KPMG, she has been instrumental in refining governance frameworks that stand the test of scrutiny. Named Governance Professional of the Year by the Chartered Governance Institute, Erika is a recognised voice in shaping the future of governance. She is steering governance in the right direction, setting the pace, challenging norms, and inspiring business leaders to see governance as a foundation for lasting success.

Gary Ford is the co-founder of Men for Inclusion, having spent 10 years in the Corporate world advocating for gender equality and diversity and inclusion wherever he worked. Gary’s not just a co-founder; he’s a driving force behind Men for Inclusion, bringing a wealth of experience and a passion for creating transformational culture change. In 2023, he was asked to speak at the inaugural UN Women’s Center of Excellence dialogue in Seoul, South Korea. Following positive feedback from the session, he presented at the 2024 UN Women conference, delivering a keynote talk to senior leaders and a 90min workshop for over 50 delegates. In 2020, he co-authored his first book, ‘The Accidental Sexist: A Handbook for Men on Workplace Diversity and Inclusion’ (Rethink Press), showcasing his commitment to fostering inclusivity in workplaces.

With over 25 years as a Partner at both KPMG and BDO, George joined IASME in 2023 and is currently the Head of IASME Cyber Assurance (ICA). George brings a perspective based on helping businesses become cyber resilient in a cost-effective manner. Having also worked on a number of cyber breaches, it became clear that the key denominator in all of those breaches was the lack of cyber governance. Not only will George focus on good practice but he will also highlight key frameworks that can help and how you can demonstrate compliance to your own organisation and to your own wider client base.

James is a Chartered Governance Professional with experience gained in large UK-listed organisations. He is currently head of Corporate Governance at Aviva plc, where he oversees listed-entity governance. In recent years, James has been involved in significant corporate transactions such as Aviva’s acquisition of Direct Line and Rolls-Royce’s £1bn rights issue. James has previously worked at Rolls-Royce, British American Tobacco, and Royal Mail.

Jason Wright is responsible for delivering a comprehensive governance and secretariat service to the Board, Board committees and senior management. He advises the Chairman and the Board on governance-related matters and helps the Board function effectively by ensuring it has the policies, processes, information, time and resources it needs. Jason joined Nationwide in December 2019 and became Society Secretary in March 2021. He is a qualified chartered company secretary with over 25 years of experience working as a governance professional within financial services. Prior to joining, he was Company Secretary at Barclays Bank PLC and previously held roles as the Head of Board Support at Santander UK plc and Company Secretary of RBC Europe. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute.

Joshua Domb is the Founder and Managing Partner of Gen-R Law. He leads the firm’s ESG, Compliance and Investigations practice. Joshua trained and qualified as a White Collar Crime lawyer at DLA Piper. He joined Paul Hastings as an associate, before moving to McDermott Will & Emery as a senior associate. Prior to setting up Gen-R Law, Joshua spent a year travelling with his wife. He used that time to read extensively about climate change, ESG, biodiversity, sustainability and the supporting domestic and international legal and regulatory frameworks, building on a long-standing interest in these topics. Since opening Gen-R Law in March 2024, Joshua has been advising clients on a range of topics in the ESG space, with a particular focus on the integration of ESG into business operations, ESG and climate literacy training, greenwashing and sustainability reporting.

Jon is a leading voice in corporate governance recruitment, with over 26 years’ experience appointing company secretaries and governance professionals across FTSE listed, private and regulated companies, professional services firms and not for profit organisations, in the UK and internationally. As Managing Director of The Core Partnership, the UK’s largest independent governance recruitment firm and now proudly employee owned, Jon works closely with organisations to broaden representation within governance functions and to support the development of inclusive teams. Jon also founded the 3,700 member UK Governance Forum on LinkedIn and serves as a Director of ACGN (Asian Corporate Governance Network), supporting and amplifying ESEA voices in the profession

Justine serves on the Membership Committee. She is Founder and Managing Director of the Centre for Synchronous Leadership (CSL), a think tank, consultancy and membership organisation. Recognised as an authority on leadership, ethics and systemic change, she is author of the 2021 and 2022 Mindful Exclusion governance reports and Chair of the global Agents of Change initiative. As a C-suite and board-level coach, she has helped to sync up the interests of individual leaders with their teams, organisations and the greater needs of society for over a decade. Outside CSL, Justine serves on the Nominations Committee for the Chartered Institute of Taxation and is Patron of Bright Stars, a charity supporting young people with autism.

Kako is a Chartered Governance Professional and the Co-Founder of Governance for Good, with a longstanding commitment to championing diversity and inclusion in corporate governance. From exploring diversity in the boardroom in his LLM thesis, to promoting ESG initiatives in the companies he has worked with, and now through programs like BEGA and the new On The Rise initiatives, Kako has consistently prioritised creating equitable, inclusive, and forward-looking governance practices. He brings extensive experience advising boards, company secretaries, and senior executives across listed companies, multinational groups, and regulated institutions, spanning board operations, committee oversight, regulatory compliance, directors’ duties, ESG integration, restructurings, and complex corporate transactions across the UK, Europe, and Africa. Kako has also led governance transformation projects, managed multi-jurisdictional compliance frameworks, and supported boards through high-stakes processes, including restructurings and major corporate transactions. He is additionally Co-Host of the CoSeCity Podcast, a unique UK governance platform.

Kayla Schembri is the Head of Policy at The Chartered Governance Institute UK and Ireland. Based in London, she is responsible for delivering thought leadership, lobbying campaigns and professional guidance on leading governance practice, and elevating the governance profession with members, regulators, policymakers, employers and other stakeholders by promoting strong governance as a strategic enabler for organisational success and competitive advantage. Kayla, who joined the Institute in 2025, is an enthusiastic governance professional having held multiple seats at the boardroom table, including the company secretarial, non-executive director and chairperson appointment. She is a fierce advocate for cognitive diversity in leadership, with a steadfast commitment to lifelong learning and a fascination with the art of decision-making.

Kate Sargent is Chief Data Officer at the Financial Times, where she leads the organisation’s data, analytics, and AI strategy with a focus on value creation, trust, and capability building. She studied mathematics and operational research before a chance analyst role at National Air Traffic Services introduced her to data science and analytics. From that point, Kate built her career across a series of well-known consumer organisations including easyJet, Tesco, Ocado, Sky, and TUI. In 2020, Kate took on her first director role at Collinson Group, a travel services organisation, at the onset of the pandemic. She led the Data and Analytics function through a period of significant disruption, establishing it as a core pillar of the corporate strategy and later progressing to Senior Vice President of Data and Analytics. Kate became Chief Data Officer at the Financial Times in 2023, as generative AI began to reshape the industry. She is responsible for developing and executing a value-led data and AI strategy, leading the FT’s AI transformation, and setting the organisation’s approach to AI governance and ethics. A central part of her remit is building data and AI literacy across the business, ensuring teams can use emerging technologies confidently, responsibly, and in service of editorial and commercial objectives.

A seasoned governance professional with over 20 years of experience in corporate governance, specialising in listed, quoted, and large private organisational structures. Kerry is the Founder and Lead Consultant at Round Governance Services Limited. A Fellow of the Institute and a member of its Public Practice Scheme. Kerry is also an avid adventurer—often found climbing mountains, running through the countryside, or cycling.

Laura is the Founder of The CoSec Coach and former FTSE Company Secretary specialising in redefining governance as a strategic value driver. A chartered governance professional with over 20 years' experience of working with Boards, senior leadership teams and leading governance teams, Laura is proud to promote governance as a force for growth and integrity. Laura spends her time coaching senior governance professionals and Board members, designing and delivering bespoke & classroom training, providing advisory and consulting services and carrying out Board effectiveness reviews.

Leigh is the Founder of ImpactMatch and Co-Founder of ActionAble and is an award-winning social inclusion strategist and advisor, renowned for driving sustainable impact through strategic leadership, partnerships and campaigns. Passionate about equitable opportunities for everyone, her accomplishments include designing the Home Access scheme, establishing the Go ON UK Charity, developing digital skills benchmarks for the UK Government and designing and launching a Digital Skills Academy. Leigh also advises global organisations on inclusion. Leigh has also helped to design and launch networks such as the Digital Poverty Alliance to advance social inclusion and has sat on many UK inclusion boards including Women in Banking and Finance, TechTalent Charter and more recently as a proud trustee at AbilityNet.

Lesley has specialised in corporate governance since publishing the Cadbury Report on behalf of the London Stock Exchange in 1992. Lesley has written for the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN), the European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) and the ICAEW NED Special Interest Group and is a regular speaker at workshops and conferences on governance and in particular the role of the non-executive director. She spent 20 years as Publisher of the FT Board Director Programme (FT BDP), where she was responsible for ensuring that course content remained practical, relevant and up to date, and that the quality of speakers was of the highest standard. She was the driving force behind the development of the FT Non-Executive Director Diploma and continues to be closely associated with the programme. She also authored two of the FT BDP Professional Director Series e-learning courses: The Role of the Board and The Role of the Board Member. She also publishes the leading monthly newsletter on corporate governance, Governance, which has covered governance developments and best practices worldwide for over a quarter of a century.

Linda joins CGIUKI with a distinguished track record of leadership, membership growth and transformation across the professional and regulatory landscape. She was most recently Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX), where she spearheaded major programmes of modernisation, expanded access to legal qualifications, and secured wide-reaching policy, regulatory and legislative reform. Over a 15-year leadership career, Linda has demonstrated her commitment to professional excellence, public interest outcomes and creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds to succeed. She brings deep experience in governance, professional qualifications, stakeholder engagement, strategic partnerships and digital transformation.

With over 12 years’ specialist experience, Mariza recruits Company Secretaries and Governance professionals for organisations across the UK and internationally. A qualified CIPD professional, Mariza brings a structured, people centred approach and a commitment to building long-term partnerships. She specialises in senior and mid level appointments, interim solutions and advisory work on salary benchmarking, competitor analysis and wider talent retention strategies. With a strong commitment to embedding equity, diversity and inclusion into recruitment, Mariza helps organisations build governance teams that are both effective and genuinely representative.

Megan is a Senior Director at Board Intelligence, EMEA's largest board technology and advisory firm. At Board Intelligence, Megan is responsible for research, content, communications and brand development. She writes about board effectiveness, corporate governance, AI, leadership, and organisational culture and her work has been featured in a wide range of international publications and podcasts including the Sunday Times, Management Today, Governance + Compliance, and the Financial Times. She is also a regular panellist, speaker, and commentator on these topics and supported the Institute of Directors' 2025 Commission, which was set up to examine the role of non-executive directors 20 years on from the Higgs Review. Megan joined Board Intelligence in 2018 and has held roles within the business development, customer and marketing teams. As Market Director, she led teams serving Board Intelligence’s clients in the Private Equity and Trust & Corporate Services sectors. Prior to joining Board Intelligence, Megan spent nine years at Skillcapital, an executive search and transaction advisory firm focused on the private equity market. As a Director in the Technology, Media & Telecoms practice, she led assignments in Europe and North America, building boards and management teams for private equity-backed businesses and supporting private equity firms with deal origination and due diligence.

Nicola is a Chartered Company Secretary with nearly 20 years of board-level experience spanning fully listed companies and investment trusts. Nicola currently leads Law Debenture's Governance Advisory team of more than 10 company secretaries while simultaneously serving as Group Company Secretary for Law Debenture Corporation. She begun her career in professional services, gaining comprehensive exposure to diverse listed entities including investment trusts and operating companies. Throughout this progression, she delivered the complete spectrum of company secretarial services, from board advisory and annual report preparation to AGM support and statutory compliance.

Paul Stark specialises in boardroom technology and leads research and education on AI in board effectiveness. He is a founding member of the AI in Corporate Governance industry forum.

Paul is a Chartered Secretary with 19 years governance support and company secretarial experience in a broad range of sectors. This includes in a leading Lloyd's insurance market managing agent, an Alternative Investment Fund Manager, a local authority, a national Charity and also as Company Secretary of a not-for-profit housing company. In his current role he is responsible for the delivery of outsourced company secretarial services for a challenger bank & a company in the London insurance market. He also supports listed company clients with a range of tasks, including drafting their Annual Report, providing briefings on key governance & regulatory issues and assisting with regulatory announcements. Paul has a BA (Hons) in Politics from the University of Nottingham and an MA (Grad ICSA) in Corporate Governance from Anglia Ruskin University. He is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) part-time through the Open University. His varied experience means he is highly adaptable and can provide excellent company secretarial support in a range of businesses.

Perrin founded CoSteer after an impressive corporate career culminating in a number of C-suite roles and is a highly experienced, professionally qualified Fellow of the International Compliance Association (FICA) with a Post-Grad in Corporate Governance. He is a published academic author in the field of governance and complexity and an appointed member of the Technical Committee of the ESG Exchange | Governance Group, a global organisation under the patronage of Professor Mervyn King and is lead researcher in organisational governance systems and culture with the Good Governance Academy. As a speaker and author, he is passionate about changing the narrative surrounding governance, risk and compliance and their interconnection with organisational culture and performance. As Founder and CEO of CoSteer, he created GovQ+, a regulatory technology and assessment diagnostic with a human-focused approach. This technology helps organisations and boards move towards a more dynamic, flexible and responsive business model that promotes long-term growth, shareholder value, sustainability, consumer confidence and regulatory compliance.

Based in London, he is responsible for developing the profile of the Institute and the governance profession with members, regulators, policymakers, employers and other stakeholders by delivering thought leadership, lobbying campaigns and professional guidance promoting strong governance as the vital ingredient for success in organisations. Peter, who joined the Institute in 2013, has more than 40 years’ experience working on governance. He is a member of a number of industry committees and working parties, and is a regular speaker at conferences and events, with an industry-wide reputation as an expert on shareholder and governance matters.

Richard Young has been interim editor of Governance & Compliance since October 2024. He has been writing about business and technology for 30 years. In 2001 he launched Real Finance, editing the CFO's magazine until 2006 when he went freelance. He now divides his time between writing and editing on subjects including finance, business, private equity, market research, technology, and project management; chairing conferences and events; and his own one-day workshop on Better Business Writing.

Ruth Odih is a senior corporate governance professional, currently holding the title of Head of Secretariat at Centrica plc. She specialises in UK and international governance and has extensive experience with FTSE 100 and AIM-listed companies as well as private and internationally listed businesses across sectors including catering, energy, oil and gas, private equity, and financial services.

Dr Scarlett Brown is a Senior Board Advisor at Board Intelligence. Having led the BI think tank, her research and advisory work spans board effectiveness, AI governance, and the how to drive better decision-making at the top of organisations.

Terri Le Couteur is an international governance expert and founder of TLC Governance Solutions, with over 30 years’ experience across Europe and key offshore centres. A Chartered Governance Fellow with a Master’s in Corporate Governance, Terri notably served as Chair of the CGI Guernsey Branch. She specialises in strategic advice, governance training and board evaluations - helping businesses strengthen effectiveness, resilience, and purpose through practical, real-world governance solutions.

Tim Greenwell is experienced in the sports and entertainment, automotive, manufacturing and finance sectors. His work focuses on governance, risk and compliance, as well as real estate development projects and corporate investment. Tim has more than 20 years’ experience in senior in-house roles, which has included working for 10 years at a club in the Premier League/EFL Championship and WSL as general counsel and chief operating officer. He also has extensive experience in the automotive sector, having served as UK general counsel at an automotive sales and marketing company. Tim has also led global compliance at a listed manufacturing group and gained extensive experience in corporate finance.

Tracey Brady is Vice President, Business & Product Strategy at Diligent and an accomplished governance professional with more than 25 years of experience across governance and compliance. In her role, she brings a practitioner perspective to the development and strategy of products specifically for governance and compliance functions. Before joining Diligent, Tracey was a Partner at KPMG, where she led the UK company secretarial and global entity management practice. She began her career as a company secretary in the fund management sector, later moving into the listed company arena and building deep expertise in boardroom governance and corporate transactions. She also served as Managing Director of Company Matters, a division of Link Group, where she led a business recognised for excellence in corporate governance services. Tracey brings extensive insight into the evolving governance landscape and is known for helping organisations translate complexity into stronger governance practice and more effective operating models.

Tracey is a highly respected business adviser, facilitator, and executive educator with over 30 years’ experience driving transformation at board and executive level. She specialises in ethical leadership, AI ethics, corporate governance, culture change, regulatory compliance, and human-centred technology. Tracey has held senior leadership roles including Senior Corporate Governance Partner at PwC UK, advising global organisations on integrity, governance, and behavioural change. More recently, she founded and led the Sustainable Business and ESG Advisory Practice at DWF LLP. Now Director of Intelligent Ethics, she supports senior leaders in building inclusive, high-performing cultures and embedding responsible, technology-enabled transformation. Tracey helps organisations reframe ethics, governance, and culture as drivers of performance, long-term value, and resilience, while equipping leaders with practical, human-centric skills to build trust and enable effective decision-making.