2023 Speakers
Caroline Hill
Editor-in-Chief
Legal IT Insider
Event Chair
Caroline became a legal journalist in 2004 after an earlier career as a criminal advocate and later a City solicitor at Norton Rose (now Norton Rose Fulbright). She started her journalism career at Legal Week (now part of ALM) and later became news editor at globally respected publication Legal Business Magazine.
Caroline took over as editor-in-chief of Legal IT Insider in 2014 and is recognised internationally for her no-nonsense coverage of all things legal technology.
Founder & Executive Director
Black Counsel Forum
Sharon Thomas
Sharon has over 25 years of experience as a solicitor. She is dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in the legal industry and helping lawyers of colour succeed. Through her leadership of Black Counsel Forum, she provides a platform for lawyers to learn, share, and network with one another, fostering a community of support and empowerment. Her passion for equity and justice drives her to create opportunities for underrepresented groups in the legal profession.
Lisa Mayhew
Co-Chair
Bryan Cave Leighton
Paisner
Lisa Mayhew has been Chair of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner since 2015. She started out initially as the Managing Partner of Berwin Leighton Paisner and led the firm through its merger with Bryan Cave to form BCLP in April 2018. Since then, she has been Global Co-Chair. Her role makes her one of the most senior female lawyers in the UK and she has made a focus on diversity a key strategic and cultural focus at BCLP. Unafraid of a challenge, she is currently overseeing a major overhaul of the firm following a strategic review alongside her new Co-chair.
Lisa is named as one of only two 'eminent practitioners' in employment law in the UK’s Chambers & Partners directory. She is known for defending employers in large and complex employment disputes, including successfully representing Merrill Lynch in the UK’s highest value gender discrimination and equal pay claim. Lisa is a non-executive director on the board of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). A regular guest speaker at industry events and author of multiple published articles in distinguished publications, Lisa also co-wrote a book published by Sweet & Maxwell on “Discrimination: Remedies and Quantum”
Vicky Sandry
Co-Chair
Mission Beyond
Vicky is the former Group General Counsel of Sky, where she was a member of the Executive Committee and responsible for all legal and regulatory matters across Sky’s six UK and European territories. Now focussing on non-executive director and trustee roles, Vicky is currently Co-Chair of Mission Beyond, a social enterprise aiming to improve social mobility; and an independent trustee of the Royal College of General Practitioners. Vicky is an experienced coach and mentor and enjoys inspiring clients to maximise their personal and professional potential via her empathic coaching approach. An experienced public speaker, Vicky understands all too well the fears that women can face about speaking in front of others and has a well-honed toolkit built over many years that she has found invaluable in her career.
Sarah Lloyd-Hughes
Founder & Public Speaking Coach
Ginger Leadership Communications
Sarah is one of the country’s most authoritative, sought after and leading public speaking experts. An award-winning coach, TEDx conference guest speaker and author of the best-selling book, ‘How to be Brilliant at Public Speaking’ (Pearson), Sarah has delivered hundreds of inspiring workshops that have seen her clients go on to deliver speeches at Parliament, Davos, and TEDx conferences.
Sarah has a particular passion for championing women’s voices and tackling female leadership issues. She’s determined to change the fact that women tend to be less vocal and less visible than their male counterparts – despite being some of the most inspiring, authentic, and empathetic communicators on the planet. She’s on a mission to bring more female leaders into the public eye, helping to grow their confidence and amplify their impact so they are at the forefront of rallying change.
Frances Anderson
Managing Director
Netlaw Media Ltd
Leading a world class Events organisation Netlaw Media, Frances Anderson is an experienced CEO and Entrepreneur with a demonstrated history of working in the legal services industry for the past 15 years. Having started her own business at the age of 25 and building businesses from scratch to million-pound turnovers, Frances is a strong business development professional and leader advising Multinational organisations and FTSE 500 organisations on market positioning for the legal sector. As Director, alongside Event Management and new product launches, Frances leads the Strategic Business Operations for Netlaw Media and has experience in Director Buyouts and Commercial Partnerships. She has built strong relationships with the senior members of the legal community, leading high profile advisory panels for leading industry events such as the renowned British Legal Technology Forum, British Legal Technology Awards and the London Law Expo.
With a passion for bringing the legal community together, educating the industry on new ways of thinking and driving change through the delivery of world class education. Frances is driven in encouraging the next generation into the opportunities available within legal technology for the betterment of the legal profession.
Monica Gogna
Partner
EY Law
Monica Gogna is a leading partner for over a decade and has worked in the Financial Services industry for over 20 years. Monica is passionate about DE&I in the Financial Services industry and co-led the market award-winning social media campaign #FishOutOfWater for raising diversity awareness in the investment management industry at The Diversity Project. Monica is ranked as a Legal 500 Leading Individual for Financial Services advice and has been personally commended in the FT Innovative Lawyer awards two-years running. Monica is a regular speaker at industry events and conferences and is often quoted in the press – both print and TV. She is a passionate advocate for the future of financial services and the role that strong and balanced regulation plays within the financial services industry – particularly in light of the digital evolution of the industry.