Powerwomen Awards Judges

Karen Jones - Chairwoman
Citywealth
CEO

Karen founded Citywealth after a career at News International, The Times, and Sunday Times in the legal, financial and recruitment sections. She also ran the Legalease flagship title Legal Business/Asia Pacific Legal 500, and launched Legal Business Awards and Legal 500 parties. Karen then took over In Brief magazine, where she grew the organisation from a buyout where it had gone bankrupt to a successful £500,000-a-year publishing and events business. Her work as a Citywealth CEO was recognised by four New York Stevie Awards: Women helping women (2014, 2015), Innovator of the year (2015), and Entrepreneur of the year (2015).

Prapa Pearce
Ocorian
Executive Director

Prapa is an Executive Director within the Private Client team with over 20 years of experience in offshore structures primarily for high net worth individuals and their families as well as entrepreneurs from around the world, with interests ranging from commodity trading businesses, pharmaceutical, gaming applications and branding. Her client portfolio includes several private trust companies, protectorship for large family trusts, UK based family investment structures and a prominent sovereign wealth fund. Prior to joining Ocorian, Prapa was a Client Director at a leading Jersey trust company where she was responsible for a large and diverse client portfolio including being on the board of a holding company of an international fund of hedge funds business. Whilst there, she also spent over four years working in their in-house tax department providing UK taxation advice to trustees and individuals. Prapa has been acknowledged as a "Prominent Figure" in the "Leading Trustees" category in the 2016-17 Citywealth Leaders List, the 2018, 2017 & 2015 IFC Power Women Top 200 lists and 2013 Jersey Future Leaders List. Specialising in offshore structures with UK connections, Prapa works closely with a wide range of intermediaries across many jurisdictions including the UK and Asia.

Matthew Braithwaite
Wedlake Bell
Partner

Matt advises UK and international individuals, families, trustees and beneficiaries of trusts and family offices on UK tax, estate planning and succession issues. He acts for high net worth individuals and families including business owners and entrepreneurs. Matt advises on the establishment and use of trusts and other wealth holding structures and also on the succession of family trusts and businesses and governance issues. Matt also provides UK tax and structuring advice in relation to the ownership of UK property. Matt also advises on Wills and general trust law and acts as a trustee.

Annamaria Koerling
Owl Private Office
Partner

Annamaria Koerling’s career in wealth management spans over 25 years, including senior roles at Schroders, Cazenove Capital Management, Merrill Lynch and latterly C Hoare & Co. In 2017 Annamaria, who headed the wealth management business of C Hoare & Co, oversaw the completion of the sale of its wealth management business to Cazenove Capital, following which she subsequently became a non-executive director of Schroder & Co. She is a committed diversity advocate and has received recognition for leadership and business growth in financial services being named ‘Woman of the year” by Citywealth in 2013 and 2016. Annamaria is also a member of a number of angel syndicates and her focus is on supporting businesses where at least one of the founders is a woman. She has a keen personal interest in promoting financial education for women and young people. Aside from her main executive role at Owl Private Office, Annamaria has recently been appointed as a Commissioner of The Jersey Financial Services Commission. Amongst other roles, Annamaria is a Fellow Commoner of Queens’ College Cambridge and serves on the college’s investment committee. She is also a trustee of the choral Charity, ORA. Annamaria has an MA in modern languages from Cambridge University and speaks Italian, German and French.

Gregory Smye-Rumsby
Dixon Wilson
Partner

Gregory advises a range of private clients on their financial and tax affairs. This is focused around individuals and families and their financial interests including private companies, trusts and charities. It includes both compliance and advice. He is often advising landed estates, entrepreneurs and their businesses, and non-UK domiciled individuals who are moving to the UK . Gregory holds the ICAEW audit qualification and is a responsible individual for audit purposes. He is a contributing author to Business Families and Family Businesses, published by Globe Law and Business.

David Walker
Vistra
Chief Operating Officer, FCCA

David is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and has a BA (Hons) from Leeds University. Since his return to Guernsey he has spent 20 years in the finance sector, gaining experience with Ernst & Young auditing clients across several sectors of the finance industry before moving to Client Accounting and Trust and Company administration. Prior to joining Vistra (formerly Legis) in January 2008 David was Senior Manager of Equity Trust (Guernsey) Limited client accounting. David was appointed Associate Director on 1st January 2013 as head of the Fund Accounting Team and was responsible for managing and overseeing the financial reporting process for a variety of fund structures, many of which are listed on a number of stock exchanges including London, Ireland and Johannesburg. David is Chief Operations Officer and holds a number of external directorships.