Citywealth Leaders List, 60 seconds interview – Gabriela Dimitrova, Private Client Senior Associate, Taylor Wessing

Date: 10 Sep 2025

Karen Jones

This week’s 60-second Citywealth Leaders List interview is dedicated to Gabriela Dimitrova, Private Client Senior Associate, Taylor Wessing.

Tell Citywealth readers a bit about your role.

I am a Senior Associate at the Private Wealth group at Taylor Wessing, based in the firm’s London office. I advise on a broad range of private client matters, including tax, governance, asset structuring, estate and succession planning, wills, trusts and trust disputes, etc. often involving complex cross-border issues. My client base is extremely international, and I act for a wide variety of HNW individuals, entrepreneurs, family offices, family-owned businesses, trustees and financial institutions. I am a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My day would usually start with a workout at home, followed by a quick breakfast and catching up on the news of the day.

At the office, every day is different. The diverse nature and background of my clients means that I have to adapt my service to their varied needs and goals, which is what makes my job really interesting. To excel at it, I strive to always think on my toes and be up to speed with latest developments in the clients’ industries and the ever changing UK tax landscape.

Perhaps one of the few constants in my day at the office is being surrounded by my extremely friendly and supportive colleagues. It is a privilege working with so many exceptional professionals at Taylor Wessing, many of which I can also call friends.

Tell us about some recent, interesting client instructions/requests you have received.

I have been instructed by a truly global Middle Eastern family and their offshore trustees to advise on a wide range of UK tax, cross-border succession and asset protection issues. The family’s assets are located in a number of different jurisdictions, which requires constant liaison with local lawyers to coordinate the appropriate advice to the family. As part of this mandate, I also act on the administration of the patriarch’s global estate, which constantly throws off various interesting conundrums: from the determination of his domicile, the obtaining of an Heirs Certificate in the relevant Middle Eastern jurisdiction, to challenging the validity of the court’s issued Certificate which was based on false information provided by the deceased’s children from a prior marriage.

What challenges do your clients face and how are you helping your clients to overcome them?

The biggest challenge which my clients face and need advice on is to navigate through the ever increasing legal and geopolitical uncertainty in this world. It is becoming increasingly more difficult for internationally mobile families to plan their lives and continue with their routines. We strive to offer quasi family office type services to clients to cater for their every need. This would include anything from dealing with any immigration requirements, reputation management issues, carrying out a tax restructuring to streamline and protect the ownership of their assets, etc.

What is your proudest professional achievement?

As a non-native British, who first moved to the UK to start my university degree, I consider that my biggest professional achievement is qualifying as a solicitor in the Senior Courts of England and Wales, integrating fully in British society and being recognised as a trusted legal adviser on the UK’s private wealth market. I am originally from Bulgaria, a small Eastern European country, which after decades on the Eastern side of the iron curtain, has for years been integrating itself in the Western world and global markets. This long (and still ongoing) transition meant that as a Bulgarian student graduate, I had to continuously challenge myself and perform a massive leap to get on the path of my legal qualification and start my career.  

What do you consider to be the most important attributes for a leader?

Integrity, adaptability, teaching by example and being a genuine and compassionate colleague who is interested in others and in their experiences both in and out of the office.

Who do you most admire and why?

As cliché as this may sound, there are no other people I admire most than my parents. All my personal and professional achievements are a reflection of their efforts and the love and life lessons they have given me during the years. One of the things I have learned from them is that if there was a recipe for a successful and well-rounded individual, then this would be avoiding extremes and doing everything in a balanced and measured way. While it is, of course, essential to be a technical expert in the Private Wealth sector, one should not forget to also spend time with family and practise one’s hobbies and interests. This often serves as great touching points with clients and intermediaries and accelerates the building of trusted and long-lasting relationships.  

Where was the last place you travelled to for work or pleasure?

Tuscany, Italy, where I attended the wedding of an old university friend. After graduating from Queen Mary, University of London, my friend moved to the USA. Despite living from across the “pond” for so many years, we were able to maintain our good friendship so it was amazing to be a witness and participate in this major milestone for her.

If you weren’t in this industry, what else might you be doing?

I would either be a professional alpine skier or a tennis player. I grew up practising both sports side by side and can say that there is nothing better than being in the outdoors so in an alternative universe I would have definitely pursued a professional sports career.

How do you relax after a long day?

I usually work out at the gym or play tennis. I find that physical activity is the best way to relax my mind and body, especially after a busy day at the office. Afterwards, I cook dinner with my husband. We are both passionate about trying out new recipes and experimenting in the kitchen. We are huge fans of Yotam Ottolenghi’s dishes.

Finally, I often wrap up the day by reading a book. One of the best books, which I recently read, was the Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, which I would highly recommend to anyone.

If you could recommend one person in the private wealth industry who would it be, and what would you say about them? 

Over the years I have worked with many outstanding professionals, but if I were to choose only one that would be Tracey Neuman, a Private Client Executive at Ocorian, Guernsey. Tracey is not only an exceptional legal adviser, who is able to distil even the most complicated tax analysis so that anyone could understand it, but she is also great dealing with clients, very collegiate and a good friend. It is because of Tracey that I was inspired to qualify in Private Client. I shared a room with her on my vacation scheme at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (or Berwin Leighton Paisner, as it was known then) and because of her I had a truly remarkable and stimulating experience and so she left a lasting impression on me as a professional.

Gabriela Dimitrova is shortlisted for Citywealth Future Leaders 2025

Taylor Wessing’s Leader List profile

Subscribe to the Citywealth Weekly Newsletter to learn more about Private Wealth Management.

Read more:

OBBBA and the Global Wealth Shift: What Private Client Advisors Must Know Now

Turning Passion into Legacy: The Smart Way to Donate and Invest in Art

Unlocking the World of Passion Investing: Where Heart Meets Asset Value