Judges – International Awards
Karen Jones
Citywealth
Editor & 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)
Charlotte Thorne
Capital Generation Partners
Founding Partner
Charlotte is the voice of the firm both internally and externally; as a leading light in the private client industry, she works closely with her broad network of intermediaries to ensure that the business is always evolving to best meet client needs. This includes everything from chairing the firm’s Risk Committee, to creating new initiatives designed to keep CapGen at the forefront of an-everchanging industry. Recently, this has led her to establishing and leading the Responsible Capital initiative; a business-wide program to ensure that CapGen is actively meeting today’s social and environmental challenges. She regularly features in the trade and national press as an expert in working with family capital and is currently writing a book on how families and their advisors can get the best out of the investment industry. Charlotte began her career at HM Treasury where she advised both Conservative and Labour ministers on a range of policies including corporation tax, pensions and state aids. She also spent a year in Brussels working as a diplomat in the UK’s embassy to the European Commission and worked in policy at the then FSA. She has a degree in PPE from Oxford University.
Sarah Soar
Hawksmoor Investment Management
Chief Executive Officer
Sarah has 38 years’ experience in investment and wealth management having previously worked for Seymour Pierce Butterfield, Brewin Dolphin and JM Finn. She has held roles ranging from Investment Manager, Head of Office, Regional Managing Director, National Director, Business Development Director and Head of Investment Management. She was the first woman to be appointed to the board of Brewin Dolphin Holdings PLC, a FTSE 250 company. Sarah is now Chief Executive of Hawksmoor and she currently sits on the board of PIMFA, the trade body of the wealth management industry, and is Chair of its Nomination Committee.
Andrew Stafford KC
Kobre & Kim
Lawyer
Andrew Stafford KC is an English barrister and King’s Counsel who represents corporations and ultra-high-net-worth individuals in complex, high-value disputes spanning multiple jurisdictions.
Admitted to practice in England & Wales, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts, Mr. Stafford KC has deep experience acting in matters that have elements across key onshore and offshore jurisdictions, including the UK, the U.S., the BVI, Dubai, Hong Kong, São Paulo and Seoul.
He has particular expertise in international judgment enforcement, developing and executing strategies designed to secure effective collection of arbitral awards and judgments, including awards made against sovereign judgment debtors. In addition, Mr. Stafford KC’s expertise is of great value to high net-worth individuals needing advice in relation to complex problems and disputes affecting their assets, reputation and liberty.
Pauline Fowler
Hughes Fowler Carruthers
Director
Pauline Fowler is a founding partner of Hughes Fowler Carruthers, one of the foremost specialist family law practices in the country. She is a well-known and highly respected family lawyer. A long-standing fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers, she is also a member of the Pensions Advisory Group and chaired Resolution’s Pensions, Tax and Financial Remedies Committee for many years.
She has been consistently top ranked in the Legal 500 and in Chambers two directories, where she has been described as “a formidable practitioner”, “a very effective problem solver” and as “a phenomenally bright, clever lawyer” whose “insight is second to none”.
Clare Nicolle
Preston Legal
Partner
Clare is a partner at Preston Legal, a boutique Jersey law firm. She previously worked at Barclays Private Bank & Trust, Collas Crill and Voisin Law and qualified as a Jersey Advocate in 2008.
Clare is a private client lawyer specialising in estate planning for both Jersey clients and those domiciled outside of the Island, including complex Will drafting and succession planning. She particularly enjoys managing cross border and foreign estates. Clare also advises on mental capacity issues; drafting lasting powers of attorney and planning for old age.
Clare is ranked as Next Generation partner by the Legal 500, she was listed as one of the 101 Island Leaders of 2022 in Jersey and is the current chair of the Jersey Law Society sub-Committee for Capacity & Succession.
More judges are expected to participate.