Contributors

Victoria Pigott

Partner, Chair of Mishcon Private

Victoria Pigott is Chair of Mishcon Private, advising high net worth individuals, families, family offices and businesses on complex disputes. Victoria is a highly experienced commercial litigator, specialising in family business disputes, shareholder and director conflicts, partnership issues, contractual matters and fraud. As a key part of her private client work, Victoria regularly represents clients with complex and unconventional problems and has considerable experience of overseeing high value multi-jurisdictional disputes.

James Hamilton

Partner, Mishcon de Reya LLP

James advises high net worth individuals, family offices and their professional advisers, entrepreneurs, and private businesses on the corporate and transactional matters that sit closest to their personal and financial lives. James advises on corporate wealth structuring, including onshore and offshore planning, the use of holding companies and family investment vehicles, and personal and family business succession. He has extensive experience with UK and international mergers and acquisitions, joint venture structures and arrangements, private investments, and corporate planning and restructuring. He also advises on corporate governance, shareholder arrangements, and disputes involving shareholders, investors, family members and joint venture partners, as well as trust and estate disputes involving business interests. At the heart of his practice is technical rigour combined with a genuine understanding of the personal, family and commercial dynamics that shape the businesses and families he advises.

Steven Haywood

Partner, Mishcon de Reya LLP

Steven leads Mishcon de Reya’s private funds practice, advising fund sponsors, family offices and private capital investors on the structuring and formation of private investment funds across alternative asset classes. His practice spans private equity and private equity secondaries, direct lending and credit, infrastructure, commercial real estate, defence and healthcare — acting for both global asset managers and first-time managers across multiple jurisdictions. Steven also advises high-net-worth individuals and family offices on the structuring of private wealth vehicles, including onshore and offshore family limited partnerships and other bespoke investment structures designed to enable private clients and families to deploy and manage capital across private markets and to facilitate intergenerational wealth transfer. He has significant additional experience representing institutional investors and family offices on their private fund investments, including the sale of portfolios of fund interests, secondary market transactions and co-investments.

Della Burnside

Managing Partner, The Burnside Partnership Solicitors Limited

Della Burnside is Managing Partner of The Burnside Partnership, with responsibility for the firm’s strategic direction. By background a Solicitor with 30 years’ experience, she was a Partner and litigation specialist in an international law firm before moving in-house, serving for ten years as General Counsel & Company Secretary of McDonald’s Restaurants Limited until the end of 2017. She has held a number of directorships, including as a Non-Executive Director of NHS Blood & Transplant and as Chair of McDonald’s UK Pensions Scheme, has founded several businesses, and is a director of a med tech start-up operating in AI and machine learning. Della is also an experienced charity trustee, including as a Trustee of Teentech Charity.

Yolanda Perez Berges

Head of Spanish Desk, The Burnside Partnership Solicitors Limited

Yolanda Perez Berges is Head of the Spanish Desk at The Burnside Partnership. She has over 17 years’ experience as a lawyer spanning the UK and Spain, registered as a Spanish qualified lawyer (Abogado) with the Madrid Bar Association and as a Foreign Lawyer at the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Yolanda specialises in Anglo-Spanish law, advising private clients on cross-border matters including international wills, cross-border estates, powers of attorney, Spanish property transactions, and Spanish visa, residency and tax issues. She practised for six years at a Madrid-based law firm before leading the Spanish Department of a boutique firm in South-West England for eleven years prior to joining The Burnside Partnership.
yolanda.perez@theburnsidepartnership.com

Dr. Stephan Gauci

Managing Director, Phoenix Wise Solutions Limited

Dr. Stephan Gauci is a lawyer admitted to the Maltese Bar in 2004, who established his own legal practice in 2005. He has been an Approved Person by the Malta Financial Services Authority since 2005 and has served as Director, Company Secretary, MLRO and Compliance Officer of a number of regulated entities over the past two decades, with a focus on the corporate, trusteeship and fiduciary sectors. He is a member of the Chamber of Advocates, the Institute of Financial Services Practitioners and the Malta Maritime Law Association, among other professional bodies, and has served on several industry committees. Stephan has contributed to legal publications and has been an assistant visiting lecturer and examiner at the University of Malta’s Faculty of Laws since 2014.

Alisa Morrison

Solicitor, Stephens Scown LLP

Alisa Morrison is a solicitor at Stephens Scown LLP advising private clients and families on estate planning, trusts and Family Investment Companies (FICs). She works alongside accountants and financial advisers on coordinated succession strategies designed to protect and preserve family wealth across generations.

Laura Merlini, CAIA, CIFD

Managing Director, EMEA, CAIA Association

Laura Merlini, CAIA, CIFD, is Managing Director, EMEA at CAIA Association. She is a senior alternative investment professional with experience in strategic leadership, management skills and alternative investment knowledge in market outreach, brand development, reputation and member engagement. She formerly worked at Fortis Bank in Milan, Madrid, and Geneva. Since obtaining her CAIA Charter Certification in 2007, she has been an active member-volunteer, not only as the Co-founder of the CAIA Iberia Chapter in Madrid in 2008, but also as the Co-head of the CAIA Switzerland Chapter in Geneva as of 2010. Additionally, she chaired the 100 Women in Finance Educational Committee in Geneva between 2016 and 2018. Laura earned a BA in Business Administration at Bocconi University in Milan, received the CEMS MIM (Community of European Management Schools) MSc in International Management in 2002, and is a member of the Inaugural Class (2014) of the Executive Master in Positive Psychology, Leadership and Strategy from IE in Madrid. She strongly believes that governance is the core of a healthy financial industry, and this conviction led her to become a Certified Investment Fund Director accredited by the CIFD Institute in Ireland in 2015. Laura is also currently a member of the UN PRI HF Advisory Committee and a NED at Agave Advisors, an independent wealth manager firm based in Geneva. She is often invited to speak at conferences, roundtables and webinars on alternative investments.

Shane F. Weir

Founding Partner, Weir & Associates

Shane F. Weir is a solicitor qualified in Hong Kong, Canada, and England & Wales. He founded Weir & Associates more than 40 years ago in Hong Kong. Weir & Associates’ practice focuses on commercial, property, and banking law, with particular expertise in tax, trusts, and pensions. A highly experienced cross-border lawyer, Mr. Weir is a Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) licensed Financial Advisor and Responsible Officer. He regularly advises clients on complex cross-border legal, tax, and wealth structuring matters. He also serves as legal advisor and/or director to numerous local, private, public, and international organisations.

Stuart Pinnington

Global Head of Asset Owners, IQ-EQ

Stuart Pinnington began his career as a lawyer working for some of the top London and offshore law firms and has since garnered over 15 years’ leadership experience in the investor services space, including both operational and client-facing roles. He joined IQ-EQ as a managing director in January 2018 and held a series of leadership positions, including Head of Alternative Assets, before being named Global Head of Asset Owners in 2025. Stuart holds deep industry expertise across the alternative assets sphere and works closely with private and institutional investors to help them access private markets either through direct structures or as a limited partner. He is featured in eprivateclient’s 50 Most Influential ranking for 2026.

Joe Crome, CAP

Head of CAF American Donor Fund and Business Development, Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)

Joe leads CAF’s business development and also oversees the CAF American Donor Fund, one of the leading donor advised funds for dual US/UK taxpayers. He works with wealth managers, family offices, law firms and other professional advisers to help philanthropists give more effectively in the UK, US and internationally. Having spent nearly 20 years in philanthropy, grant-making and fundraising, Joe advises individuals, families and their advisers on philanthropy strategy, charitable structures, donating complex assets and UK-US charitable regulations. He was the first adviser working in the UK to achieve the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) designation.

Dr David Kingham

Founder, Tokamak Energy Ltd

David is a Founder of Tokamak Energy Ltd. As CEO he led the company from 2009 to 2017, through several investment rounds, raising about £20m. During that time, the company developed and tested the world’s first tokamak (ST25-HTS) to use exclusively high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets and grew to 50 staff. David initiated the ST40 high field compact spherical tokamak project, which achieved 100-million-degree plasma temperature in 2022. He also built a team of superconducting magnet engineers to develop high performance HTS magnets — one of which achieved a field strength of 26.2 tesla when tested at 4K at CERN in 2020. Prior to Tokamak Energy, David was CEO of Oxford Innovation, a company supplying premises and innovation support services to high tech ventures.

Patrick Knodel has spent two decades questioning the assumptions embedded in conventional capital. As Founder of the ChanceMaker Foundation and Managing Partner of INNOVATION for IMPACT GmbH, he backs purpose-driven founders in the circular economy and the Global South, while challenging the idea that financial returns and planetary health are competing objectives.

Family Office Voices is reserved for verified Single Family Office principals, chief investment officers, wealth owners and next-generation leaders. It is an independent editorial feature and is not available as sponsored content.

Sophie Brown

Exco Member, Women in Family Offices (WIFO) · Head of Capital Relationships, Capital Assured & CasaCasa · Co-founder, Dynamite Songs

Sophie Brown is a senior advisor and capital strategist working at the intersection of family offices, real estate, and private markets. She is Exco Member of Women in Family Offices (WIFO), and Head of Capital Relationships at Capital Assured, a Dubai-based single-family office, and CasaCasa, an AI-native Pan-European Purpose Built Student Accommodation platform. An ACA-qualified accountant trained with PwC, Sophie has built her career across M&A, debt and equity structuring, turnarounds, and real estate investing, with a particular focus on PBSA, cross-border capital raising, and family office strategy. Sophie is a regular speaker and moderator at leading global real estate and family office events, including multiple PERE Asia and PERE Europe Summits.
sophie@gabaprinciple.com · Dubai, UAE

Sergey Borzenko

COO, Greenlock AG · Steinhausen, Switzerland

Greenlock AG provides automated solutions for independent private wealth oversight and audit, which returns concrete financial value to family offices by uncovering hidden costs and systematic risks in their existing portfolio structures.
greenlock.io · Steinhausen, Switzerland

Partner content

Patrik Hayoz, PhD

Founder, LIOMSA Advisers · Switzerland & Peru

Patrik Hayoz, PhD, is a Swiss national based in Peru and Switzerland, specialising in family governance and intergenerational transition, the focus of his research and consulting work. He brings senior leadership experience from UBS and Credicorp Capital across Europe and Latin America. Holding advanced degrees from Lancaster, Liverpool, and Manchester universities, he is a certificate holder in Family Business Advising and Business Family Governance from the Family Firm Institute and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.
phayoz@liomsadvisers.com

Dr. Sarah Alsawy

Psychological Advisor, UHNW Family Dynamics & Succession · Auctoritas

Dr. Sarah Alsawy is a global award-winning expert psychological advisor specializing in the high-stakes world of UHNW family dynamics and succession. With a focus on the “New Longevity,” Dr. Alsawy bridges the gap between sophisticated wealth structures and the complex human systems that inhabit them. She is a sought-after consultant for global family offices and intermediaries, helping dynasties navigate the psychological “logjams” of multi-generational leadership. Her work is dedicated to ensuring that legacy is measured not just in assets, but in the psychological vitality of every generation.

Peta Milan

Principal, Henmil Group Family Office · Regenerative Capital Strategist

Peta Milan is Principal of Henmil Group Family Office, where she leads research and investment strategy focused on regenerative and living-systems approaches to capital allocation across real estate, infrastructure, commodities and direct investments. Her 30-year research into regenerative asset design has informed a global body of work demonstrating that purposeful capital — aligned with ecological, economic, social and cultural systems — can deliver both expected returns and measurable systemic impact. She is a practitioner and advocate for bioregional development and regenerative finance as the next frontier of family office investment strategy.

Claudia Ukonu

Private Capital Strategist · World Economic Forum

Claudia Ukonu works with family offices, UHNWIs, and institutional investors on how private capital can be deployed to create durable, multi-generational value. Her focus is on the strategic and relational dimensions of that work — how families align around long-term purpose, navigate governance transitions, and build the conditions under which wealth endures. She has convened closed-door sessions with family office principals, next-generation leaders, and institutional allocators on sustainable stewardship, and has contributed to the World Economic Forum Agenda. Claudia has been featured in the Financial Times in partnership with Pictet Wealth Management and is based in Geneva.

Will Gibby

Real Estate Research & Analytics Director · Federated Hermes

Will Gibby joined Federated Hermes in September 2006 and now leads Research & Analytics for the Real Estate platform. He is responsible for managing investment strategy, portfolio analytics, and informing capital allocation across the platform. He has over 25 years’ real estate investment experience and established the firm’s UK living platform, Hestia. Will is a Non-Executive Board Member of The King’s Cross Group, the long-term custodian of the 67-acre King’s Cross estate, a major regeneration project in London.

Jordan Kaplan

Senior Art Producer · Contemporary Art Society Consultancy

Jordan Kaplan is Senior Art Producer at Contemporary Art Society Consultancy and has been delivering public realm projects for more than 20 years. She is a Fellow of the RSA, a member of the International Association of Art Critics and sits on the International Humanitarian Memorial Committee. CAS Consultancy has been providing strategic art and cultural services for more than 30 years. Its knowledge of the field is unparalleled, with work ranging from cultural placemaking strategies to bespoke art opportunities. What differentiates Consultancy from other art advisors is their charitable status — consultancy fees support the organisation’s charitable mission: to develop public collections across the UK for the benefit of audiences everywhere.

Harco van den Oever

Art Market Specialist · Private Wealth & Collection Governance

Harco van den Oever is an Art Market Specialist focusing on private wealth and collection governance. He works with family offices and ultra-high-net-worth clients to bring structure, transparency and long-term thinking to the management of significant art collections.

Jesse Irving Seligman

Founder & CEO, Copperman

Jesse Irving Seligman is a conscious entrepreneur and investor with over 21 years of global experience across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. He focuses on addressing global challenges in Energy Transition and Communications Technologies to promote lasting global peace and stability via prosperity and improved understanding. He is the Founder & CEO of Copperman, which is developing Giant-scale copper projects in Chile’s Atacama Desert, and of Globearium, advancing communications and computing technologies through the development of Odyssey 1, a next-generation AI-enabled 3D spherical computing system. Jesse is also a Partner at The RBS Investment Group, his family’s investment and advisory firm. He previously held senior roles at Edmond de Rothschild (Asia), Element Commodities, and RioCan REIT, and earlier contributed to the growth and TSX listing of Continental Gold, which was valued at $75 Million at listing and revalued within a year to $1.3 Billion, becoming the largest Colombian gold mining company.
JS@COPPERMAN.COM

Sophie Brown

Head of Capital Relationships, Capital Assured & CASACASA · Board Member, Women in Family Offices

Sophie Brown is a senior advisor and capital strategist working at the intersection of family offices, real estate, and private markets. She is Head of Capital Relationships at Capital Assured, a Dubai-based single-family office, and CASACASA, an AI-native Pan-European Purpose Built Student Accommodation platform operating across leading European university cities. An ACA-qualified accountant trained with PwC, Sophie has built her career across M&A, debt and equity structuring, turnarounds, and real estate investing, with a particular focus on PBSA, cross-border capital raising, and family office strategy. Sophie is a Board Member of Women in Family Offices (WIFO) and a regular speaker and moderator at leading global real estate and family office events, including multiple PERE Asia and PERE Europe Summits.
sophie@capitalassured.com · Dubai, UAE

Obi Nnochiri

Private Client Consultant · St. James's Place

Obi Nnochiri is a Private Client Consultant at St. James’s Place. His role involves providing SJP Partners and advisers with advice and service solutions for their HNW clients, with a focus on assisting Partners to develop client relationships, offering guidance when building new professional connections, and improving knowledge in key areas through effective consultancy and support. Obi joined St. James’s Place following 13 years spent at the top four firms, including Andersen and EY. With over 30 years’ experience across tax and wealth management planning, Obi has extensive expertise in the areas of Tax, Trusts & Estate Planning, in addition to business succession planning. Obi also works closely with the Investment Management Team at St. James’s Place, enabling him to offer thorough insight into the distinctive investment proposition offered by St. James’s Place. Additionally, Obi is an accredited member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation — the leading body in the UK for taxation professionals dealing with all aspects of taxation. He also has a Diploma in Financial Planning with the Chartered Institute of Insurance, and is a qualified coach; holding the ILM Level 5 Certificate in effective coaching and mentoring.

Ruth Murray

Investment Director, Sustainable Infrastructure · Gresham House

Ruth Murray is an Investment Director in the Sustainable Infrastructure Team at Gresham House, where she focuses on investments that address environmental and societal challenges while delivering attractive long-term returns. She joined Gresham House in 2020 following a career change into asset management after a 20-year career as a senior partner at a Top 100 law firm, where she led the Energy, Waste and Projects teams. Ruth is co-fund manager of the Gresham House Biodiversity Creation strategy, a dedicated vehicle established to fund portfolio company Environment Bank in developing biodiversity-rich habitat banks across England, catalysed by the introduction of mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain for planning permissions under the Environment Act 2021.