UK Family Office Summit Oxford 2026 Speakers

H.E. Mohammad Alhawi serves as the Undersecretary at the Ministry of Investment. In his capacity, he collaborates with the Minister to plan and execute strategies aimed at enhancing the UAE’s status as a global investment hub. The Ministry is dedicated to increasing foreign direct investments by enhancing the regulatory framework for investors and fostering international partnerships through the establishment of investment corridors to diversify and grow the country’s knowledge-based economy.

Previously, he held the position of Director of Economic Development at The Executive Council, where he focused on shaping Dubai’s economic policies and strategies in collaboration with public- and private-sector stakeholders. He also chaired the Economic Team, dedicated to boosting Dubai’s economic competitiveness.

Before joining The Executive Council, Alhawi served at Mubadala as Vice President in the Technology Manufacturing & Mining Platform, leading international investment consortia involved in multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects. He was also responsible for shaping the Research and Development strategy for the world’s fifth-largest aluminum company.

Throughout his career, Alhawi has held various key positions at the Prime Minister’s Office and The Executive Office, which helped him acquire valuable insights into the development and implementation of high-level government initiatives and policies. His track record highlights exceptional negotiation and crisis-management skills, as well as an ability to nurture interpersonal relationships, which are key to achieving strategic institutional objectives.

H.E. Mohammad Alhawi graduated in Mathematics from Imperial College London, and obtained a Master’s degree in Computer Science from University College London.

Sandy Arbuthnott is Director of Octopus Energy Homes, building the company's B2B programme to accelerate low-carbon technology adoption in UK homes. Octopus Energy Homes partners with social landlords, build-to-rent investors and housebuilders, engineering investment cases and mobilising capital to deploy solar, batteries and heat pumps at scale, improving affordability, resilience and environmental sustainability. Unique propositions include Zero Bills (zero energy bills, guaranteed for ten years) and Tenant Power (lower bills for tenants, a return for landlords). Prior to Octopus, Sandy held commercial, sustainability and transformation roles in FTSE100 and climate-tech startup companies, consulted at Bain and flew fast jets in the Royal Navy. He holds an MEng from Oxford and an MBA from London Business School.

Issie Armstrong is Managing Director at Aboria Capital and Managing Director of Downing Family Office, bringing over 16 years of experience across institutional real estate investment, product strategy, capital formation and investor relations.

Her career spans some of the most respected names in European asset management. At DWS Group she served as Director and Head of Real Estate Specialists, EMEA, leading product strategy and capital formation for European real estate equity. At Aviva Investors she held dual senior roles — Director of Global Product Development for Real Assets and Investment Director within the Real Assets Investment Specialists team — covering capital raising, product development and investor engagement. Earlier in her career she focused on capital raising and relationship management for UK residential strategies at LaSalle Investment Management.

Beyond her investment career, Issie is a mentor and speaker for GAIN — Girls Are Investors — where she has contributed to developing the next generation of women in investment management for nearly six years.

Mo Baluchi is a Chartered Wealth Manager and Chartered Fellow of the CISI with more than 25 years of international financial services experience, specialising in delivering complex banking, wealth management and investment solutions.

Mo has held senior business development and leadership roles in the EMEA region and built strategic partnerships across global IFCs, connecting influential intermediaries including fiduciaries, lawyers, tax advisers, private banks and family offices. He has played a key role in helping organisations enter new markets, develop strategic partnerships and build long-term commercial relationships.

Mo is passionate about the future of international wealth management, cross-border planning and the evolving needs of entrepreneurs and multi-generational families. He is recognised in industry for bringing practical insight, commercial perspective and engaging discussion to industry conferences and roundtables.

Dr. Najat Benchiba-Savenius is a trusted GCC advisor, keynote speaker and strategic partner for ultra-high-net-worth individuals and family offices seeking legacy-focused, story-driven leadership. An Oxford University graduate with a distinguished PhD, she specialises in comprehensive family office services, asset management, wealth preservation strategies and organisational leadership.

Dr. Benchiba-Savenius serves as an outsourced COO and Board Member for family offices and institutions, including a recent role with Saudi Royal Family Offices. As Founder and Director of Gazelle Advisory Group, a London-based GCC-focused firm, she provides strategic leadership and operational management for family offices and royal private offices.

Previously part of McKinsey & Company's Practice Management team in Singapore, she has fostered extensive family office and institutional investor relations across London, Casablanca, Cairo, Riyadh, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Singapore. An award-winning speaker and global champion for Arab women in business, she is a signatory of the UN Women's Empowerment Principles. She is fluent in English, Arabic, French and Spanish.

John joined the Bicester Motion team in 2021 to lead the business' corporate finance initiatives and was appointed CFO in September 2022. A former investment banker and private equity professional, he began his career at Rothschild before moving to Credit Suisse.

Prior to Bicester Motion, John was CFO and then CEO of Inspiring Learning, a £100m private-equity backed provider of out-of-classroom learning experiences for children and young people in the UK.

Nancy Bikson is CEO of Chapel & York, one of the world's leading providers of international fundraising and philanthropy services, supporting over 450 organisations across the globe in navigating the complexities of cross-border giving.

A lawyer by training with over 40 years' experience advising private clients, family offices and charitable organisations worldwide, Nancy brings an unusually broad perspective to philanthropy — spanning legal counsel, fundraising strategy and international donor relations. She holds a BA in Late Mediaeval English History, a Juris Doctor and an LLM in Tax, and has practised and lived across the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and France.

Her specialism is cross-border philanthropy: helping ultra-high-net-worth families and globally active philanthropists structure their giving in ways that are tax-efficient, legally robust and genuinely impactful across multiple jurisdictions. Under her leadership, Chapel & York has facilitated over £1 billion in cross-border donations since 1997, operating through nine international offices and Chapel & York Foundations in eight major markets.

At UKFOS Oxford 2026, Nancy will lead the roundtable on Strategic Giving & Donor-Advised Funds: Modern Philanthropy for Global Families — a closed-door session exploring how family offices are rethinking philanthropic structures, governance and legacy in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.

A specialist within the office sector, Guy Bishop has over 30 years’ experience originally through leasing, development and investment agency in his 17 years at CBRE and Deloitte Real Estate, and subsequently as a director and co-owner of Alchemy Asset Management since the business was formed in 2012.

Guy operates in both the Central London and regional office markets, advising clients on the origination of new deals and as an asset management consultant on existing investments. He offers a broad range of experience across the sector, in particular for core plus and value add holdings, ranging from sourcing and executing investment transactions, asset managing large multi let office buildings, overseeing refurbishment projects, coordinating leasing campaigns and providing oversight of day-to-day property management.

He has supported a wide range of institutional and private investors including Tristan Capital Partners, CBRE Investment Management, Patrizia, Schroders, Knight Dragon together with various private investors

Craig Blackburn is the COO of The Taylor Family Office, based in London. He brings 15+ years of C-suite experience (COO/Chief of Staff) with vast experience in UHNW and financial services, managing diverse assets from commercial property to superyachts.

Prior to his time working within single family offices he served as an Officer in the Royal Navy for 20 years.

Born in North West London to a working-class family, Rosalind began volunteering at the age of 14 with Camden Council's Task Force, visiting the elderly, organising events for them and working with children from disadvantaged backgrounds during the school holidays.

In January 2002 she became Programme Manager for World Jewish Relief's Gifts in Kind Programme, building the programme from scratch and ultimately exporting £33.3 million worth of humanitarian aid to Eastern Europe and countries across the former Soviet Union. When the charity closed its humanitarian aid delivery operation in 2013, she founded Goods For Good in 2014 — established from her living room table with the support of former colleague Noah Bernstein and Dutch charity partner Max Veenstra — to address the growing global imbalance between surplus and need.

Goods For Good has since supported more than five million people globally. Rosalind was awarded an MBE in the 2023 New Year Honours and, after more than a decade as Chief Executive, stepped into the role of Lifetime President in 2026, continuing to champion the organisation's mission, strengthen partnerships and drive fundraising.

Sophie Brown is a senior advisor and capital strategist working at the intersection of family offices, real estate and private markets. She is currently Head of Capital Relationships at Capital Assured, a Dubai-based family office, and CASACASA, where she focuses on connecting institutional and private capital with high-quality investment opportunities across Europe, Asia and the GCC.

An ACA-qualified accountant trained with PwC, Sophie brings over two decades of experience spanning M&A, debt and equity structuring, turnarounds and asset-backed investing. She has held Finance Director roles across private equity-backed, family-owned and FTSE 250 businesses, giving her a strong operator's perspective on value creation.

Sophie is an active Board Member of Women in Family Offices (WIFO), supporting a growing global network focused on connection, knowledge-sharing and leadership within the family office ecosystem.

Roland leads Bidwells’ rural business, bringing analytical rigour, strategic clarity, and a future-focused outlook to some of the UK’s most valuable land and estate portfolios.

He continues to oversee rural investment property worth around £1.5bn on behalf of the UK’s oldest landowners, while also helping shape the country’s newest and most sustainable investment markets. As Head of Rural, Roland brings this forward-thinking approach to a broader leadership role, guiding Bidwells’ multidisciplinary team as they support landowners, estates, and institutions through a period of unprecedented change and opportunity.

By approaching problems with the intellectual depth of an academic, Roland offers far more than formulaic land and property investment advice. Nine Oxbridge colleges, The Wellcome Trust and several landed families deeply trust his objective and rational view of the rural investment market. He leads the provision of management services and strategic advice for complex portfolios, delivering acquisitions and disposals, managing lease arrangements, and supporting development activity in the UK’s most dynamic and highly sustainable markets. In recent years, Roland has led some of the largest and highest-profile sales, acquisitions, and lettings in the UK land market.

An expert in green infrastructure and natural capital sectors, Roland has been advising on habitat restoration projects associated with development for more than a decade, across projects worth £15bn. His understanding of ecological objectives, land management economics, policy and practical delivery helps shape these transformative new markets through the schemes and opportunities he brings forward.

As Head of Rural, Roland combines this market-leading investment insight with a wider strategic focus - supporting the professional development of his team, nurturing long-term client relationships, and helping landowners navigate the evolving rural landscape with confidence and ambition.

Roland is a Chartered Surveyor, a Fellow of the Association of Agricultural Valuers, and a Chartered Environmentalist.

Olivia advises clients on a wide range of investment fund matters, including the establishment of investment funds and institutional investments into those funds. She also provides advice for asset managers on key regulatory matters affecting the sector and has significant experience providing support to M&A deals with fund elements. Olivia is trusted by family offices, ultra-high net worth individuals and first-time managers to design and build investment and asset management structures that suit their goals.

Representative matters include advising a European family office on four separate investment structures and associated carried interest plans, Hines Europe on the establishment of its €1.6bn Hines European Real Estate Partners III (HEREP III) fund, and Macquarie on the funds elements of its $2.3bn acquisition of the UK Green Investment Bank (now Green Investment Group).

Olivia is recognised by Legal 500 UK as being a Key Lawyer. She is a member of the European Association for Investors in Non-Listed Real Estate Vehicles (INREV), the Investment Association (IA), The Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA) and the Law Society. She was shortlisted for Rising Star at the Women in Law Awards, 2020.

Victoria leads the delivery of Oxford North — the £700 million global innovation district being developed by Thomas White Oxford, the development company of St John's College, in joint venture with Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and Stanhope. The scheme comprises one million square feet of laboratories and workspace alongside residential and infrastructure.

A chartered surveyor with 20 years of development and regeneration experience, Victoria has worked across the public and private sectors in England, Wales and Abu Dhabi, with previous roles at CBRE, Navigant Consulting and Legal & General Capital.

Tabitha Eccles is Head of the Endowment Office at Nuffield College, University of Oxford, where she works closely with the Investment Committee, senior management and Governing Body to develop and implement the College’s investment strategy. Her responsibilities include overseeing the investment portfolio and ensuring the endowment supports the College’s long-term academic mission.

Before joining Nuffield College, Tabitha was a Principal at Ceniarth, a single-family office. Earlier in her career, she worked in investment banking at Investec, advising clients on financial and strategic transactions.

Her experience spans institutional endowment management, single-family office investing and investment banking.

Richard Faragher is Professor of Biogerontology at the University of Brighton and is past Chair of the British Society for Research on Ageing and the American Aging Association. His primary research interest is cellular senescence, and his lab have created simple compounds which reverse it.

He holds the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Conference Science Medal, the Paul F Glenn Award for research into senescence and the British Society for Research on Ageing’s highest honour, the Lord Cohen Medal. He was publicly honoured by Help the Aged for his championship of older people.

Faragher co-directed SPARC, a UKRI programme, that identified talented young scientists and built national capacity to conduct ageing research. He and Professor Lynne Cox (Oxford) led the BLAST research network and co-ordinated ten other industrial-academic networks forming UKRI’s response to the recent House of Lords Science and Technology Committee Report on Ageing. He has appeared twice before the Committee as an expert witness.

He is a member of the Legal & General Longevity Sciences Panel, experts who advise the L&G Board, and the insurance industry more generally, on trends in life expectancy in the UK. He has warned of the potential for financial disruption to life expectancy assumptions through drug repurposing and developed new actuarial techniques integrating expert judgement into risk models.

He served on the Scientific Advisory Board of two venture capital funds and regularly advises the European Innovation Council. He is a member of the Advisory Boards of LinkGevity (an AI powered drug discovery company selected for the NASA/Microsoft SPACE-H Accelerator program) and Instance, a new start up that has developed a decentralised longevity and health tracking platform.

Alex Felman is an entrepreneurial professional currently working on his fourth startup venture. In addition he runs his own family office, Felman Family Office, and works with family offices around the world.

Alex uses his expertise in Molecular Toxicology and Bio-entrepreneurship — BA from University of California Berkeley, MBA from Copenhagen Business School — to advise family offices in biotechnology, healthcare and other emerging technology industries with the goal of maintaining long-term wealth through innovation.

He is personally involved with a number of early-stage companies, having previously worked as a mentor, advisor and director of numerous startups and venture funds. Alex specialises in business plan creation, product development, operations, successful market launches and fundraising.

Dr David Gasca is Head of Natural Capital at Blenheim Estate, a 5,200-hectare Estate and UNESCO World Heritage Site near Oxford. An environmental scientist by background, he brings over 25 years of experience delivering nature-based solutions across the UK. Since joining Blenheim in 2024, David has led the long-term stewardship and sustainable management of the Estate, playing a pivotal role in shaping its natural capital and future land strategies, positioning Blenheim as a leading example of how heritage estates can deliver and integrate environmental, social, and commercial value at scale.

His work centres on balancing environmental ambition with the operational, financial, and regulatory realities of managing a complex, high-profile landed estate. He brings a distinctive, practical perspective to natural capital as a real, investable asset — spanning forestry, biodiversity, water quality and water quantity — building environmental outcomes within investment decisions.

Informed by hands-on practical experience of what it takes to deliver these strategies on the ground, he champions evidence-based, systems-thinking and collaborative approaches to natural capital and landscape management across the private and public sectors.

Specialising in derivatives and structured products from both a transactional and advisory standpoint, he is widely regarded by peers and clients as one of the leading specialists in his field, and as a champion of 'buy-side' interests in the UK derivatives market. He counts among his clients some of the UK's largest and most sophisticated financial institutions, investment managers, alternative asset managers, challenger banks, fintechs and occupational pension schemes. Jonathan is rated as a 'Leading Individual' by both Chambers and Legal 500, and is 'Highly Regarded' by the IFLR.

Jonathan regularly negotiates and advises on ISDA, GMRA and GMSLA documentation as well as the impact of related regulation including EMIR and SFTR. He also advises on the structure and documentation of bespoke transactions, including in the form of sustainability-linked derivatives, to hedge exposure to key market risks, including interest rate, inflation, FX, carbon exposures and longevity; and advises on investment management, custody, clearing and collateral management arrangements, as well as pension scheme funding and risk transfer arrangements. Jonathan is also a member of the firm's ESG and Impact Group and its Diversity and Inclusion Board.

Tim is Head of Family Offices with wide responsibility for a range of high-net-worth clients from global financial institutions to private wealth managers and family offices. He joined Baillie Gifford in 2006 and previously spent seven years working overseas for State Street Bank & Trust in Luxembourg and Australia. Tim graduated MA in Business & Economics from Heriot-Watt University in 1999.

A significant part of Tim's role is managing Baillie Gifford's UK Family Office strategy and maintaining strong links with existing family office clients. This involves regularly presenting at client events — both proprietary and external — in the UK and further afield.

Richard Hickman joined HarbourVest in 2014 to focus on the activities of HarbourVest Global Private Equity Limited (HVPE), a closed-end investment company that invests in and alongside HarbourVest-managed funds. Richard is responsible for the day-to-day management of the company. He joined HarbourVest after seven years with 3i plc, where he progressed through a number of roles, latterly serving as a manager in the business planning and analysis group.

Michael Hutson is a Partner at Oxford Seed Fund and an Associate Fellow at Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre. Oxford Seed Fund backs student and alumni founders worldwide, investing in more than 40 companies each year across sectors.

The fund gives Michael a distinct perspective on the role of entrepreneurial talent in building innovation ecosystems — alongside the more established university spinout, IP and technology-transfer pathways.

Michael is particularly interested in quantitative approaches to venture capital and how investors can identify and back the people and companies emerging from Britain's leading innovation clusters.

Nataliya Johnson is a UK-based investor, serial entrepreneur, public speaker, and former corporate financier and investment banker. In January 2018, she founded Vasant Capital, a London-based single family office investing on behalf of one family across private equity, real estate, private credit, infrastructure and other opportunities in the SME sector — spanning infrastructure, information technology, telecoms, real estate and renewables. The firm draws on the sophisticated investor and business owner network Nataliya has built over twenty-three years of global dealmaking.

Nataliya holds a Master's degree in International Business Management and a Bachelor's degree in International Economics and Entrepreneurship from Kyiv National Economic University, and is a graduate of the Corporate Finance Program at Harvard and the Executive Entrepreneurship Program at Bayes (formerly Cass) Business School.

Sebastian Johnson is a leader in the UK's innovation and investment landscape, currently driving growth and collaboration as part of the ARC Group and Harwell Science and Innovation Campus.

With a career spanning private, public and charity sectors, Sebastian previously played a pivotal role in Government bodies and local authorities, fostering economic development and supporting the Oxford region's world-leading science and technology ecosystem. He is dedicated to advancing the UK's and Oxford's position as a global hub for research, development and investment.

Richard advises UHNW individuals, families and family offices on global estate planning and tax-efficient investment structures.

Richard is a trusted adviser to an even mix of domestic and international clients. His experience and advice are sought on matters of UK personal taxation (including investigations), choosing an appropriate structure and the correct jurisdiction, and good family governance leading to positive family outcomes.

Richard has consistently been regarded as one of the most influential professionals working in the private wealth sector and was named on eprivateclient's 2025 50 Most Influential list.

David Kilshaw is Head of Private Client Wealth Solutions at Rothschild & Co Wealth Management, having joined in 2022.

David has over 35 years' of experience advising private clients on the challenges and opportunities they face. David was previously head of private clients at KPMG and the partner heading the family office team at EY. A qualified solicitor, David helps clients explore the structural and tax planning opportunities available to them and their families.

David's guidance typically addresses issues such as succession planning, the use of tax efficient vehicles (like trusts and family investment companies) and questions such as 'when should I pass wealth to my children and how can I best do it?'. David does not provide tax or legal advice but works with a client's tax and legal advisers to implement appropriate tax and related planning.

In 2018, David won the STEP (Society of Trust and Estate tax practitioners) lifetime achievement award.

Chris is a Development Director at MEPC and Commercial Director for Silverstone Park. He has direct responsibility for the delivery of MEPC's thematic investment at Silverstone Park and MEPC's urban regeneration scheme in Bristol, St Mary le Port. His team is also responsible for capital projects at Milton Park, Oxfordshire.

Chris originally joined MEPC in 2008 and was Head of Development when he left in 2015, re-joining in 2019. Over his combined time with the company he has delivered over two million square feet of development and refurbishments across life sciences, offices, industrial and retail. He specialises in place-making and was intimately involved in MEPC's acquisition of Silverstone in 2013.

Patrick completed a classical education with business degrees and built his early career across a range of industries — from sports and gastronomy to real estate and events. Backpacking trips around the world after finishing his studies led him to question his worldview and the so-called Western values he had grown up with, recognising that they bear little relation to the realities experienced across large parts of the world.

He founded the ChanceMaker Foundation, a non-profit that promotes a just and liveable future in which all people can lead self-determined lives within planetary boundaries. Alongside it, he invests through INNOVATION for IMPACT GmbH in business models whose core inseparably combines economic return with social and ecological impact, targeting a circular economy.

The ChanceMaker Foundation is funded by his family business and external donors. INNOVATION for IMPACT is funded solely by his family business with no external investors.

Serena Koivurinta is stepping into her family's investment firm, which has interests spanning venture, operating businesses, acquisitions and alternative assets. The family invests directly in startups from an unusually early stage, taking a hands-on approach to helping companies develop and scale, alongside SME acquisitions and transformation projects.

She is also establishing Menerwā Ventures, an early-stage fund focused on science and technologies that strengthen European societal resilience across healthcare, biosecurity, defence and critical infrastructure.

Her perspective combines family capital, early-stage venture, operating and commercial experience. She is particularly interested in how patient private capital can support innovation before it reaches institutional scale, how next-generation investors can develop their own investment expertise, and how Europe can better fund technologies that are strategically important to its economic and strategic resilience.

Artem founded Mission Street in 2017. Building on an extensive track record across investment, development and finance, he has overall strategic responsibility for the growth of the company, project delivery and management.

Prior to Mission Street, Artem was Head of UK Acquisitions and a member of the founding team of GreenOak Real Estate (now BGO). He also previously worked for Morgan Stanley in their UK Real Estate team. His track record spans development, asset management, real estate private equity and finance — including property acquisitions, corporate M&A and structuring debt and equity financing.

Artem graduated with an MA (First Class Honours) in Land Economy at the University of Cambridge and sits on the Investment and Development Committee for the Institute of Cancer Research.

Bridget is an economic anthropologist (PhD, Johns Hopkins University) who studies family ownership and wealth, focusing on single family offices and large business-owning families. She served as Director of Ownership Project 2.0: Private Capital Owners & Impact at University of Oxford's Saïd Business School, and led the qualitative research during the first phase of the Project. She is a Senior Research Fellow at Saïd Business School, Research Fellow of Green Templeton College, and holds a visiting appointment (2025–26) at the Politecnico di Milano.

Bridget is a Co-Investigator of a UK Research and Innovation's Future Leaders' Fellowship grant regarding the use of trusts in the UK and is Academic Director of the Polycapital Academy at Green Templeton College for philanthropy professionals and wealth-holders. Her research has been supported by the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, Berlin's Center for Social Science Research, and the Gates Foundation.

At Saïd Business School, Bridget teaches Family Business and Capitalism in Debate to MBA students. Her research on families and private wealth has been discussed in Bloomberg, Financial Times, WealthNet, and Crain Currency.

MaameYaa has over 20 years of experience advising sovereign wealth funds, central banks, family offices, insurance companies, pension funds and development finance institutions around the world on their investment arrangements. On a daily basis, MaameYaa advises investors on asset management issues and strategic global and national issues.

Her work includes public investments and private fund investments (both cornerstone and smaller amounts), single investor mandates and co-investment arrangements covering all asset classes including infrastructure and energy, as well as a wide variety of other agreements and financial services regulatory issues. MaameYaa spent time on secondment to a government entity in Riyadh in 2017 and an Emirati government entity in 2021.

Representative matters include advising a Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund on a broad range of fund investments into credit, real estate, private equity and hedge funds, with values ranging between USD10m and USD3bn, and advising a Middle Eastern pension fund on co-investments, managed accounts and funds-of-one, alongside custody arrangements and brokerage agreements.

She was named a Rising Star in Legal Week's British Legal Awards 2019, listed as a Female Future Leader by Financial Times HERoes for championing the conversation on diversity and inclusion, listed in Financial Times EMpower Minority Future Leaders and recognised in The Lawyer Hot 100 2024.

David Lambotte is the founder of Virdaris, a Jersey based multi-family office and trustee company. Prior to this, David held an executive leadership position for a prominent international single family office. In his previous career, David oversaw some of the world’s leading private client providers in Jersey, London and the Cayman Islands. David is widely recognised as a leading figure in the family office and trustee sectors.

Dr. Jed Lye is a scientist, analyst, consultant and health-technology founder working at the intersection of research, investment and healthcare innovation. He holds a PhD in Human Development and Health focused on next-generation sequencing, T-cell immunology, genetics and ageing of the immune system, and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford in computational biology of immunity, and conducted policy research and analysis into AI integration into healthcare. Ageing and longevity have been recurring themes throughout his scientific and professional career.

Jed has built a broad interdisciplinary career spanning world-class research institutes, defence and security organisations, venture studios, technology transfer and the British Society for Research on Ageing. Through LBBIO Ltd, he provides scientific, commercial and strategic analysis across life sciences, while his experience includes scientific and commercial due diligence for private equity, assessment of emerging technologies and investment opportunities, and evaluation of intellectual property, technology readiness and market potential. His policy work has supported senior civil servants, university IP and enterprise boards, defence organisations, think tanks and pharmaceutical venture studios, including work connected with organisations such as DASA, NASA’s ISS GeneLab and DSIT.

He is currently Founder and CEO of Instance Ltd, a health-technology venture, giving him first-hand experience of building and commercialising healthcare technology alongside his perspective as a scientist, analyst and investment adviser. His work sits at the intersection of scientific discovery, venture creation and capital allocation, with a particular interest in how longevity science, biotechnology, diagnostics, preventive medicine and data-driven healthcare can translate into durable businesses and meaningful improvements in healthy lifespan.

Robert Macro is a Partner in the Private Wealth team at Druces, advising UK and international clients on complex tax planning, trusts, probate, tax disclosures and disputes.

He leads Druces' International Wealth & Fiduciary team, which specialises in securing discreet, successful outcomes for high-profile family offices and their interests. His clients include high-net-worth individuals, trustees, banks, international companies, UK collection societies and partnerships.

Robert has advised on significant cross-border matters, including assisting clients affected by the HSBC data theft in Switzerland and fiduciaries involved in litigation with a Middle Eastern state government following the Arab Spring. His experience also includes the application of tax reliefs relating to the remittance basis of taxation.

He acts for trustee companies internationally, particularly those based in the British Virgin Islands, Switzerland, Mauritius, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man. He also has experience advising on copyright matters relating to film and television directors.

Qualified in England and Wales, Robert was admitted as a solicitor of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in 2005. He is a member of STEP and the Association of Taxation Technicians.

Boglárka (Bogi) Márkus is an Energy Transition Specialist at RaboResearch, where she analyzes the market, policy, and technology trends shaping Europe's energy transition. Her work focuses on biomethane, carbon capture and storage (CCS), residential built environment and broader decarbonization pathways, translating complex developments into practical insights. Through her research, publications, and industry engagement, she contributes to Rabobank's thought leadership on the energy transition.

Julian Marwitz has had a dynamic career in investment and entrepreneurship, with a focus on cleantech and impact investments. Originally from Hamburg, he previously worked directly with the CEO of JLL, with involvement in strategic planning for growth and innovation in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He also worked as Development Manager at ECE, in Business Development for ValuStrat and at his own family office investing into sustainable real estate and private equity. He founded Arineos, focusing on energy efficiency in buildings.

Julian holds a Master of Sciences in Sustainable Urban Development at the University of Oxford and previously studied law in Geneva, Hong Kong and Germany, finishing with the German State Exam.

Peta Milan is the Principal of Henmil Group Family Office, a Dubai-based single-family office at the forefront of Regenerative Investing. With an impressive portfolio that includes ground-breaking initiatives such as Transcendent Media Capital, a Hong Kong-based venture studio, and JET Group, which specialises in large-scale regenerative transitions for single assets, funds, portfolios and places, Peta has carved out a unique niche in the investment world.

Peta is not just an investor but an award-winning filmmaker, published author and international speaker. She is founder of the world-leading certification programme for leaders in regenerative business, investing and governance — the Embodied Regenerative Leaders Certification. She is also working with nation states to steward the World Institute for Regenerative Certifications, which certifies single assets, portfolios, funds and physical places as delivering verifiable systemic impact.

Her visionary approach aims to transcend traditional frameworks of sustainability and ESG, focusing instead on regenerative frameworks that integrate development, policy and governance to enable assets, places and people to flourish.

Farid Moeinifar is an investor with a 7+ year career spanning deal origination, business building, cross-border deal-making and investment banking. His work covers the full investment lifecycle — fund sourcing, institutional-grade due diligence, structuring, financial modelling, negotiation and ongoing portfolio oversight. Increasingly, his focus centres on portfolio construction across vintages, manager behaviour through cycles and long-term partnership alignment.

Farid has served as an investment professional with a privately-held family office operating across London and Miami, covering both fund investments and direct and co-investments. Prior to his current role at Cooper Family Office, he worked at a UK-based single-family office where he contributed to over $1.5 billion deployed across venture funds, incubators and early-stage technology companies from Seed to Pre-A, as well as real estate.

Charles-Henry Monchau is the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) & Exco Member at Bank Syz. Prior to this, he had been CIO of Dubai Investments, Head of the Asset Allocation Team for the EMEA region at Deutsche Bank and held various C-level positions in Geneva, Zurich, Dubai, Nassau and Paris. He has an Executive MBA from IE Business School and an MSc in Finance from HEC Geneva. He is also a CFA, CMT, CAIA and CIIA charter holder. He is a top voice on LinkedIn, with more than 290,000 followers.

Ian Morley is a successful business angel and entrepreneur. He is Chairman of Wentworth Hall Family Office and Consultancy, where he works closely with his two sons, and Chairman of Atitlan, an award-winning crypto fund of funds. He also holds Chairman and Director roles across Salutem Healthcare, Regenerative Medical Group, Conister Bank and Condor Trade, alongside directorships spanning property, lending, blockchain and cryptocurrencies.

Ian founded and was elected the first Chairman of the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA), the world's only $3 trillion global trade association for the hedge fund industry. He has advised Central Banks, the EU and the OECD on economics, markets and regulation, and is the author of Morley's Laws of Business and Fund Management. He is a regular speaker and Chairman on the global family office and institutional investment conference circuit.

James Morton is a Senior Private Banker and UK Market Lead based in Zurich, specialising in advising ultra high net worth individuals, family offices, entrepreneurs, and internationally mobile private clients. He has extensive experience across wealth management, investment advisory, and complex cross-border matters, helping clients preserve, grow and transfer wealth across generations. Having started his career at Barclays Private Bank in London, James relocated to Zurich in 2018 to join Lombard Odier. In September 2025, he joined Banque Syz, where he continues to guide clients on investment strategy, portfolio construction, and broader wealth planning considerations.

Known for his relationship-driven approach, James works closely with clients and their advisers to develop tailored investment solutions across traditional and alternative asset classes, frequently coordinating with legal, tax and other specialist advisers to deliver solutions aligned with each client's long-term objectives.

David Mott is the Founder Partner of Oxford Capital, a family-backed investment firm he co-founded in 1999 with a long-term, founder-aligned approach to venture investing. Over more than two decades, Oxford Capital has built one of the leading track records in its sector, investing over £500m across 120+ companies and backing multiple category leaders and widely recognised technology businesses.

The firm partners with a global base of multi-generational family offices and long-term investors who share a focus on capital preservation, disciplined growth and enduring value creation. David has served as Chair of the BVCA Venture Capital Committee and advised both the UK Government and the European Commission on investment policy. He is a member of YPO (Young Presidents' Organization), London Chapter.

Ruth 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.

She is a director of Environment Bank and two waste portfolio companies within the wider Sustainable Infrastructure funds' strategies.

Marco brings over 25 years of architectural expertise to his role as Director EMEA at Rafael Viñoly Architects, a position he has held since 2024. With a comprehensive track record spanning commercial, residential, cultural and academic projects, Marco led landmark initiatives globally, winning commissions and achieving design and statutory approvals during his previous 8-year tenure as Director at RVA from 2005 until 2012.

Notable among his accomplishments at RVA is his leadership on the Mathematical Institute building at the University of Oxford, a project initiated following an international competition-winning masterplan for the Radcliffe Infirmary Site. Collaborating directly with Rafael Viñoly, Marco has steered design teams for prestigious institutional, commercial and research schemes, including Raffles City Bahrain, 20 Fenchurch Street, the Battersea Power Station masterplan, convention centres in Berlin and Rio de Janeiro, Manchester City FC’s expansion stadium plans, and the Francis Crick Institute / UKCMRI research complex in King’s Cross, London.

Before his current role, Marco founded Emergent Design in 2013, where he spearheaded the design and delivery of international commissions ranging from private homes to landmark hospitality projects.

He holds a Certificate in Professional Practice & Management (RIBA ARB Part III) from The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL (2007), a Master of Architecture from the Architectural Association School of Architecture (2002) and a Diploma in Architecture from Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico (2000). He is a Chartered Architect in both the UK (RIBA/ARB) and Mexico. His honours include the Honorary Award of design merit, CAM-SAM, Mexico (2012) and the WAN Urban Challenge Award for Housing (2017). He served as a jury member for the RIBA National Awards (2018) and as an elected board member of the SPG at the Royal Institute of British Architects (2014–23).

Will brings more than 10 years’ experience in the development finance sector having been an early member of the Hampshire Trust Bank property finance team where he worked closely with brokers and developers. In his role he will be responsible for originating new development finance transactions across England and Wales as Downing maintains its commitment to be the leading lending partner for brokers and developers throughout the UK.

Beatrice specialises in UK and international tax, trust and succession planning advice for UK and international individuals, family offices, private banks and global trustees. She advises UK residents and non-residents, domiciled and non-domiciled or non-long term resident individuals, on all of their personal tax and trust and estate matters, as well as private banks, trustees, and family offices on complex international tax, trust, and estate planning and structuring matters. With Roman law and common law qualifications, Beatrice has a strong European tax and trust practice, with particular expertise in Italian legal and tax issues.

Her experience extends to advising financial institutions and trustees on international trust and tax matters, as well as the structuring, ownership, and acquisition of UK and non-UK real estate and assets. Beatrice is also highly regarded for her expertise in cross-border estate planning, especially where Roman Law and Common Law intersect.

Arif Saad is Head of Natural Capital – Farmland Solutions at Van Lanschot Kempen, where he is responsible for the strategic growth of the firm's farmland investment business.

Previously, Arif oversaw the firm's UK investment proposition, focusing on strategic and tactical asset allocation, portfolio construction across public and private markets, and delivering sustainable, risk-controlled returns. He also served as Head of People for the UK business.

Before joining Van Lanschot Kempen in 2020, Arif was a Fiduciary Manager at Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), where he helped develop its fiduciary offering. He also led LGIM's Strategic Client Relationship team, advising major UK pension funds on risk and derivative strategies.

He began his career at Mercer, advising institutional clients on investment strategy, manager selection and performance.

Arif holds a BSc (Hons) in Industrial Economics from the University of Warwick, is a CFA Charterholder and was recognised as a Rising Star in Asset Management by Financial News in 2021.

Fran started her career in fund management at JPMorgan following an MA in Philosophy and Maths. After a career break travelling Europe and living off-grid in Portugal, she joined Big Society Capital (now Better Society Capital) as an Investment Director, working on a wide variety of impact investment deals.

Fran joins Figurative from Nesta, where she was Director of the Arts & Culture Investments and Programmes team, working to understand and articulate the full breadth of impact of arts, culture and the creative economy — promoting innovative funding models including impact investing, blended finance and crowdfunding.

Andrew Saunderson is Head of UK Living Capital Markets at CBRE, where he leads the Residential Capital Markets team advising clients on transactions across the UK.

Andrew joined CBRE in January 2022 to lead the Residential Capital Markets team. Prior to joining CBRE, he was Investment Director at Grainger plc, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord. During a 20-year career at Grainger, Andrew played a pivotal role in the growth of its Build to Rent business, which grew to more than 10,000 operational units alongside a development pipeline of approximately 8,000 homes.

Andrew was also responsible for Grainger’s Asset Management teams, giving him extensive experience of the operational factors that support recurring investor returns.

At CBRE, Andrew’s team specialises in residential capital markets across Build to Rent, including Multifamily and Single Family Housing, Purpose-Built Student Accommodation, Co-Living, Affordable Housing and Debt Advisory. Since joining CBRE, he has advised on and acted as Executive Sponsor across a range of major UK residential investment transactions.

Jonathan Siegel is a Partner at Altes Capital and Managing Partner of Altes Ascent, where he invests across the physical economy, with a focus on AI infrastructure, energy systems, industrial innovation and real assets. Previously, he spent more than 20 years at Bank of America, most recently as a Managing Director in Global Markets.

Jonathan's work focuses on how long-term capital can be deployed into real-world infrastructure while generating attractive risk-adjusted returns. His approach emphasises the factors that increasingly determine whether projects succeed: power availability, permitting, financing, resource efficiency, environmental performance and community acceptance.

He has written on these themes for Chief Investment Officer and ImpactAlpha, including on the AI infrastructure buildout and U.S. industrial resilience.

Jonathan serves on the Advisory Board of the Anti-Defamation League and the Leadership Councils of the Environmental Defense Fund and The Nature Conservancy. He holds a B.S. in Economics from Duke University and has completed executive education at the Yale School of Management and MIT Sloan. He lives in New York with his husband and their two young children.

Stuart Tait leads the commercial organisation for Carta’s LP Portfolio Analytics across EMEA and APAC, following the company’s acquisition of Accelex in 2025. With 20 years of experience in financial technology markets across Europe and Asia, Stuart previously served as Sales Director at eFront (acquired by BlackRock in 2019) and led expansion of Ipreo’s iLevel platform within their Private Capital Markets Group (now part of S&P Global). He drives adoption among limited partners across all levels of sophistication and scale, enabling them to harness AI-powered automation for portfolio analytics, improved data workflows, and deeper asset exposure insight.

Andrew founded Enterprise Land in September 2024 as a new type of intelligent real estate company. He is a real estate fund management professional with extensive experience of building pan-European portfolios and businesses.

For the 17 years before founding Enterprise Land he was co-founder and CEO of Internos Global Investors, a European real estate investment manager, which was sold to Principal Financial Group in 2018, where he subsequently became CEO of Principal Real Estate Europe. Principal Real Estate is a top 10 global investment manager, with c.$100 billion real estate assets under management.

From 1996 to 2007, he was a founder and European COO of Parkes and Company and then Invesco Real Estate, which acquired Parkes and Company. Prior to that, he was a vice president at Lend Lease and a chartered surveyor at Weatherall Green & Smith.

He read Economics and Land Economy at Cambridge University, holds an MBA and is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Harco served 12 years at Christie's as Continental European Head and Global Managing Director of the Impressionist and Modern Art Department prior to founding Overstone Art. With 12 years in debt capital markets under his belt at Paribas, Bankers Trust, and Credit Suisse First Boston, Harco also founded Fredfinds.com, the UK's first online mortgage brokerage business, acquired in 2001 by Netwindfall Ltd.

Harco has an MBA from University of Hartford and is an INSEAD alumnus.

Hugh is a highly experienced capital markets specialist and Head of the UK National Capital Markets team, a role he has held since 2013. With more than two decades of investment experience, Hugh advises institutional, international, and private investors on major office and business space transactions across the UK. His deep market insight, network of long-standing relationships, and ability to anticipate cyclical and structural market shifts position him as a trusted adviser to clients navigating complex investment decisions. Hugh sits on the Commercial Markets Board and works closely with BNP Paribas’ International Investment Group to deliver cross-border capital flows and strategic advice.

Hugh’s approach blends market intelligence, investor alignment, and strategic positioning, resulting in more than £600m of transactions in the last four years alone, completed through both on- and off-market processes. Alongside brokerage, he provides strategic advisory support through retained mandates, including his role on the Oversight Committee of a UK Family Office.

Hugh is MRICS qualified, holds an MA from Cass Business School and is a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors.

Per Wimmer is a Danish financier, entrepreneur, adventurer, astronaut, philanthropist and author. He founded Wimmer Family Office in 2011, focused on wealth protection across private equity, real estate and public equities, combining a proprietary ETF trading approach with trend-following CTA hedge funds and allocations to absolute return hedge funds.

Prior to founding his own family office, Per held senior roles at Goldman Sachs, Collins Stewart and MAN Group. He holds an M.P. degree from Harvard University, an LL.M. from the University of London, B.A. and M.A. degrees in law from the University of Copenhagen, and an M.A. from the College of Europe. He is the published author of four books, including the award-winning autobiography The Sky Is No Limit, and is a regular space expert commentator on Sky News and the BBC.