Independent Chair & NED

Julia brings extensive board experience with ambitious ‘people & businesses’ typically financial and professional services. Stewarding and supporting founders, CEOs and management teams on their next stages of growth and transformation.

Strategically insightful, adept at enabling growth and influencing change across diverse cultures and stakeholder groups in a pragmatic, supportive manner. Julia has substantial experience re-envisioning strategy to capitalise on new market dynamics and incorporating ESG into Strategy. She brings an emotionally intelligent approach to guiding complex, matrixed talent businesses through growth, transformation and periods of crisis and risk.

She works internationally and within the UK, having worked in the US for three years (New York and Washington DC) and Italy for a year. She is now based in the UK.

Request Julia's NED CV

Julia’s Independent Chair/NED portfolio includes :

Rouse IP (Intellectual Property)

Lockton (Insurance)

Knight Frank (Property Consultancy)

The Institute for Corporate Governance, and private equity firms on pre-deal advisory.

Previously, she NED at Specialist Risk Group, supporting its transformation and successful exit to Warburg Pincus and Temasek.

Core Expertise

CEO Sounding Board

Strategic Growth – M&A, Organic, Adjacencies

Sustainability, ESG, DEI

Business Transformation

People & Culture

Succession & Professionalisation

Julia has brought tremendous market insight to the board and has provided expert guidance on how we can incorporate Sustainability & ESG into our strategy, in a way that focuses on our most material opportunities and issues. This is helping drive our market leading position, demonstrating to our clients, people and wider stakeholders that we understand the ESG challenges and opportunities, whether it be around D&I or transitioning to Net Zero, and are applying our mission of ‘difficult done well’ to the most pressing global challenges.

Warren Downey CEO Specialist Risk Group

CEO, Specialist Risk Group

Julia has the right combination of strategy, People and business transformational skills to make her an attractive asset and NED candidate for board positions.

Sharon Baylay

Chair, Non Executive Director and Coach

I have known Julia first in her capacity as Chief Strategy Officer appointed to lead the overall WEF global relationship for her firm and more recently in her work on the Forum’s Future of the Corporation project, focusing on stakeholder governance. This involves interviewing chairs and board members to draw out key themes and recommendations on best-practices for how boards, management and investors can address the post-COVID governance challenges, related to people and the planet.

Julia has brought insightful context around macro socio-economic trends driving change, industry sector nuances and a collaborative approach with the project team. It has been enjoyable working with her!

Adam Robbins

Head of Investing, World Economic Forum

Prior Non-Executive Experience

The World Economic Forum | Independent Advisor January 2015 – January 2023

The International Organisation for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages business, political, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

The Managing Partners Forum | Advisory Board Member 2020 – Present

Bringing together professional service firm leaders to advance strategic leadership excellence and provide an independent voice to policy-makers.

The Foundling Museum | Corporate Advisory Board Member January 2020 – January 2023

The Foundling Museum, the UK’s first children’s charity and public art gallery. Tells the story of the Foundling Hospital, working to transform lives of disadvantaged children through the Arts and inspire a positive contribution to society.

Qualifications

She holds an MBA with Distinction (Manchester Business School); Certificates in Sustainable Business Leadership (Cambridge University Institute for Sustainable Leadership); Organisational Behaviour & Design (Columbia New York University), Law degree (Essex University) and is a Meyler Campbell Certified Business Coach since 2007.

Industry Forums & Thought Leadership

Julia contributes to key market forums, including The World Economic Forum and The Law Society and regularly speaks at conferences on the topics of strategy, leadership and sustainability.