Membership of the Nomination Committee

Andrew Mitchell KC was called to the Bar in 1992 and took silk in 2011. He specialises in commercial and civil litigation and international arbitration. His practice is predominantly in the fields of banking, financial services, civil fraud, professional negligence, professional and financial regulation, and (re)insurance law, with a significant international element. He is a member of the Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR), and also an accredited Mediator. He is a member of Fountain Court Chambers, and was formerly an experienced member of the Professional Conduct Committee of the Bar Standards Board, on which he sat from 2010.  He sits as a Deputy High Court Judge (Business and Property Courts) and as an arbitrator at the London Court of International Arbitration. He is a Bencher of Middle Temple.

Gisela Abbam FRSA is a Senior Director for Government Affairs at Revvity, a global science and technology corporation. She is the Chair of the General Pharmaceutical Council, GB and former Chair of the British Science Association. She also serves on the Board of the Briyah Institute, USA. Gisela is the Founder and former Managing Director of OTGA Management Consultancy. Gisela is a Commissioner for the National Preparedness Commission in UK. She has worked in conjunction with the WHO, World Bank and the UN to improve health outcomes globally.

Gisela was named one of the 100 Women to Watch for FTSE 350 Boards. Gisela was the winner of the 2019 Black British Business Person of the Year Award. She was awarded Iconic Woman creating a better World for All by the Women Economic Forum. In 2018, Gisela was awarded Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce for her contribution to social change. Previously, she was the Director of Strategic Partnerships and a Company Officer for Abt Associates, one of the top 20 global research and evaluation companies.

Gisela was also previously the inaugural Global Executive Director for Government Affairs & Policy for General Electric Healthcare. She developed the global function. She was responsible for the strategic direction of government affairs and policy for GE Healthcare, the $18 billion business unit of GE that provides transformational medical technologies to health customers in over 100 countries. She was part of the leadership team that set up the Centre for Public Health Excellence at NICE.

Gisela has written over 50 white papers on various public policy issues

Emir is a Chartered Accountant and a specialist in transformational change. The majority of his career was spent at the Sunday Times as Associate Managing Editor for this leading Sunday Paper.

He is a Commissioner for the Judicial Appointments Commission, which selects candidates for judicial office in Courts and tribunals. He is at present also a Board member and Audit Chair of the Serious Fraud Office, the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency, The Pension Ombudsman, the Honours Committee, and is a trustee of The Henry Smith Charity, one of the largest grant makers in the UK. He is involved in a number of initiatives in the diversity and inclusion arena.

He has held non executive board member positions with Lambeth Clinical Commission group, London Metropolitan University, and the Bar Tribunal Adjudication Service, amongst others.

Kathryn Stone OBE was Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards a post she held from January 2018 to December 2022. Before that she held the post of Chief Legal Ombudsman for England and Wales. She has also been a Commissioner with the Independent Police Complaints Commission and at Commission for Victims and Survivors Northern Ireland.

She is a Chartered Director, a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and was formerly a Registered Social Worker.  She was made OBE in 2007 and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Derby in 2018.

Leslie Thomas KC was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2014. A human rights practitioner, Leslie specialises in claims against the police, public authorities and corporate bodies. He is also a specialist in inquests and public inquiries. He is currently an independent member on the Standards Committee for public life for Lewisham Council. He is on the Council executive for the organisation JUSTICE. In 2016, Leslie won the Legal Aid Lawyers' (LALY) Award for work on the Hillsborough case and in 2017, he won the Chambers and Partners' UK Legal Diversity Lifetime achievement award. Between 2020 - 2024 he was Gresham Professor of Law. He is a Visiting Professor at Goldsmith, University of London. Leslie is a member of Garden Court Chambers and also an attorney in Antigua and Barbuda with a Caribbean practice - JC Legal Solutions.