Lifetime Achievement Award

Joyce Smyth, Glastry Advisory Partners

This year’s winner is a lawyer who has not only impressed the judges with her legal and business skills but won the confidence of one of the top bands of all times – the Rolling Stones. Her representation of this band led to her founding a boutique artist management firm with the likes of Celine Dion on the books. The judges commended her strategic leadership and commitment to elevating women in the music industry, exemplified by her role as a patron of the PRS Foundation’s Women Make Music fund.

A former lawyer at Theodore Goddard, Joyce worked with Prince Rupert Loewenstein, then business manager for the Rolling Stones as a client and later her mentor. She set up her own practice Smyth Barkham and continued to represent the Stones. In 2010, she took over as the Stones’ manager following the retirement of Loewenstein. She has managed the Stones since as well as a host of other celebrities including Celine Dion.

Her lifetime achievement award celebrates her as a lawyer and a business manager – bringing law and business together in a unique and truly inspiring way.

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Brands

General Counsel of the Year

Emma Howes, Selfridges

Emma Howes, General Counsel and Company Secretary of Selfridges Group, is recognised for her leadership during a period of exceptional complexity and strategic change. Over the past 18 months, she has played a pivotal role in preparing the group for the acquisition of a 40% stake by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, working alongside joint shareholder Central Group of Thailand. The transaction followed the insolvency of the group’s previous co-owner, Signa Holding, and required careful management of governance, regulatory and communications matters to maintain stability and stakeholder confidence. Emma also chairs the group’s ESG committee and led the development of a new Code of Ethics and a governance framework aligned with Selfridges’ purpose and values. She continues to advise on legal and regulatory matters across the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands. The judges praised her strategic clarity, values-led approach and ability to lead through transition while upholding the integrity of the legal function.

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In-house IP Team of the Year

BVLGARI

Bulgari’s in-house IP and brand protection team, comprising five members across Rome and Japan, stood out for its hands-on, end-to-end management of the company’s global IP portfolio. A recent highlight was a landmark victory before the Paris Court of Appeal concerning its iconic Serpenti jewellery. The court rejected arguments from the opposing party that the snake motif lacked distinctiveness, instead affirming Bulgari’s longstanding and exclusive association with the design, which has symbolised the brand since the 1940s. The team overcame significant legal hurdles in establishing both originality and ownership, assembling extensive documentary evidence and collaborating closely with local counsel to deliver a resounding win. The ruling not only reinforces copyright protection for Serpenti but sets an important precedent in recognising the brand value of long-used design elements in the luxury sector. The result reflects the team’s legal expertise, strategic foresight and intimate understanding of Bulgari’s heritage and intangible assets.

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Legal Team of the Year

Breitling

Breitling’s legal and compliance team impressed the judges with its broad scope of work, strategic impact and strong integration with the business. Formed in 2017, the team has grown to nearly ten members and now supports a global group spanning around 40 subsidiaries in 30 jurisdictions. In 2024, the team secured a significant legal victory in the United States, where the Court of Appeals affirmed that the term “red gold” is generic and descriptive, bringing a decade-long trademark dispute to a close. The team also advised on recent acquisitions and integration projects and played a central role in advancing the brand’s ESG commitments. Notably, it helped publish a sustainability mission report ahead of regulatory deadlines, following a group-wide human rights risk assessment. The department has also introduced new anti-bribery and anti-fraud measures and implemented digital tools to streamline internal operations, reducing reliance on external counsel and maintaining performance in a cost-conscious environment.

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ESG Initiative of the Year

Sue Timney

Sue Timney is a leading global designer who has led the way on inclusive design. Designing for later living, she celebrates the later life journey with a look celebrating culture, creativity and joy. Her work is celebrated in top museums and shows and she most recently appeared as a judge on one of the most popular interior design TV shows. Her focus on inclusivity brings a new focus on older living, creating living spaces focusing on culture, creativity, luxury and the environment.

She has worked in Britain, Europe and Japan for over 30 years creating interior projects globally. Her work ranges from commercial and residential interior architecture to product design. A previous chair of the exclusive Chelsea Arts Club, she was made a Visiting Professor and Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art, holds the Textile Institute’s Design Medal and was nominated for the Prince Philip Designer's Prize by the Royal College of Art. Sue was formerly President of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) and is currently leading the way in design for older living as Creative Director of Wallacea Living.

A retrospective of Timney’s work was held at The Fashion and Textile Museum in London together with the launch of her book Making Marks - a design biography. Her work was exhibited in the Postmodernism: Style & Subversion 1970-1990 exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Sue's designs were also exhibited in the V&A’s 'British Design 1948-2012: Innovation in the Modern Age' and '175 years at the Royal College of Art’. Her work was also exhibited in the powerful 'Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the Eighties' show at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Sue is a consultant and presenter for Television specialising in interior design and textiles.

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Business Leader of the Year

Nessa McGill, Align Pictures

Nessa McGill is a founding member and commercial director for the Align Group, a financing and production company launched in 2018. Align closed its second fund, The Take Two Fund at the start of 2025 aiming to pump $120m worth of financing into international audio-visual content, and in particular feature film and high-end TV drama over the next four years.

Nessa was an executive producer on the Align financed and BAFTA nominated Good Luck to you Leo Grande starring Emma Thompson, and the $50m animated feature film, Paws of Fury - The Legend of Hank starring Samuel L Jackson and Ricky Gervais as well as the three Align financed films which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2025: Jimpa, starring Olivia Colman and John Lithgow; Rabbit Trap starring Dev Patel; and The Thing With Feathers starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Upcoming Align projects include the Kiefer Sutherland action thriller, Sierra Medre and the romantic comedy I'll Have the Hamm starring John Hamm and Jennifer Aniston.

As well as heading up the business of film financing and helping strategically direct the business, Nessa McGill has a special interest in mentoring young talent and also dedicates time to supporting arts and literary charities. The judges were impressed with her combination of legal and business skills as well as her efforts to mentor young talent and charitable works in the arts and literary fields.

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Fashion Counsel of the Year

Emma Anthony, Phoebe Philo

Emm is general counsel of a luxury fashion label renowned for its modern, minimalist design. The judges praised her broad in-house experience, deep understanding of the fashion retail landscape and ability to support creative vision through sound legal leadership.

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Entrepreneur of the Year

Nishanth Chopra, Oschadi Collective

Nishanth Chopra is the founder of Oshadi Collective, a regenerative fashion initiative based in Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 2016, Oshadi began as a womenswear label and evolved into a vertically integrated collective encompassing a 250-acre regenerative cotton farm, traditional weavers, natural dyers, block printers, and tailors. The collective employs ancient Indian agricultural practices to cultivate cotton and indigo, promoting biodiversity and soil health. Oshadi's seed-to-sew model ensures transparency and ethical standards throughout the supply chain, allowing consumers to trace garments back to their origins. Chopra's vision has attracted collaborations with international designers and brands, including Stella McCartney and Christy Dawn, aiming to reshape the fashion industry's approach to sustainability. His work emphasizes fair profit distribution, with farmers setting cotton prices, and renewable energy powering production processes. As Vogue India notes, Chopra's efforts position Oshadi as a model for integrating traditional practices with modern fashion demands.

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Global General Counsel of the Year

Niccolò Pallesi, Ferretti Group

The winner of Global GC of the year is a lawyer who has combined legal skills with business acumen and an appreciation for the heritage of luxury. Not only has he steered his company through double listings in Hong Kong and Milan, his focus on ESG and his leadership role in the Italian luxury legal sector, impressed the judges.

Ferretti Group was the first in the industry to believe in the potential of the Asian market by listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. A subsequent listing on Euronext Milan was “a long and complex process, particularly from a legal perspective as we had to take into account and deal with all the applicable Hong Kong rules,” Niccolo said. A first, Ferretti is the only company “double listed” in both markets today. From a more technical and legal point of view, the most complex activity was the preparation of the operating model, i.e. the system for repositioning the shares between the two markets. One of the most complex aspects was ensuring compliance between the two regulations in terms of corporate governance, communication obligations and corporate compliance.

Geopolitical factors such as the duties introduced by the Trump administration or the European sanctions against Russia have real impact on the business and he has had to oversee the implementation of new policies and adaption of new obligations as well, in some cases, as a contraction of target markets.

The judges were impressed by his focus on ESG and the appreciation of heritage and the transmission of know-how. Regarding yachts as works of art, built thanks to Italian craftsmen of the highest level, the company has created a so called “Scuola di Mestieri” - training new generations in shipyards from Ancona to Liguria as well as launching the first full-electric model, the 27-foot Riva Iseo. They are also focusing on the installation of solar panels on larger yachts to improve on-board comfort by reducing the use of generators, even when the boat is stationary.

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Private Practice

Luxury Law Firm of the Year – International Law Firm

Baker McKenzie

Baker McKenzie’s global luxury practice supports clients across transactions, ESG compliance, brand enforcement and digital transformation. Over the past year, the firm has advised on high-profile matters, including Mytheresa’s acquisition of YOOX NET-A-PORTER, Capri Holdings’ acquisition of Sicla and Statuto Group’s acquisition of the Caesar Augustus Hotel in Capri. It also advised luxury clients on EU ESG legislation, no-poach litigation in the US, and the enforcement of selective distribution systems. The team complements its legal work with industry-focused tools, such as ESG guides, a luxury legal handbook, and insights on influencer marketing and digital strategy. Its internal sustainability targets and reporting also reflect a commitment to the same standards it advises clients on. As one member of the judging panel noted: “I love that they are not only interweaving ESG advice to luxury clients but also living the values with their own strategy and targets.”

Luxury Law Firm of the Year – Independent Law Firm

Litvin Marzorati Legales

Litvin Marzorati Legales, founded by Melisa Litvin, is a woman-led boutique firm based in Buenos Aires advising luxury brands, designers and high-net-worth individuals. The firm provides legal support across brand protection, franchising, corporate structuring and digital enforcement. Over the past year, it has advised on cross-border expansion, secured favourable IP rulings across Latin America and worked with clients to build sustainable business models. It has also invested in legal technology to improve research efficiency and launched an internal leadership programme to support the advancement of women in legal practice. The firm’s breadth of work spans corporate advisory, ecommerce, ESG and innovation. In the judging panel’s view, its integration of AI tools, support for women-led startups and guidance on ethical compliance reflect a forward-thinking approach tailored to the evolving needs of the luxury sector.

Partner of the Year

Keith Markel, Morrison Cohen

Keith Markel, chair of Morrison Cohen’s Labour & Employment Law Practice and co-chair of its Luxury Brands Group, has more than 25 years of experience advising clients across the luxury retail sector. His work spans employment risk management, litigation, and HR advisory, with clients including Valentino, Moncler, Diesel, Dolce & Gabbana, Zimmermann and Dion Lee. Over the past year, he secured a number of notable courtroom victories, including defeating class certification in a wage and hour case and obtaining summary judgment in a discrimination suit. He is also a regular contributor to legal commentary in this area. The awards judges praised the submission for its strong and specific case examples and noted his technical expertise, client focus and practical understanding of the sector. Markel’s work with HR teams to improve processes and mitigate legal exposure was also highlighted as a key strength by the judging panel.

IP Team of the Year

Stobbs

Founded in 2013, Stobbs has grown to over 200 professionals across six international offices, offering integrated brand advisory services spanning legal, trade mark, valuation, intelligence, licensing, and creative consultancy. The firm also champions diversity, with 64% of leadership roles held by women and 27% of the team from minority backgrounds.

In a standout matter, Stobbs secured a freezing injunction—rare in IP cases—against a persistent counterfeiter of multiple luxury brands. As one judge noted, this was a great success, given how notoriously difficult these injunctions are to obtain. The team developed a careful litigation strategy, gathering evidence through covert monitoring to avoid tipping off the defendant. The court granted the injunction without notice, freezing multiple accounts including a cryptocurrency wallet and requiring disclosure of financial records.

The result not only halted infringing activity but provided valuable intelligence on how counterfeiters operate, strengthening the client’s broader anti-counterfeiting efforts.