Meet the Team

Founding Directors

Chris Leese

Founder | Chief Commercial Officer
+44 (0) 20 3398 8554

email Chris

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Paul Barford

Founder | Managing Director
+44 (0) 20 3398 8510

email Paul

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Danushka De Alwis

Founder | Chief Operating Officer
+44 (0) 20 3580 5891

email Danushka

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Chris Leese Founder | Chief Commercial Officer

Chris is a Founder and the Commercial Director at ThoughtLeaders4 with a primary aim of delivering value to our partners and clients.

During Chris’s 24 years’ experience, he has held senior roles at international b2b event companies and a leading legal publishing company. Working internationally, he has been responsible for many major event launches for the Asset Recovery and the Anti-Bribery & Corruption communities as well as General Counsel. He is relationship-driven and focuses on delivering value.


call +44 (0) 20 3398 8554
email Chris

Paul Barford Founder | Managing Director

Paul is a founder and the Managing Director at ThoughtLeaders4 with responsibility for the overall strategic development of the company.

He has a decade of experience in the legal services industry, in building, launching and developing bespoke communities and putting legal practitioners together across private client, asset recovery, anti-corruption and financial services regulation and compliance.


call +44 (0) 20 3398 8510
email Paul

Danushka De Alwis Founder | Chief Operating Officer

Danushka is a founder and the Marketing Director at ThoughtLeaders4 with a key focus on international community development. She has seamlessly delivered large scale international asset recovery and contentious insolvency conferences with the utmost efficiency across the world and highly values the friendships and personal relationships that nurturing and developing communities entails. 

Born in Sri Lanka, Danushka has had the privilege of residing in Singapore, Pakistan, Malawi, Kenya, Indonesia and the UK. This international exposure stands her in good stead to meet the challenges of an increasingly globalised world.


call +44 (0) 20 3580 5891
email Danushka

TL4 Team

James Baldwin Webb

Commercial Director | Private Client
+44 (0) 20 3398 8546

email James

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Helen Berwick

Commercial Director | Competition
+44 (0) 20 3433 2281

email Helen

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Ben Sullivan

Commercial Director
+44 (0) 20 3965 4386

email Ben

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Rachael Mowle

Business Development & Partnership Director
+44 (0) 20 3398 8560

email Rachael

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Dan Sullivan

Business Development & Partnership Manager
+44 (0) 20 3059 9524

email Dan

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Ben Jobson

Business Development & Partnership Manager
+44 (0) 20 3059 9525

email Ben

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Phaik Ooi

Financial Controller
+44 (0) 20 3580 5169

email Phaik

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Amanda Taylor

Projects Director
+44 (0) 20 3398 8525

email Amanda

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Emanuel Marques

Project Manager
+44 (0) 20 3997 9943

email Emanuel

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Peter Miles

Head of Event Research & Production
+44 (0) 20 3481 8843

email Peter

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Melody Mok

Conference Portfolio Manager
+44 (0)20 3997 8527

email Melody

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Seth Fleming

Conference Producer Associate
+44 (0) 20 3433 2282

email Seth

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Owen Dilworth

Conference Producer Associate
+44 (0) 20 3998 9971

email Owen

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Alexander Edgal

Conference Producer Associate
+44 (0) 20 3998 9752

email Alexander

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Yelda Ismail

Senior Marketing Manager
+44 (0) 20 3398 8551

email Yelda

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Lily Taylor

Senior Marketing Executive
+44 (0) 20 3433 2285

email Lily

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Sebastian Dzienis

Marketing Executive
+44 (0) 20 3545 4447

email Sebastian

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Olivia Wojcieszak

Marketing Executive
+44 (0) 203 0362152

email Olivia

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Maddi Briggs

Senior Strategic Partnership Manager
+44 (0) 20 3398 8545

email Maddi

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Maximus McCabe-Abel

Senior Strategic Partnership Executive
+44 (0) 20 3998 9908

email Maximus

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Amelia Gittins

Strategic Partnership Executive
+44 (0) 20 3059 9797

email Amelia

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Ewan Brown

Senior Operations Manager
+44 (0) 20 3433 2292

email Ewan

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Laura Fraser

Senior Operations Manager
+44 (0) 20 3433 2284

email Laura

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Chloe Lomas

Operations Manager
+44 (0) 20 30384513

email Chloe

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Amy Barrett

Client Services & Office Support Executive
+44 (0) 20 3059 9796

email Amy

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James Baldwin Webb Commercial Director | Private Client

James has 15 years experience in the media industry, the majority of which has been spent within the Private Client events space specifically.

Part of the team that developed a senior community of lawyers and private client practitioners at his previous company, James is now developing the TL4 Private Client community with his colleagues to promote collaboration and conversation within the industry. He focuses on developing opportunities for clients to network and building relationships.


call +44 (0) 20 3398 8546
email James

Helen Berwick Commercial Director | Competition

Helen has over 15 years’ of experience in the legal media industry and worked across a variety of publications, events, directories, and a membership group.

Having built relations with leading law firms and professional services clients internationally Helen is now developing the TL4 Competition Community, working with clients to help increase their visibility and grow their business with a focused consultative approach.


call +44 (0) 20 3433 2281
email Helen

Ben Sullivan Commercial Director

Ben has more than 2 decades of experience as a barristers’ clerk across multiple chambers which includes a prestigious magic circle set. Ben joins us off the back of running his own business.


call +44 (0) 20 3965 4386
email Ben

Rachael Mowle Business Development & Partnership Director

Rachael brings a wealth of experience from the Private Client sector into TL4’s HNW Advisory & Litigation community. 

Her passion lies in creating a vibrant community that elevates and empowers lawyers to not only serve their clients better, but also to achieve their business goals through networking, thought leadership, events and cross border referrals.

This is what Rachael’s clients and colleagues say about her:
"Rachael is an excellent connector and has great skill and talent in forging professional relationships between private client advisors. Rachael is strategic and proactive in her approach and creates an environment of success for the members."


call +44 (0) 20 3398 8560
email Rachael

Dan Sullivan Business Development & Partnership Manager

Dan has over a decade of experience of working in the legal sector, working in the Practice Management teams at some of the UK’s leading Barristers’ chambers. During this time, Dan also organised legal networking and educational events in London, that connected legal professionals across different sectors. In addition, Dan was on the Management Committee of the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks, which worked on key initiatives and delivered events that raised the bar for the clerking profession.

Dan also spent 6 years working across South East Asia, France and the UK in organising events and programmes that brought together the Next Generation of Leaders and Entrepreneurs, with Senior Professionals and forward-thinking companies.


call +44 (0) 20 3059 9524
email Dan

Ben Jobson Business Development & Partnership Manager

Ben joined TL4 in 2024 and brings a wealth of experience in the legal industry, having worked at a number of leading barristers’ chambers as a clerk for the past decade. Ben has worked with leading barristers and law firms in the industry and is now assisting with developing the TL4 Disputes Community by working with clients to increase their profile and visibility.


call +44 (0) 20 3059 9525
email Ben

Phaik Ooi Financial Controller

Phaik started her early accountancy career in the audit sector, where she attained her professional qualification as FCCA.  

Phaik has gained vast experience working in various industries including an occupational health company, a marketing agency, a HNW family resources office and an interior design architect firm. 

Phaik has a keen eye for details to ensure our figures add up. 


call +44 (0) 20 3580 5169
email Phaik

Amanda Taylor Projects Director

Amanda has 11+ years of experience in the events industry, having delivered a variety of projects for leading conference companies, financial institutions and agencies. Amanda has a comprehensive range of skills in strategic planning and coordination.


call +44 (0) 20 3398 8525
email Amanda

Emanuel Marques Project Manager

Emanuel is a project manager with 10 years of experience across a dynamic range of industries - from finance and tech to consumer-facing media and events. Comfortable delivering projects at scale, Emanuel is responsible for managing internal projects and constantly improving processes at TL4 to provide the best service to our community and clients.


call +44 (0) 20 3997 9943
email Emanuel

Peter Miles Head of Event Research & Production

Peter is Head of Event Research & Production at ThoughtLeaders4 with 20+ years' experience of event production and community development.

He’s gained that experience working with commercial event businesses, communities and industry associations across a number of sectors, with responsibility for identifying market opportunities, crafting value adding events and growing communities


call +44 (0) 20 3481 8843
email Peter

Melody Mok Conference Portfolio Manager

Melody joins as an experienced conference producer, having produced legal and financial events globally for over 6 years. She seeks to bring together communities and help foster the growth of individuals by producing agendas that are engaging and thought-provoking.


call +44 (0)20 3997 8527
email Melody

Seth Fleming Conference Producer Associate

Seth is a Conference Producer Associate at ThoughtLeaders4.

 

Seth focuses on conferences within Divorce and Private Client law. After joining the company in March 2023, he has developed a keen interest in legal conference production and forming connections within the communities. Seth graduated from the University of Sussex with a bachelor's degree in History & Politics with proficiency in Spanish and received an MSc in Marketing from King's College London.


call +44 (0) 20 3433 2282
email Seth

Owen Dilworth Conference Producer Associate

Owen is a Conference Producer Associate at ThoughtLeaders4.

After graduating from the University of Exeter with a First Class Bachelor's degree in International Relations, Owen sought to apply his research skills in an international context. He worked with leading London Expert Network firms to organise consulting calls for key opinion leaders, cultivating interpersonal and organisational skills. After joining the company in October of 2023, he now applies those skills for production of legal conferences. 


call +44 (0) 20 3998 9971
email Owen

Alexander Edgal Conference Producer Associate

Alexander is a Conference Producer Associate at ThoughtLeaders4.

Alexander has developed their experience in commercial events across a range of sectors, including education, healthcare, organisational development, and renewable energy. They joined TL4 as an experienced Conference Producer focused on building our communities focused model and expanding on the successes of our growing event portfolio.


call +44 (0) 20 3998 9752
email Alexander

Yelda Ismail Senior Marketing Manager

Yelda is responsible for the management of the marketing and communication plans across both print and online platforms, liaising with external marketing departments to ensure the success of the events across all five communities.


call +44 (0) 20 3398 8551
email Yelda

Lily Taylor Senior Marketing Executive

Lily is a Marketing Executive at ThoughtLeaders4. 

 

After graduating from University of Bristol with a Bachelor's degree in English, Lily has kickstarted her career in marketing, combining her passion for both writing and creative design.


call +44 (0) 20 3433 2285
email Lily

Sebastian Dzienis Marketing Executive

With a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and experience in the Events industry, Sebastian combines his passion for graphic design with his analytical skillset to develop as a marketing professional. 


call +44 (0) 20 3545 4447
email Sebastian

Olivia Wojcieszak Marketing Executive

With a Master’s degree in Digital Marketing, Olivia has started her career as a marketing executive, leveraging her events marketing experience alongside her passion for creative writing and strategic campaign development.

She thrives on crafting innovative approaches to connect with audiences, build engagement, and deliver measurable results. Olivia enjoys reading, ice skating, and practicing yoga in her free time. 


call +44 (0) 203 0362152
email Olivia

Maddi Briggs Senior Strategic Partnership Manager

As the Senior Strategic Partnership Manager at TL4, I am responsible for developing and strengthening relationships with our 60+ partner firms across the five communities. Using an arsenal of different channels, my role focuses on developing and executing projects for strategic growth, as well as producing virtual events, written, digital and event content, including the quarterly magazines across the five communities at ThoughtLeaders4; FIRE, HNW Divorce, Private Client, Disputes and Competition. 

 

I also lead the team on TL4 Circle Events, which are exclusive invite-only meetings for eminent practitioners in our community. Curated by a committee of expert advisors, each Circle guest-list brings together a complimentary mix of jurisdictions, individuals and firms renowned for their focus on excellence in delivering both technical knowledge and practical insights.


call +44 (0) 20 3398 8545
email Maddi

Maximus McCabe-Abel Senior Strategic Partnership Executive

Graduating in 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in History and a Master’s in Marketing from the University of Durham, Maximus joined ThoughtLeaders4 as a Strategic Partnership Executive.

Maximus previously interned with a leading real estate firm, focusing on business development, marketing, and event production. He is passionate about forging lasting partnerships across the five TL4 communities using a range of in-person and digital channels.

Maximus is interested in cinema, literature, and sport; he is a regular tennis player and former international ski racer. 


call +44 (0) 20 3998 9908
email Maximus

Amelia Gittins Strategic Partnership Executive

Amelia joined ThoughtLeaders4 as a Strategic Partnership Executive, she previously worked for a leading London barristers chambers, assisting with their marketing endeavours, overseeing social and digital media output, the organising of internal and external events and more general marketing administration.


call +44 (0) 20 3059 9797
email Amelia

Ewan Brown Senior Operations Manager

Ewan is one of our Operations Managers at ThoughtLeaders4 and plays a key part in delivering our global events portfolio.

 

With an events background, Ewan has organised a range of different events from Gala dinners to sporting events in some of London’s biggest venues.

 

Having lived in France for eight years, it enabled Ewan to become bilingual but also highlighted the need to be aware of the cultural differences and attention to detail needed to produce events.


call +44 (0) 20 3433 2292
email Ewan

Laura Fraser Senior Operations Manager

Laura is an Operations Manager at ThoughtLeaders4 who possess experience within the corporate events sector.

 

Her skills procured during her Event Management degree makes her an integral part to the operations team, who’s duties include managing both national and international events. She combines her interests in design, finance, and marketing to create seamless conferences across TL4's five communities.


call +44 (0) 20 3433 2284
email Laura

Chloe Lomas Operations Manager

After graduating from University of Sussex with a bachelor’s degree in Criminology, Chloe has combined her passion for events and the legal system with kick starting her career in Operations at TL4.


call +44 (0) 20 30384513
email Chloe

Amy Barrett Client Services & Office Support Executive

After running her own business for the past 6 years, Amy has started her career in the legal events industry as a Client Services and Office Support Executive, utilising her experience from previous administrative and PA roles.


call +44 (0) 20 3059 9796
email Amy

Careers at TL4

Our current vacancies are advertised on this webpage. Further information about the roles can also be found here.