Welcome to the Page for the SCL Women in Technology Law Group
SCL Women in Technology Law (WiTL) Mission Statement
SCL WiTL's mission is to advance, celebrate and connect women in technology law, across private practice, companies, academia and the legal technology sector.
SCL WiTL's objective is to accelerate the number of women entering, advancing through, and celebrated in the technology law sector in order to achieve a more inclusive and diverse sector.
SCL WiTL seeks to achieve this objective by running educational, networking and promotional events, organising initiatives, providing a mentoring programme and providing a forum for discussion with internal and external stakeholders.
SCL WiTL aims to run inclusive and diverse events and initiatives, welcoming people regardless of gender.
Co-Chairs:
Rebecca Keating, Barrister, 4 Pump Court
Rebecca is a barrister at 4 Pump Court, with a particular interest in technology and intellectual property. Recently she has been instructed on disputes involving bespoke software, defective IT systems and the use of a robo-advice model across a range of issues including data security, cyber security and intellectual property. Prior to joining 4 Pump Court, Rebecca worked at Dropbox's European Headquarters, where her work focused on assisting clients in the large-scale deployment of cloud technology. She has published several articles on the topic of technology and the law in both national and international publications.
Alison Berryman, Head of UK, Biztech Lawyers
Alison is the head of Biztech Lawyers' UK office (other offices in the US and Australia). She is a senior technology and data protection lawyer with extensive past experience, gained in-house and at boutique IT/IP law firms. Skilled in drafting and negotiating commercial contracts, Alison has been praised in the legal directories for her deep knowledge of technology and the associated law. Clients value her pragmatic approach and willingness to help them make informed decisions, as much as her expertise. For two decades, Alison has also advised on data protection law, primarily in connection with the technology products that her clients provide. Now, as part of a global practice, she is increasingly providing EU/UK privacy advice to overseas businesses.
Committee:
Sue McLean, Partner, Baker McKenzie LLP
Sue is a partner in Baker McKenzie's Technology group and the firm's global tech lead for FinTech and Blockchain. Sue advises clients on technology, sourcing and digital media business models and deals, as well as the legal issues relating to the implementation of new technologies. Sue advises on a wide range of technology matters including outsourcing, digital transformation, technology procurement, development and licensing, m/e-commerce, cloud computing, AI, FinTech, blockchain, and data privacy. Sue is focused on driving greater gender diversity in the legal sector. She is on the Baker Women Executive Committee and a member of the Law Society Woman Lawyer's Division working group. Sue is founder and chair of the SCL Women in Technology Law group.
Anita Sivapalan, Corporate Counsel, Salesforce
Anita has a broad practice encompassing a number of different areas including IT outsourcing, data protection and intellectual property, with a particular interest in working on large-scale outsourcing contracts and software licensing arrangements.
Despina Chatzimanoli, Senior Legal Expert, Team Leader- Regulatory Policy Advice 2, Legal Unit, European Banking Authority.
Dr Despina Chatzimanoli, LL.M. is Senior Legal Expert at the European Banking Authority (EBA), advising, among other topics, on fintech issues. Previously she worked for the EBA’s predecessor organisation, CEBS (Committee of European Banking Supervisors), and for the (then) UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) acting as coordinator for the FSA’s participation in the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision (BCBS). Prior to that, Despina worked for international organisations (EPLO, Athens; IDLO, Rome), a Greek publishing house (Nomiki Bibliothiki) and in private practice (in Greece).
Sandy Tsakiridi, Senior Legal Counsel, HSBC
Sandy Tsakiridi is a Senior Legal Counsel in HSBC’s Group Data Privacy Legal team. As part of her responsibilities, she provides advice on privacy and data protection-related matters, including privacy risk management, across all lines of business of HSBC at global level. Prior to her current role, she has worked as an external legal counsel in leading international law firms and one of the Big Four. She is also a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and has obtained various professional certifications (CIPP/E, COBIT, PRINCE2). Sandy regularly speaks and contributes to professional publications on privacy and data protection topics. 
Anna Ward, Managing Associate, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Anna is a Managing Associate in Mishcon de Reya's Intellectual Property team, specialising in all types of intellectual property disputes. She has a particular interest in tackling piracy, domain name hi-jacking and associated online infringements.
Anna handles IP infringements tenaciously and has helped the owners of some of the world’s best-known rights to protect their IP. She acts for a wide range of clients including those in the media, technology, retail, food and beverage and pharmaceutical sectors.
SCL Women in Tech Law Group Initiatives
The SCL Women in Technology Law Group is calling upon the SCL community for new members to join its Committee!
The Committee is looking for individuals passionate about advancing, celebrating, and connecting women in technology law to support its busy schedule of activities. Individuals will be expected to join meetings 4-6 times per year and engage in the wider activities of the Committee.
If you are interested in being involved, please email hello@scl.org by Wednesday 7 June with a brief CV and paragraph explaining your motivation for joining the Committee. We look forward to hearing from you!
The SCL Women in Tech Group would like to compile a list of volunteer women techlaw speakers. The intention is not only to offer an alternative to men-only speaker panels but to become a valuable resource for those looking for fantastic female speakers. It will also shine a light on those who might not have had opportunities to share their knowledge and experience at techlaw events.
If you would like to volunteer, or have a recommendation, please contact hello@scl.org and we will send you a speaker form to complete.
