Dunja Relic | Trainee Solicitor | Mercurae Law
Dunja Relic is the sole Trainee at Mercurae Law, where she began her training in September 2023 while concurrently pursuing an LLM at BPP University.
As the firm’s only trainee, Dunja works closely with the team, gaining broad exposure to client work. Her legal journey is grounded in a strong foundation in legal technology: before joining Mercurae, she served as Product Specialist Team Lead at a legal tech company, where she advised senior legal teams, including those at BBC Studios, on legal tech implementation and case support, while leading a team of three.
Dunja’s commitment to equity and inclusion spans over a decade of volunteer work supporting underrepresented communities. Beyond her professional path, Dunja is the founder of When Life Gives You Lemons (WLGYL), an initiative dedicated to empowering first-generation immigrant women and girls through skills training, mentorship, and confidence-building. WLGYL helps participants prepare for professional life through practical workshops and community-building experiences. Mercurae Law has been a strong supporter of the initiative having previously provided work experience opportunities to participants and regularly hosting WLGYL events in its offices.
Gabriella Rasiah | Trainee Solicitor | DWF Law LLP
Gabriella is a Trainee Solicitor in the Commercial team at DWF Law LLP in Manchester.
Gabriella is entering her final seat, qualifying in September 2025. She has completed seats in property litigation, probate, corporate, and commercial, and is supporting partner Asima Rana with the development of the firm's growing multi-jurisdictional IP offering. During her split corporate/commercial seat, Gabriella supported with large-scale corporate projects such as the £425m sale of David Roberts & Partners. She also contributes regularly to DWF articles on topics like procurement, competition, IP, IT, and AI, her notable publications being on platforms like LexisNexis and Lawcareersnet. Showcasing Gabriella's commitment to the wider firm, she is a steering committee member for DWF's neurodivergent network as well as its Corporate Social Responsibility environmental strand. As a first generation immigrant from Malaysia, Gabriella actively champions those around her through volunteering initiatives such as Young Enterprise workshops, where she supported the delivery of IP workshops to university students. She is also involved with her wider community through her role as general secretary and treasurer for Manchester Trainee Solicitors Group (MTSG). In this role, she has helped organise networking events like the MTSG Winter Ball and career development initiatives such as the Trainee Panel Talk at MMU, where she was a panellist. Gabriella earned a Bachelor of Laws (Hons.) (LL.B) in 2021 from University of Leeds and a Master of Laws (LPC LLM) in 2022 from University of Law, and is the first in her family to pursue a legal career.
Federica Pisano | Solution Consultant | Guidewire Software
Starting with a passion for learning and communication, I went from Italy through Germany to the UK, from translating to branding, from market research to advertising, finally landing in the world of solution consulting in insurtech, where I finally feel at home.
The vastness of the industry and its fast-paced advancements, combined with the nuances of diverse regional markets, make insurtech incomparably challenging and interesting for me. At the same time, being surrounded by top-notch talents and a warm, supportive environment who want everyone to succeed and thrive gives me the energy and enthusiasm I need when the goings gets tougher. Needless to say, it is thanks to them that I am here today!
Rosie Nutt | Corporate Liability Restructuring Manager | PwC
I began my career at PwC as a summer intern while at university, before joining full-time in the insurance audit team.
After three years and achieving my qualification, I sought a new challenge and moved across to the Deals Restructuring team, where I have spent the past c.four years specialising in advising non-life run-off insurance clients on restructurings and transactions. My role has spanned both sell-side deal advisory and distressed restructuring. I have worked closely with clients on insurance business transfers, portfolio disposals, and broader restructuring strategies. Through this, I have developed deep expertise in navigating complex regulatory and commercial challenges, helping clients achieve their strategic.
Lauren Jeffery | Assistant Underwriter | Liberty Specialty Markets
Highly motivated and driven insurance professional with over 4 years Commercial insurance experience, currently as an Assistant Underwriter in the Liberty Specialty Markets Property D&F team, having specialised in this line of business since joining the insurance industry.
I pride myself on being a hard worker and a team player, which helps my immediate colleagues achieve great results with our brokers where I consistently deliver a high level of service, building trust based long term relationships internally and externally. My positivity and enthusiasm help to create a healthy and productive working environment for all. I seek out new challenges and see this as an opportunity to learn, develop and grow not only as an individual, but also as a team. This leads to improved performance as I continually learn how to adapt to change, which showcases my hunger, appetite, and desire to be both flexible and proactive in my approach. Prior to insurance, I worked as a Customer Service Assistant at Asda for 3.5 years whilst studying Mathematics at the University of Kent, where I achieved a First-Class BSc Honours Degree. I was also Secretary of the UKC Photography Society during my final year of university. I also volunteered for Cancer Research UK for 1.5 years.
Stephanie Kovatchev | Claims Operations Manager | The Hartford
I started my career in insurance in France 15 years ago, as an Underwriter.
I moved to Internal Audit after 4 years, and relocated to the UK a year after that. I thoroughly enjoyed all my claims audits, and realized that I was craving a 'first line of defense' experience, which is why I moved to a Claims Operations role. Since then I have held various roles in claims operations and market change. The commonality to all these positions is my drive for improving processes, 'fixing what is broken'. Outside of my day job, I also started involving myself more and more in DEI activities at the start of 2020. This led to me becoming the Chair of the Disability & Neurodiversity Network at my previous company. I am now a very active member of the DEI Council at The Hartford, and I was also asked by my CEO to join the Associate Board of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) last year. I recently got elected as their Company Secretary. I have driven many DEI initiatives since joining The Hartford, the main one, which I am extremely proud of, being the launch of a sponsorship for the GB Wheelchair Rugby Team, on their path to the Paralympics in LA in 2028. I even worked with my colleagues across the pond on this sponsorship, which is something that had never been done before in the DEI space.
Clare Felgate | Team Personal Assistant | Corporation of Lloyd's
Team Personal Assistant, Global Regulatory and Network Engagement, Lloyd's of London Clare has worked at Lloyd's for 24 years in the Chairman and CEO's Office, Legal Services, Delegated Authorities and has been with the Global Regulatory and Network Engagement team for the past 17 years.
Clare is passionate about helping others and is one of the Wellbeing Champions and Mental Health First Aiders at Lloyd's, gaining the Level 3 Award in Mental Health First Aid with the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH). Clare is dedicated and committed to her work and is a loyal and trusted member of the team always willing to step in and assist others whenever needed. Outside of work Clare has been a Rainbow and Guide Leader for 34 years organising weekly meetings, trips and residentials for girls of 5-7 and 10-14 year olds. She is an Archery GB Level 1 coach and teaches children and adults archery, some of whom have gone on to become top archers in Essex. Clare has also attained Level 3 in Health and Social Care and is a NHS hospital volunteer, giving up her Sunday's to care and support the elderly.
Janice Earl-Summers | Collaboration Consultant | PwC
For over 30 years, I've thrived in diverse IT roles across Insurance, Telecoms, and Banking, tackling complex challenges.
My passion lies in collaborative problem-solving, uniting diverse teams to achieve impactful results. I'm driven by curiosity and a relentless commitment to exceeding expectations, consistently delivering solutions that make a real difference whilst having fun.
Anshuman Bhalla | Technology Risk Manager | RSA Insurance Group
Since a very young age, I was very passionate about making my career within Technology space and grow as a career driven women in STEM.
This passion led me to become a Computer Science Engineer and pursue Masters in Business administration with information Security specialisation. I started my career in India with a Big4 consulting organisation as an Associate Consultant in Risk Advisory team where I found my other passion to resolve problems and assist people within cyber and risk domains. Very quickly, I made a personal brand around great delivery and managed revenue driven projects. I was promoted twice in a span of 3.5 years tenure that gave me confidence to dream big and led me to move across countries. I joined another Big4 organisation in the UK which was a lateral shift for me in terms of responsibilities. I started exploring more on the Data and regulatory compliance domains which are equally important parts of the Tech world. I led projects of worth 1m there and got promoted to Manager level in a short span of 1.5 years. I was doing great when another opportunity came in my way to assist a start up company with their AI and Data governance frameworks and decided to ride the tide to learn more. After learning loads in fast paced startup world, I joined Insurance industry as a Tech Risk Manager 2 years ago where I started mentoring people and contributing towards community to make a difference and motivate others.
Sachini Yapa | Senior Project Manager | QBE Insurance
I am a results-driven individual with a background in software engineering, most recently leading a large-scale transformation initiative.
I have explored different roles, from Business Analyst to Service Delivery Lead, and I have found that anywhere I get to interact (and hopefully inspire) a team is where I do best. Moving from New Zealand to London was a bold step in expanding my career, and QBE offered me the perfect platform. As an Application Delivery Lead, I managed the delivery and maintenance of critical information management systems for over 1,000 users. Seeking new challenges, I was honoured to take the lead on a major transformation project for QBE: the delivery of Lloyd's Blueprint Two. Thriving in a fast-paced environment is energising, but it's just as important to recognise when to recharge to be your best self and continue serving others. I strive to role model this via wellbeing initiatives at work. I've recognised that it's easier to make a lasting difference when working with like-minded people. In 2008, I founded the Auckland Young Professionals network for The Institution of Engineering and Technology and continue to volunteer today, with the goal of nurturing STEM talent pipelines. Whether leading transformation projects, mentoring emerging professionals, or promoting mental wellbeing, I aim to make a meaningful impact in all that I do, bringing positive energy to those around me.