General counsel in asset management roundtable: Defining the GC agenda in 2026
How are general counsel in asset management balancing legal risk, business growth and global complexity in 2026?
We are delighted to host our exclusive annual roundtable, bringing together general counsel and heads of legal across the asset management sector to discuss the evolving GC agenda.
This session will explore:
- Managing legal risk, growth and global complexity
How legal leaders manage risk in the face of sustained fee pressure, limited internal resources, and rising demand, while supporting business growth into increasingly specialist areas requiring niche expertise. - AI in legal and investment functions
How GCs and legal teams are using AI in practice, where it delivers real value, the associated risks and limitations, the maturity of AI governance, and how AI is deployed with appropriate oversight. - The GC as a business leader
What it means to operate as a GC at the top table, the importance of reporting lines, and how legal leaders influence strategic and commercial decisions beyond a purely legal perspective.
The roundtable will be led by Ayah Elmaazi, General Counsel at Insight Investment and Matthew Francis, Head of Legal, Global at Ninety One, who bring extensive experience of leading global legal functions within complex, highly regulated environments.
If you would like to attend, please register your interest below and we will be in touch to confirm your place. Early registration is recommended as spaces are limited. This is an in-person event in London.
MEET YOUr SPEAKErS
AyaH Elmaazi
General Counsel
Insight Investment
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Ayah Elmaazi is General Counsel for Insight Investment. A member of the company’s Executive Committee, Ayah heads up Insight’s global Legal Department where she manages Insight’s legal risk across all of the company’s legal entities.
Ayah was appointed to her current position in February 2024. She joined Insight in 2018 as Head of the Corporate and Commercial team and was appointed Head of Legal assuming responsibility for the global legal division in 2022.
Prior to joining Insight, Ayah was a senior lawyer at Coutts, a private bank forming part of NatWest Group’s wealth management division. From 2008-2014 Ayah held a number of roles at the Financial Services Authority (as was) across the General Counsel and Enforcement divisions and then the Bank of England where she helped set up and was Deputy Head of the Enforcement Division. Ayah was called to the Bar in 2006.
matthew francis
Head of Legal, Global
Ninety One
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Matthew is Head of Legal, Global at Ninety One, overseeing legal matters across Ninety One’s global business. He has held multiple roles at Ninety One (formerly Investec Asset Management), including Head of Legal UK, Head of Company Secretarial, and Head of Operations for global client onboarding and trade compliance.
He is an executive director on the Boards of various Ninety One fund ranges and corporate entities, as well as a member of a number of group committees. Matthew is also Deputy Chair of the Investment Association’s Legal Committee.
Prior to joining Investec Asset Management in 2010, he was a lawyer in the financial services group at Eversheds Sutherland, advising a range of asset management clients on all aspects of their financial services work and regulated activities.
