Past Tides

Registration, breakfast and networking in the lounge

Welcome remarks & opening poll

• Paul Marmor — Co-Chair, IBA Law Firm Management Committee

Panel 1: Navigating Change — Leading BD Teams Through Transformation

How to manage BD teams and coach lawyers through mergers, rebranding, technological shifts and political uncertainty by showcasing adaptive leadership, building trust and engagement, and supporting teams' adaptability and continuous improvement.

• Michael Michaelides — Global Chief Marketing Officer, A&O Shearman, UK
• Riikka Rannikko — Partner, Hannes Snellman, Finland
• Rafael Villamar — Co-Managing Partner, Garrigues, Mexico

Moderated by Hugo Peña Zorrilla — former Director of Business Development, Gonzalez Calvillo, Mexico

Workshop: Pushing Boundaries & Seizing Opportunities

Facilitated breakout groups will draw on the information completed in the pre-work task and discuss how BD leaders and teams can challenge the status quo and how to navigate discomfort and drive change.

• Barbara Koenen-Geerdink — Co-Founder, BOOST BDM, UAE
• Jeanne-Sophie Niard — Co-Founder, BOOST BDM, UAE
• Charlotte Ford — Head of International Relationships, Charles Russell Speechlys, UK
• Eric Rugundu — Client Relationship Manager, Group Members, IBA, UK

Coffee break in the lounge

Panel 2: Hiring, Training and Retaining AQ

This panel session will consider what skills you should hire for, what skills you can develop, and how to keep a high AQ team engaged and retained.

• Nicky Acuna Ocana — Regional Managing Director US, UK, Europe, Ambition, UK
• Ivan Ivanovitch — Director, Calibrate, Canada
• Michelle Murray — Business Development Director, Transactional, Skadden, USA

Moderated by Elisabeth Peneder — Head of Operations, PHH Rechtsanwältinnen, Austria

The Tide Turns?

What does disruption in the legal industry mean for traditional law firms?

• Heather Suttie — Legal Market Strategy & Management Consultant, Suttie, Canada

Networking lunch in the lounge

Engage with our wellbeing activations found outside the lounge and take a break any time throughout the conference in our wellness room.

The Fishbowl

This interactive session explores topics on the minds of senior BD professionals in the rapidly-changing global landscape. Be ready to participate in polls and to jump in and out of the fishbowl discussion — we have a lot to learn from each other! Part problem-sharing, part problem-solving, part therapy!

Moderated by Rachel Kennedy — Director of Business Development, Kinstellar, UK

Fireside Chat: AQ Under Pressure

We have witnessed a series of crises in the past 12 months in corporates and indeed in law firms. In the past, managing crises involved managing the media and usually the paper of record in your jurisdiction. Things have changed completely, and it often falls to the BD & Marketing teams to manage the fallout. This discussion will cover the new landscape, when does an issue become a crisis, should you have a plan and who is (or should be) responsible for what?

• Melissa Davis — Managing Director, MD Communications, UK

Moderated by Rachel Hussey — Clients and Markets Partner, Arthur Cox, Ireland

Coffee break in the lounge

Panel 4: Adaptability as a Competitive Advantage — How General Counsel expect law firms to adapt in a rapidly changing world

• Gabriel Costa — Associate General Counsel Global Litigation, Shell, Brazil
• Michael Kelly — Chief Legal & Sustainability Officer, OMERS, Canada
• Tamara Paquet — General Counsel, Terra One, Germany
• Xanthe Ranger — Associate General Counsel, American Securities, US

Moderated by Daniela Amaral — Director Strategy & Business Development, PLMJ, Portugal

Preparing for IBA 2026 — Copenhagen

• Will Spencer — Head of Strategy & Business Development, Gorrissen Federspiel, Denmark

Closing remarks

• Katherine Hutchinson — Director, International BD & Client Engagement, Bennett Jones, Canada

Cocktail reception

The Walrus, 187 Bay Street (3 minute walk).

Event concludes