On 11 June 2025, the Institute for Law and Finance hosted the event “Women in Law and Finance: Challenges & Opportunities”. This women-only event not only brought together top female talents in the fields of law and finance but also offered ILF students and alumni the special opportunity to network with other ambitious ILF students and alumni, gain insights into the challenges and successes of women in the legal and financial industries and learn from inspiring female role models. The event kicked off with welcoming remarks and an introduction to the evening’s topic and speakers delivered by Ms. Chiara Sannasardo, Class President of the LL.M. Finance Class of 2025.
We were very honored to have the following panelists at the event:
- Prof. Dr. Chiara Zilioli, Head of the Legal Department at the European Central Bank and ILF lecturer,
- Ms. Maha Al Saadi, Head of Regulatory Affairs at the Qatar Financial Services Authority and ILF Alumna Class of 2013,
- Dr. Qian Ma, Local Partner Tax & Legal Solutions at PwC
- Dr. Claudia Mayfeld, Executive Board Member at Knorr Bremse AG
The panel discussion and Q&A session which was moderated by Ms. Andrea van Almsick, General Counsel at Tradias, provided an opportunity to bring together speakers and participants in a unique atmosphere and safe space to discuss topics such as balancing family and career, navigating a male-dominated professional field and empowering the role of women in general. In addition, the following key topics were also discussed by the panelists:
- Finding strength in being “the only woman in the room”
- Making legal voices central in tech and finance innovation
- Speaking up and building a personal brand across cultures
- Leveraging the foundation of legal education to become a leader and decision-maker
The event concluded with a brief wrap-up of the panel discussion by Ms. Yiran Li, Class Vice-President of the LL.M. International Finance Class of 2025. Afterwards, all participants and speakers were invited to a get-together with snacks and drinks in the Faculty Lounge, where participants and speakers could further deepen the discussions and topics of the evening.
We thank all speakers and participants for their contributions to the event!
