Katie is a Principal Associate in the Financial Services team in our London office.
She advises clients on a wide range of regulatory and compliance issues relating to authorised funds under the FCA rules. Her experience includes advising clients on how to comply with AIFMD, UCITS, MiFID and the outcomes of FCA regulatory initiatives, including the Asset Management Market Study. Katie also advises on the structuring and authorisation of new funds (including ACS and PAIF structures) and all aspects of the life cycle of a fund, including variations to existing fund specifications, mergers, re-constructions, changes to service providers and fund terminations. She also has experience of corporate transactions in the financial services sector.
In recent years Katie has developed a focus on authorised funds investing in more unusual and illiquid asset classes (including real estate). She is a member of the Investment Association’s Long Term Asset Fund (LTAF) working group and was named as one of the “Rising Stars of Legal Services” by Financial News in 2023. Her recent experience includes leading the Eversheds Sutherland team on the first LTAF to launch fully seeded (with a portfolio of £1.5 billion in directly and indirectly held property assets). The deal led to the team being shortlisted at the British Legal Awards for Competition/Regulatory Team of the Year.
Katie has been on secondment to a global asset manager. There she assisted with their application to the FCA for authorisation under AIFMD and a subsequent business reorganisation in order to comply with the requirements of the Directive.
Outside of the office, she enjoys travel, fitness classes, going to the theatre and spending time with her family.
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- leading the Eversheds Sutherland team on the launch of the first LTAF to launch fully seeded (with a portfolio of £1.5 billion in directly and indirectly held property assets). Katie acted on all aspects of fund design and structuring, seeding of the portfolio, drafting of fund documents and worked with the FCA to achieve expediated regulatory approval. The deal led to the team being shortlisted at the British Legal Awards 2023 for Competition/Regulatory Team of the Year;
- Acting for a large fund manager on the launch of their ACS. This included negotiation of the investment management and depositary agreements. Several sub-funds were seeded by in-specie transfers and we also designed the transfer process to ensure tax efficiencies. The Scheme now has twenty sub-funds and over a £1 billion in assets under management;
- Acting for the operator on the establishment of ACSs for two LGPS funds, both umbrella QIS funds pooling pension fund investment, including assisting with fund structuring and FCA approval. Katie has continued to advise on the subsequent sub-fund launches;
- Launch of a property fund ACS for a Midlands based LGPS scheme, which embeds responsible investing principles;
- Acting on the first property authorised investment fund to secure a three year “lock in” for investment (i.e. no redemptions in the first three years) with the FCA, which had not previously been achieved for an authorised fund;
- Advising on property fund suspensions as a result of market uncertainty in the wake of COVID 19;
- Acting on the FCA process and approval of numerous new Sustainable and Ethical funds;
- Leading on hundreds of applications to the FCA for new funds and for changes to existing funds.
- Katie regularly presents at public and client conferences and events, including, in recent years, on the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic in the context of authorised funds issues (via a series of webinars), ESG and Sustainability, real estate as an asset class and the LTAF regime.
- One of the “Rising Stars of Legal Services 2023” a short list of 25 lawyers selected by Financial News which recognises talented lawyers under the age of 40;
- Recommended in the Legal 500 2025 for both Retail Funds (a tier 1 practice) where her “experience in regulatory and compliance work” is highlighted, and Real Estate Funds;
- Her work on the Aviva LTAF led to the deal being short listed at the British Legal Awards for “Competition/Regulatory Team of the Year” 2023.
- Heavily involved in industry developments and has inputted into numerous government and regulator consultations;
- Member of the Investment Association’s Working Group on LTAF.
- Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment (CISI), Introduction to Securities and Investment (Pass with Merit);
- Trained with Eversheds Sutherland (then Eversheds), qualifying in 2012;
- LLB University of Warwick 2009.