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Executive team at The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
Vicky Fox
Chief Executive
Vicky was appointed as Chief Executive of The Supreme Court and the JCPC in September 2020.
The role of Chief Executive involves responsibility for all the non-judicial functions of the Court and overseeing the administration of a team of approximately 60 UKSC staff and contractors supporting the work of the twelve Justices. The Chief Executive is also the Accounting Officer for the organisation. As part of her stewardship of a world-leading institution, Vicky is committed to ensuring that the Court is a true reflection of the society it serves, where everyone can thrive regardless of their background. Vicky was previously the Director of Regulation and Insight at the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. She was called to the Bar in 1995 and has 15 years' experience as a Government Lawyer, including work at the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health. She was Head of Guidance, Party and Election Finance at the Electoral Commission before moving to work at the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority as Director of MP Support Services and then in 2018 as Director of Regulation and Insight.
Sam Clark
Director of Corporate Services and Change
Sam became Director of Corporate Services of The Supreme Court and the JCPC in January 2019.
Sam was previously Deputy Director of Governance and Assurance for HM Courts and Tribunals Service where she led the creation of a joined up, transparent and consistent governance and assurance function supporting delivery of the work of the courts, tribunals and offices, as well as enhancing the strategic assurance for the Agency as a whole. Prior to that Sam was Board Secretary and Head of the Chief Executive's Office, again within HM Courts and Tribunals Service (2013 - 2016). Over her career, Sam has held a variety of roles, most of them within justice administration with a focus on courts and supporting operational delivery. These include Head of Security and Safety for HM Courts Service and then HM Courts and Tribunals Service; Deputy Departmental Security Officer for the then Department for Constitutional Affairs, now the Ministry of Justice and a variety of roles working with and supporting the work of magistrates' courts.
Laura Angus
Registrar
Laura was appointed Registrar of The UK Supreme Court and The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) in September 2022. She job-shares the role of Registrar with Celia Cave.
Laura's overall responsibilities are exercising the judicial and administrative functions under the Rules and Practice Directions for the UK Supreme Court (UKSC) and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC). She is also responsible for the active management of all internal processes relating to appeals, costs and judgments for the UKSC and JCPC. Laura trained as a solicitor at Allen & Overy LLP, in the London and Paris offices. She qualified as an associate in the Corporate Department and left in 2009 to join the Civil Appeals Office where Laura was a case lawyer, working on a range of applications and appeals. She developed expertise in managing permission to appeal applications, grouping appeals and spotting trends in litigation. She advised her supervising Lord and Lady Justices in all aspects of active case management and listing. From 2017 she was the Court of Appeal's Jurisdiction Lawyer, using powers delegated to her by the Master of the Rolls to give directions on matters of jurisdiction. During this time, she also acted as an Anti-Bullying and Harassment Advisor. In early 2022 she undertook an initial secondment to the Registry of the Supreme Court as Deputy Interim Registrar before successfully applying to be the permanent Registrar initially on a full time basis and then as part of a job share.
Celia Cave
Registrar
Celia was appointed to The UK Supreme Court and The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) in April 2023. She job-shares the role of Registrar with Laura Angus.
Celia's overall responsibilities are exercising the judicial and administrative functions under the Rules and Practice Directions for the UK Supreme Court (UKSC) and The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC). She is also responsible for the active management of all internal processes relating to appeals, costs and judgments for the UKSC and JCPC. Celia trained as a solicitor in Cambridge and moved to the London firm Goodman Ray LLP upon qualification, where she practised family law for 7 years and became an accredited Children Panel specialist. She subsequently worked as a solicitor advocate for a joint Local Authority Children's Services legal team before joining the Civil Appeals Office in 2015 as a case lawyer. At the Court of Appeal Celia worked closely with supervising Lord and Lady Justices to manage permission to appeal applications and appeals, with a particular focus on family law and immigration. In 2018 Celia became a Senior Legal Manager in the Administrative Court, responsible for supervising a team of lawyers who assist High Court Judges to case manage Judicial Review applications, exercise powers delegated by the President of the King's Bench Division and monitor trends in litigation. Celia was appointed Registrar of the Supreme Court in April 2023 on a job share basis.
Paul Strang
Director of Finance
Paul was appointed to the Court in October 2024.
Paul is a qualified accountant and responsible for finance and governance of the organisation with responsibility to produce the Annual Report and Accounts while maintaining a clear picture of the overall strategic financial picture. Paul joined the Civil Service in 2021, working in the Department for Transport on train operating company business planning and as Assistant Director Strategic Finance for the Maritime and Coastguard agency. Prior to that, he held various financial and strategic planning roles for Ford of Europe and Transport for London.
John McManus
Head of External Affairs and Communications
John was appointed to the court in March 2024.
John is responsible for promoting public understanding of the UK Supreme Court and its decisions, leading the communications function, and managing all education, outreach and public engagement programmes. John leads the Communications team that includes our front of house staff who welcome visitors to the Court. John joined the Court following a spell working in corporate communications. Prior to that he spent 20 years as a journalist at the BBC.
Chris Maile FCIPD
Head of Human Resources
Chris was appointed to the Court in August 2011.
Chris is responsible for the Court's People Strategy supporting every aspect of human resources and people matters. He leads a small team supporting all HR functions for staff and the Justices, covering support for recruitment across the organisation to pay and pensions, policy development, advice and guidance, diversity, inclusion and belonging, staff engagement and staff reward and benefits. Chris started his working life as a Barrister's Clerk in the Temple before moving into Human Resources and obtaining his CIPD qualification. He has worked predominantly in the education and legal sectors. He was made a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD in 2022.
Rebecca Fry
Head Judicial Assistant
Rebecca was appointed to the Court in January 2020.
Rebecca is responsible for leading and managing the team of Judicial Assistants who assist the Justices with their judicial and extra-judicial work. She is also the Judicial Assistant to Lord Reed. Rebecca studied law at Oxford and Toronto, and is qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales. She began her career at Farrer & Co LLP, where she specialised in advising charities and non-profit organisations. In 2013, she was seconded to the Law Commission where she advised on the law reform project which led to the Charities Act 2022. Before coming to the Court, Rebecca was Head of Legal Policy at the Charity Commission for England and Wales, where she led the team responsible for providing legal advice on key operational projects, new legislation and policy proposals and new and revised guidance for charities.
Pejman Ghasemzadeh
Head of IT and Digital Services
Pejman was appointed to the Court in April 2023.
Pejman is responsible for overseeing the operation, management and strategic direction of all IT-related activities within the Court, including IT budget, governance, procurement, infrastructure, applications, data, business systems, cyber security and risk. Pejman is a professional IT and cyber security specialist with over 20 years extensive leadership experience in different industries such as banking, housing, software, higher education and telecommunications. He joined the Supreme Court from a bank in the City, where he served as the Head of IT and led the bank's digital transformation. Pejman is a certified CISO and holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering and master's degree in Information System Management.
Ben Yallop
Assistant Director of Corporate Services
Ben was seconded to the Court from the Judicial Office in March 2024.
Ben has joined for a fixed term to support the Director of Corporate Services while the Change Programme is ongoing. He has responsibility for all the Corporate Services Teams (ICT, Buildings and Health & Safety, Human Resources, Communications and Library Services). Ben joined the civil service in 2003 and spent five years at the Crown Court before moving to the Royal Courts of Justice (RCJ) in 2008. Over the course of 16 years at the RCJ Ben held many senior advisory and Private Secretary roles, supporting many of the leading judges of the day. From 2016 to 2019 Ben was Head of International for the judiciary. He was Principal Private Secretary to the Lord, and then Lady, Chief Justice from January 2020 to March 2024, dealing with the highest profile and most sensitive issues facing the judiciary.