Hakluyt & Company

Thanks to CapitaLand Investment for inviting Vijay Venkat Raghavan N, who leads our business in India, to contribute his expertise to this excellent webinar on the country's investment outlook.

Congratulations to Mariah Sixkiller in our West Coast team for the important contribution she has made to the independent Commission on the US National Defense Strategy.

As our business in Europe continues to grow, we are looking for an exceptional individual to join us as a Director in Paris. This is an exciting opportunity for a growth-oriented professional with an entrepreneurial mindset to advise top commercial decision-makers in France on business strategy. We are interested in candidates who have experience of working closely with C-suite executives at CAC 40 companies, and their own strong network of senior contacts. Please visit our website to find out more: https://lnkd.in/g4PkXk5b

We are delighted to announce the election of Thomas Ellis as our new managing partner. Tom has had a tremendous impact since joining us in 2016, including as our chief operating officer for the past two years, and we are excited to continue growing our business through exceptional client service under his leadership.   Congratulations, Tom!

Warmest congratulations to our managing partner Varun Chandra on his appointment as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s special adviser on business and investment. We are immensely grateful to Varun for all he has achieved over his decade-long tenure at the firm, particularly as our managing partner for the last five years. Holly Morrow (Evans), our deputy managing partner, will now take over on an interim basis while we elect Varun’s successor to lead us into the next chapter, as we approach our 30th anniversary next year.

We are delighted to announce that Oliver Robbins has been elected to the partnership of our firm. Olly has led our coverage of corporate clients across EMEA since joining us in 2023. Congratulations, Olly!

We were very pleased to see one of our London colleagues, Niva Thiruchelvam, take part in a panel at the recent CSaP - Centre for Science and Policy, University of Cambridge Annual Conference at The Royal Society in London. The panel discussed the impact of green investment on growth, and how governments can best support the transition to net zero. Energy policy and regulation will help define the coming decades, and it is essential for businesses in every part of the economy to prepare themselves to navigate this. Advice on these issues from experts like Niva and other members of our team is increasingly important to many of the companies and leaders we work with.

We are very proud to announce that Emily Benn a colleague in our London office, has been appointed chair of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. This is an outstanding achievement, which reflects Emily’s long commitment to education in the performing arts. The Guildhall School of Music & Drama is one of the very best music and performing arts institutions in the world, and is a leader in providing lifelong learning opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds. We know that Emily, who is an accomplished musician as well as a brilliant adviser to our clients, will excel in this role.

Our investment arm, Hakluyt Capital, has today announced that it has reached the final close of its first fund, and established a new advisory board to steer its work investing in high-growth start-ups. This is also an exciting milestone for Hakluyt, as we continue to innovate and expand our global network.

Clients and other friends of the firm joined us in London yesterday to celebrate the publication of Sir Robin Niblett’s new book, The New Cold War: How the Contest Between the US and China Will Shape Our Century. Robin took us through the key themes of his book, including how businesses can prepare to navigate the complex US-China relationship over the coming years. Robin is a senior adviser at Hakluyt, and helps support our clients around the world. He was also recently a guest on our podcast, Principal Navigations, on which he spoke about some of the people who have influenced his career in international affairs. You can listen at the link below.