Lady Barbara Judge CBE

Lady Barbara Judge is an award-winning businesswoman and lawyer with extensive experience in the commercial law, banking and finance industries. She holds both American and British citizenship and has received international recognition for her initiatives supporting women in business. She has actively supported the growth of numerous digital startups as well as non-profit organizations and has received several awards for her contributions to the finance and nuclear industries.

Lady Barbara Judge is a trained lawyer who has received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor with honors from New York University Law School. She is experienced in both the private and commercial law sectors, having worked as a partner in a major US law firm which specialized in corporate and financial transactions. Alongside her activities in commercial law, she helped introduce significant reforms to the financial sector as the youngest-ever Commissioner of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). During her time at the SEC, she opened up the US markets to international investors and successfully facilitated US investment in foreign securities. In 1983, she relocated to Hong Kong and became the first female Board Executive Director of the prestigious Samuel Montagu & Co bank.

As a successful businesswoman, Lady Barbara Judge has worked on a number of different initiatives designed to provide more opportunities for women in business. She is a member of the Advisory Board of AccelerateHer, an organization which aims to create a more favorable business landscape for women. She often accepts requests to speak at events promoting the empowerment of women, especially in the finance and banking sectors. She was the inaugural speaker for the WiN conference organized by Barclays Bank, where she held the position of senior advisor for many years and focused on helping women in the organization achieve their career goals. Her academic commitments also reflect her passion for female empowerment. She was the Inaugural Chairman of Cass Business School for its Global Women’s Leadership Program. Additionally, in her role as a Trustee of the Lauder Institute at the Wharton School of Business, she often gives guest speeches and has established a scholarship for female business students.

Passionate about digital innovation, she is the chair of several digital startups, such as The Cambridge Code which developed a pioneering online diagnostic tool capable of identifying characteristics which are undetectable by conventional test methods. In 2017, Business Insider included her in its list of “the 100 coolest people in UK tech”. Other businesses she supports are digital platforms LoopUp and SmartUp, as well as the non-profit organization SNOMED International. She is a former director of the National Osteoporosis Society.

Lady Barbara Judge has made significant contributions to the financial services and nuclear sector. She completed two terms as Chairman of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. In recognition of her leadership in those sectors, she was awarded Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honors in 2010. In June 2016, she completed two terms as Chairman of the UK Pension Protection Fund, a role for which she received the Times Non-Executive Director Award. In addition, she has featured in BBC Radio Four’s Woman’s Hour Power list and is considered one of Britain’s top 100 most powerful women.