Jessica Barnes

Jessica Barnes is an Associate Managing Director in the Risk Advisory practice, based in London and the Deputy City Leader of Kroll’s London office.

Jessica is responsible for the law firm relationships across the global Risk Advisory business where she helps clients from the legal sector identify and retain experts and consultants when they are facing rapidly evolving litigation, arbitration and regulatory risk landscapes.

In this role, Jessica works closely with the senior leadership team and internal stakeholders to drive the Risk Advisory Practice’s go-to-market strategy and ultimately consolidate and grow the key relationships within the law channel.

What makes you a Risky Woman?

I have a proven track record in originating and securing large scale engagements that require multidisciplinary expert and consultancy teams. The Risk Advisory portfolio includes expert witness, cybersecurity and data analytics, regulatory compliance, complex investigations, enterprise security risk management, restructuring, complex business services and related GRC technologies.

Name your top 3 achievements

1. Being appointed Deputy City Leader for Kroll’s London Office (and the youngest) – which is now the biggest out of all of our global offices, with a headcount of nearly 1,000.
2. Implementing a successful Go-To-Market Strategy focused on strategic growth for the firm but also supporting the next generation in building their client base, increasing the firms relationship strength across key accounts and ultimately driving revenue for the business – all of which is essential for succession planning and supporting our next generation of future leaders.
3. Cycling from London to Paris with my fabulous colleague and friend, Felicity Wall, and a peloton of international members of the legal community for Paris Arbitration Week, raising money for Save the Children (with very minimal training and prior cycling experience). It was a phenomenal experience which in addition to doing something for a good cause, was a great way to test my grit, determination and mental strength. Arriving at the Eiffel Tower after a grueling three days is a moment I will not forget. A very special experience.

What is the biggest risk you’ve taken in your career?

The biggest career risk I have taken was leaving my previous role as a Barristers Clerk, where I had been for 9 years, where I was performing well and had a clear career trajectory and was a career path I was very familiar with and taking the leap to join Kroll, a global Risk and Financial Advisory firm with over 6,500 employees. This required me to step out of my comfort zone and learn to become comfortable with being uncomfortable, which was a decision that has significantly shaped both my professional trajectory and personal growth. Looking back now that I have been with Kroll for 3 years, although taking that leap felt uncertain and uncomfortable at time, it has been one of the most transformative decisions I have made and I am lucky to have some phenomenal role models across the business and in the industry.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

As someone who is exceptionally client facing within the business (being responsible for building relationships and originating work for the business), people often assume I must be an extrovert. Those that know me well know that is not the case. I like to define myself as an introverted extrovert. In my experience, you don’t have to be the loudest voice in the room to be successful. For me its about building long term trust and I strive to focus on a relationship-first approach, to business development.

What is the best quality for successful leaders in Risk?

Emotional Intelligence – having high EQ, enables leaders to operate effectively in high pressure environments, respond with empathy, composure and clarity and ultimately foster trust. In my view emotional intelligence separates good leaders from great ones, especially in a people driven business where success is dependent upon both your client relationships and your internal team dynamic and culture.