Bryden advises on cross-border M&A transactions for clients in the UK, Europe and the US. She works with private equity sponsors and management teams across a broad range of sectors on acquisitions, exits and management incentivisation arrangements. She is a senior associate in Reed Smith’s Global Corporate Group.

Penwill is a mid-level associate Reed Smith’s Financial Industry Group, advising a range of clients on fund finance, leveraged finance, structured finance and real estate finance. She has a broad range of experience, having acted in lender, sponsor and borrower roles, Helen is recognised for her technical skills, drafting expertise and good commercial judgement.

Beyond her official duties, Bryden provides mentoring and training sessions to younger lawyers to develop their careers and leadership skills. Before joining Reed Smith, Penwill won a rotary scholarship to the National University of Singapore, where she obtained an LLM. That scholarship is granted only to candidates who are committed to measurable, sustainable change.

The Rising Star Awards highlight the need for more representation of women across industries. More than 1,300 individuals were nominated, and the judges narrowed those down to a shortlist, which we reported on earlier this month.

The full list of winners can be found on the WeAreTheCity website. The awards ceremony will be held on 17 July in London.

In 2022, Kelly Knight was named in the WeAreTheCity Rising Stars list, winning the Law category, which is known as the Lynne Freeman Award.