Mishcon de Reya—Aarti Thakor

Mishcon de Reya has appointed Aarti Thakor as a partner in its charities and social ventures team, effective from June 2024. 

Aarti, who most recently worked as director of legal and accountancy services at the Charity Commission for England and Wales, is based in the firm’s London office.

Aarti specialises in multi-stakeholder projects, major and high-risk investigations, complex operational implementation across countries, governance, incident response, and general compliance or reviews, as well as technical consulting on financial crime and terrorist financing risks.

Her expertise extends internationally to advising governments, regulators and other global institutions on developing and improving legislation, regulatory systems and policies for NGOs and civil society. She also has extensive experience in capacity building at local and national levels. 

With more than 20 years’ experience, Aarti’s background as a civil law barrister and accredited mediator, coupled with her role as a senior leader and chief lawyer at the Charity Commission, means she has played a pivotal role in reviewing and influencing laws, policies and operational implementation across multiple countries, engaging at the highest government levels.

Before her tenure at the Charity Commission, Aarti’s career included working for the United Nations in Rwanda and at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, as well as practising as a barrister in chambers on civil and criminal matters.  

Aarti said: ‘I am thrilled to be joining Mishcon de Reya’s charities and social ventures team. The firm’s commitment to delivering positive environmental and social impact resonates deeply with my own professional ethos, as does its international outlook and ambition to address global challenges. I look forward to contributing my expertise to our clients’ meaningful work in shaping a vibrant, healthy civil society and driving public benefit on a global scale.’

Chris Willis Pickup, a partner who heads up the charities and social ventures team, said: ‘We are thrilled to welcome Aarti to the team. She is widely known and highly respected across the charity sector in the UK and beyond, and will be an invaluable asset to our clients.’