The Selection Panel

Amanda has spent over 30 years in public service and law enforcement. She has worked in a variety of roles in and around law enforcement and intelligence, including as Chief Operating Officer of UK Border Force, responsible for the immigration and customs controls of all UK air and seaports and as a Director General and member of the UK Home Office Board. Throughout her public service career Amanda managed significant staff (7000+), budgets, operational delivery and training.

From 2016 until 2023 Amanda was the Chief Executive of the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman, an organisation that investigates failings across government departments and the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).  She has served as a Board member of ABTA, the UK Travel Association and as a non-executive director of a large mental health and community NHS Trust.

For the past 18 months, Amanda led a technology start-up in the security vetting field. She also advises a UK Technology PLC on strategy, leadership and culture. Amanda is an experienced and active C-suite mentor and coach, focusing on problem-solving, culture change and inclusion.

Nicolina Andall is a distinguished Portfolio Non‑Executive Director and Corporate Commercial General Counsel with a career spanning senior executive roles in the City and global organisations. She serves as a Judicial Appointments Commissioner and was appointed by the Law Society to the King’s Counsel Selection Panel in 2025.  Until recently, she held the office of Deputy Chair of the London Recruitment Advisory Committee (Lord Chancellor’s Department) serving under the Lord Lieutenant of London, overseeing the appointment of Magistrates.

Nicolina is a remunerated Senior Independent Panel Member, making Ministerial recommendations for Chairs, Non‑Executive Directors and Senior Independent Directors, and has sat on selection panels for Ofcom, the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Transport and the Parole Board. She also contributes to regulatory oversight as a member of the Auditor Registration Committee for the ICAEW and continues to practise as Fractional General Counsel for a range of organisations.

A recognised advocate for diversity in leadership, Nicolina founded “Inspiring Diverse Leaders” in 2022, which merged with EPOC in 2024, where she is Director of NEDucation. Her expertise is reflected in her role as an expert speaker on the Financial Times Non‑Executive Director postgraduate diploma course and her inclusion in the Cranfield 100 Women to Watch 2020. In 2024, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Law for her impactful work in law and diversity.

Paul Grant has been a Director of an Independent Fostering Agency since 2012. He has previously worked as an Independent workplace investigator, investigating matters relating to staff grievances and disciplinary issues. He was a non-executive director between 2007-2023 with a variety of public and third sector organisations, including; a Probation Trust, two housing associations, a regeneration company, and a social enterprise health provider and Cafcass (Children and Families Court Advisory Support Service).

Paul sits as a Lay Chair/Lay Panel member on Fitness to practise/Professional Conduct panels for a number of professional regulatory bodies including: Farriers Registration Council; General Osteopathic Council; Bar Standards Board; Social Work England; Nursing & Midwifery Council; British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy; the Registration Council for Clinical Physiology; Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy; and the Taxation Disciplinary Board. Paul also sits on the Test of Competence Assurance Advisory group for the Nursing and Midwifery Council. He is the Independent Panel member (for Council appointments) for the General Chiropractic Council. He has a Masters degree in Training & Human Resource Management.

Diana Luchford CB has had an extensive career as a senior public servant, most recently as Chief Executive Officer of the London Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) which oversees the Metropolitan Police and delivers services across London to tackle crime and support victims. Previously she was a senior civil servant at the Home Office and has worked for many years within and alongside the Criminal Justice System including in HM Prison Service and at the Ministry of Justice. She has participated in  many senior appointment selection panels and has a proven track record in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, particularly at MOPAC and in a previous role as Senior Director of the Windrush Reform Programme at the Home Office.

John Montague qualified as a solicitor in 1995. He has worked in criminal law for almost 30 years. For the past 20 years he has worked for the Crown Prosecution Service. He is a higher court advocate and has held senior leadership positions with the Crown Prosecution Service.

John played a significant part in the CPS Advocate Panel across the Western Circuit and has delivered workshops to barristers nationally.

John is currently the Unit Head of a Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit and Area lead for supporting Victim and Witnesses.

Sir Martin Moore-Bick was called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in November 1969 and took Silk in 1986. He practised at the commercial bar between 1970 and 1995 when he was appointed to the High Court bench. He sat as a judge of the Commercial and Admiralty Courts until April 2005 when he was appointed to the Court of Appeal, sitting in both the Civil and Criminal Divisions. He was Chairman of the Legal Services Consultative Panel between 2005 and 2009. He served as Deputy Head of Civil Justice from 2007 to 2012 and in that capacity was day-to-day chairman of the Civil Procedure Rule Committee. He was Vice-President of the Court of Appeal, Civil Division from 2013 until his retirement in December 2016. Between June 2017 and February 2025, he acted as Chairman of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

Dame Anne Rafferty retired from the Court of Appeal in July 2020. At the criminal Bar she took Silk in 1990 (the only woman) and was from 1989-1997 Secretary, Vice Chairman, then Chairman of the Criminal Bar Association. She was the only barrister member of the Runciman Commission on criminal justice, de facto Chairman of the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission and Chairman of the Judicial College.  She was Chancellor of the University of Sheffield 2015 -2025. She chairs the State Honours committee and is a Standards Commissioner in the House of Lords.

Jane Russell KC was called to Bar in 2004 and took silk in 2025. She was previously a solicitor. She is a barrister in full-time practice at Essex Court Chambers in London. Jane is a specialist employment practitioner, acting for Claimants and Defendants, focusing on both statutory and commercial employment law. She was appointed to the Attorney General’s “A” Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown between 2020 – 2025.

Sultana Tafadar KC has an extensive, high profile practice across counter terrorism and national security, criminal justice, human rights, public law and public international law.

She advises and acts for individuals, States, NGOs, multinational corporations and other national and international bodies, appearing in courts at all levels. She holds a number of national and international human rights-related appointments, including Chair of the Bar Standards Board Taskforce on Religion & Belief; and the Advisory Board of Influencing Corridors of Power (ICOP), SOAS, University of London, She is a Council Member for JUSTICE; Member of Legal Expert Advisory Panel for Fair Trials International (LEAP); Special Advisor on Human Rights for the Oxford Initiative for Global Ethics and Human Rights; Member of the Detention Experience Community of Avocat Sans Frontieres (ASF); the Roster for Criminal Justice Sector Experts dealing with Counter-Terrorism, Organisation for Security & Cooperation in Europe. (OSCE) and Founder of Girls Human Rights Hub.

She previously worked at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International (AI) in the Africa Program; the Middle East Program; and the International Justice Project of the International Law Program.