Executive Office team
The Executive Office ensures that the Bar Council runs in accordance with its remit and regulations and supports the Chair and Officers to carry out their duties. The team's role includes ensuring that appointments to committees and external organisations are fair, transparent and based on merit, administrating committee meetings, listings and actions, preparing induction packs for committee members, and arranging inductions for Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs.
Key contacts
Malcolm Cree CBE, Chief Executive Officer
Malcolm retired from the Royal Navy in 2016, in the rank of Rear Admiral. He served in all types of ship from Minehunters to Aircraft Carriers and commanded a Destroyer, a Task Group in the Gulf and the Navy’s prized Operational Sea Training organisation. He deployed all over the world and served in the Gulf (Tanker War) and Adriatic (Bosnia).
Ashore, he specialised in corporate governance, financial and resource planning, portfolio and programme management and ended his career managing a major transformation programme on behalf of the Navy Board.
On retiring, Malcolm worked for a management consultancy specialising in Decision Analysis, before taking over as Chief Executive of the Bar Council in August 2017.
Malcolm has a Bachelor’s degree in Modern History from Bristol University and a Masters in International Relations and Security from King’s College London.
He was made a CBE in the 2016 New Year’s Honours list.
Piran Dhillon-Starkings, Adviser to the Chair of the Bar
Piran has a background in politics and public affairs and joined the Bar Council as Adviser to the Chair in September 2019. Her work includes providing strategic advice and counsel to the Chair of the Bar and leading on the Bar Council’s activity in Parliament and Whitehall.
Prior to this, she led the public affairs department at the Association of Colleges and focused on government and parliamentary relations and campaigns. Previous roles include working for an MP, MEP and political party. She is a primary school governor, Queen’s Anniversary Prize Award Assessor and Advisory Board Member of Get Further, an organisation that helps students to achieve English and maths GCSE. Piran has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and American Literature and is bi-lingual.
Nikita Feifel, Public Affairs Officer
Nikita joined the Bar Council in August 2019 where she worked on leading campaigns in the Communications Team before moving to Public Affairs in November 2020. Her work includes the delivery of the Bar Council’s public affairs activity in Parliament with stakeholders and the profession as well as raising the Bar Council’s profile in Whitehall and Westminster, alongside the Adviser to the Chair.
Prior to joining, she graduated with a Master’s in International Studies and Diplomacy from SOAS, University of London. Nikita has previously worked in communications within the fields of politics and non-profit, which have strengthened her interest towards policy, advocacy and public affairs. Nikita is multilingual and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Advertising.
Jamie Shaw, Head of Strategy, Planning and Governance
Jamie joined the Bar Council in 2022 and has a background in corporate and academic governance.
Jamie manages the executive office and oversees arrangements, policy and procedures for effective governance in adherence with the Bar Council’s constitution. Jamie leads the development and implementation of the Bar Council’s strategic business planning process and manages the Bar Council’s systems of internal control, including risk management and regulatory independence.
Previous roles include Head of Governance and Executive Support and Governance Manager at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and a number of professional services roles in areas such as Quality Assurance, Academic Standards and Registry services at the University of Westminster.
Jamie is passionate about social justice, equity and inclusion and human rights. He maintains a keen interest in the arts, having completed a degree in Fine Art in 2015.
Yvonne Treacy, Executive Officer
Yvonne joined the Bar Council in 2021 and is the Executive Officer and PA for the Chair of the Bar and CEO.