Our Values

Nicole Slayton Hogan
CEO

Nicole is a “California Girl”, a dual U.S./U.K. citizen and is fluent in French and Spanish. Nicole moved to London in 2013 to be closer to family and because London is one of the great cities of the world. Prior to that, Nicole received her undergraduate degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and worked in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, and with Jack Valenti at the Motion Picture Association. Nicole received her law degree from Loyola Marymount University in 2001, became licensed by the California State Bar Association, and continued her career at Warner Brothers Studios, Carsey-Werner Entertainment and 21st Century Fox.

On moving to London, Nicole served as General Counsel and Head of Human Resources for Miroma Ventures, where Nicole had the opportunity to implement original legal and operational structure, processes and international risk management strategies across the group. It was at Miroma that Nicole discovered her passion for helping entrepreneurial companies grow and scale strategically rather than opportunistically. She believes this can be done without sacrificing flexibility.

Nicole is a season ticket holder at Arsenal and extremely competitive in Fantasy Premier League football.

Katherine Birkinshaw
COO

Katherine is the Chief Operating Officer for Motion Paradox where she oversees the daily operation of the business.

A born Londoner, Katherine gained her bachelor of science at University College London, studying History and Philosophy of Science, and went on to study law at BPP Law School. She has a background working in in-house legal teams for SMEs and large multi-national companies in the media and technology sectors. There she gained experience in, and a passion for, the commercial side of business, such as creating value, maximising growth, improving business performance and strategic management. In her previous roles she assisted with the re-positioning of businesses so that they were ready for sale or investment, including creating, implementing and streamlining procedures and strategies to bring value to such companies.

In her spare time she acts as a Trustee and Company Secretary to a local Citizen’s Advice office where she has a role in managing and planning the office’s overall strategic direction, operational performance, and assessing and managing any risk. She also has a passion for sport and is a member of a running club and a long-suffering Crystal Palace fan.

Eamonn Hogan
Chief Compliance Officer

Eamonn worked as a solicitor in private practice for over 20 years and was Department Head of a team at Shoosmiths. Eamonn is still on the Roll of Solicitors but wants to use his experience of dispute resolution away from large legal providers, regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Eamonn has been responsible for managing the cases of thousands of clients down the years. Eamonn has advised clients on a broad range of legal disputes where Eamonn’s clients have included individuals, companies, and large insurance providers. With Motion Paradox, Eamonn is able to be much more nimble than with the larger providers and is able to work more closely with his clients. This is with the intention of analysing our client’s risk areas and allowing them to cut legal costs by avoiding high cost areas such as court proceedings.

Eamonn is a season ticket holder at Arsenal, enjoys travel, and theatre.

Alexander Merrison
Director, Legal and Business Affairs

At Motion Paradox, Alexander advises clients on all aspects of corporate and commercial law. He has considerable domestic and cross-border experience having represented clients from a variety of industries across Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia.
 
After graduating from the University of Exeter with a degree in history and politics, Alexander moved to London to study law. He began his career in private practice, training at Latham & Watkins before qualifying into the corporate department of their London office. There he assisted on a broad range of transactional and general corporate matters, focussing primarily on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and reorganisations. 
 
Prior to joining Motion Paradox, Alexander was General Counsel for an international media investment group. There he oversaw all of the group’s legal affairs and helped guide its corporate strategy and decision-making. His main responsibilities included advising the senior management team on legal risk, drafting and negotiating commercial contracts and developing policies and procedures that set the standards across the business. His experience as an in-house lawyer has given him a good understanding of the challenges businesses face and enables him to approach legal matters from a commercial perspective.
 
An Arsenal fan, Alexander enjoys running, tennis and skiing but spends most of his spare time supporting his son from the touchline at various sporting events.

Thiara de la Morandière
Associate Manager, Legal and Business Affairs

Raised in Paris and Brussels, Thiara is a French-Japanese citizen who thrives in the dynamic and multicultural environment London has to offer. After gaining her LLB in Law and French Law from the University of Westminster, she graduated from Queen Mary University of London with a distinction in her MSc. Law and Finance.

With a curious nature and a can-do attitude, Thiara’s skill set comes from her exposure to various industries in different jurisdictions, where she developed solid competencies in commercial and corporate law. In her previous role, she spearheaded the legal activities of an SME, which shaped her business-oriented mindset and her thorough understanding of our clients’ needs.

At Motion Paradox, Thiara supports our team and clients by delivering commercially-oriented legal advice and by drafting and reviewing a broad range of commercial agreements.

With an interest in learning and research, Thiara is also the author of publications on responsible investing practices. In her spare time, Thiara loves to figure skate, try out new restaurants and scout the city’s best record shops.

Emily Neads
EA and Office Manager

At Motion Paradox, Emily guides and supports the team with administrative duties, project management, and organisational requirements.

Originally raised in Cambridgeshire, Emily pursued her passion for performing arts by gaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and Drama with Aerial Performance from Edge Hill University. After graduating, she spent 6 months in sunny Greece on a performing contract, before deciding to move to London in 2017 to build on her stage career. The change of scene provided many exciting opportunities, but a desire for a more stable and fulfilling career path led to a change in pursuits, and she found this in an office role as a receptionist and administrator at a private clinic. She thrived in the lively, bustling nature of the business, and naturally gravitated towards the position of mentor and trainer for new employees. She then went on to spend over two years in the healthcare industry on Harley Street as Patient Co-ordinator and Office Manager, and gained invaluable experience both managing a small team and dealing with the operational needs of the business.

Outside of work, Emily enjoys attending theatre performances and live music events, traveling to new destinations, and intermittently attends figure skating, exercise, and dance classes.

Crumpet Hogan
Barketing Manager

Crumpet makes friends and influences people everywhere she goes. She spreads cheer and joy to all those she encounters. Her naturally outgoing and playful nature serves her well in developing connections and relationships with both her office peers and with clients. Crumpet enjoys travel, belly rubs, playing with friends in the park, beautiful sunsets, bacon, and her favourite monkey toy.