Maria Witchell was formerly a British army officer who served as an operative in the British Special Forces conducting covert military operations. She then worked for the British government and then became the first professional female kidnap ransom negotiator in the world operating worldwide. She re-trained as a lawyer and joined an International Investment bank in 2008 becoming Head of Strategic Equity, Prime Solutions and Financing, Legal.  Maria moved to Hong Kong in 2018 as Head of Strategic Equity, APAC Legal.

In her spare time Maria is a trustee/board member of the UK charities ‘LAW-G’ (Maria is the co-founder), the mission of which is to re-train Afghan judges & prosecutors who had to flee the Taliban during the fall of Kabul in 2021 as English law legal professionals, she is also trustee/board member of the British Armed Forces Snowsports-Para Team and was a trustee, board secretary & Chair of another UK military veterans charity for 9 years until 2025.

She is also a part-time polar explorer and has completed 8 polar expeditions including to the North (2018) and South (2020) poles and was part of the first team ever to traverse the Antarctic peninsula in 2019.