Directors

Sophia Rolle-Kapousouzoglou

Sophia is a partner in Lennox Paton’s commercial litigation department. She appears regularly as lead counsel before the Bahamian Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.

Sophia continues to receive growing recognition for her reputation in the field of insolvency litigation. Chambers Global comment ‘Sophia continues to enhance her already impressive disputes reputation. Sources describe her as “excellent,” “practical,” and “meticulous.” She is well versed in handling disputes relating to securities fraud, asset tracing and insolvency’. She impresses sources with her industrious approach to the work she takes on, with The Legal 500 Caribbean noting “Sophia Rolle-Kapousouzoglou does an excellent job; she is highly recommended for being extremely professional, efficient and experienced. Working with Sophia is like working with some of the top firms in London.”

Sophia represents clients in multi-jurisdictional matters and has acted in several prominent cross- border insolvency cases. She is also experienced in shareholder and company disputes and trust litigation. Her overall practice areas include advising clients with respect to contractual disputes, property disputes, fraud and asset tracing, Norwich Pharmacal applications, applications for injunctions and other interlocutory relief.

Sophia has been involved in some of The Bahamas most notable insolvency cases including acting on behalf of the secured creditors China Exim Bank and the Court Appointed Receivers in the Provisional Liquidation and Receivership of Baha Mar which involved the Chapter 11 proceedings commenced re. Northshore Mainland China Exim Bank. Re. AWH Fund and ZCM Asset Holding Company Bermuda which involved appearing as Junior Counsel in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Acting on behalf of the Foreign Representatives of Caledonian Bank which clarified the law as it relates to statutory recognition of foreign court appointed officeholders and ancillary liquidation proceedings. Sophia is currently lead Counsel in The Bahamas to the Joint Provisional Liquidators of FTX Digital Markets Ltd.

Sophia has been recognised by Chambers Global 2023, The Legal 500 Caribbean 2023, Who’s Who Legal: Asset Recovery 2020, Who’s Who Legal: Litigation 2020, Global Restructuring Review’s ’40 Under 40’ and was featured in GRR’s ‘Women in Restructuring’ list in 2019.

She is regularly called on to speak at various international conferences, including INSOL, ABA, ABI, and the AIJA, and has contributed to numerous publications with respect to Bahamian law.

Sophia is one of the founding directors of RISA Bahamas and Chairperson of the Events Committee.

John Bain

John S. Bain is a Bahamian Accountant and Scholar who has contributed extensively to his community for decades. He is a Partner with HLB Bahamas, Advisory & Chartered Accountants. He joined RISA shortly after its inception.

John specializes in forensic accounting, insolvencies, and bankruptcy. A founding past Vice President of The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners - Bahamas Chapter, and former International Assembly member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) representing the Americas, Dr. Bain is a Diplomate of the American Boards of Forensic Examiners, a Fellow of the ACCA, a Fellow of the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of The Bahamas.

He has trained many accountants, with whom he still consults. He won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ACCA for the Americas and an Alumni of the Year from the University of The Bahamas. He is deeply interested in the African diaspora and tracing his Bahamian roots. He graduated from the College of The Bahamas (now University), the prestigious Manchester Business School, and the University of Wales in the UK before earning his doctoral degree in Computers and Information Security from Northcentral University in the USA.

He was the first Bahamian accountant to complete the INSOL Global Insolvency Practice Course, INSOL International's pre-eminent advanced educational qualification focusing on international insolvency, and is an INSOL Fellow.

Mcquel Basden  

Mcquel Basden became a Certified Public Accountant under the New Hampshire State Board of Accountancy in December 2016 and obtained her Certified Fraud Examiner (“CFE”) designation in December 2017.

Mcquel has 11 years of experience in public accounting with approximately 3 years of experience in the Assurance practice and 8 years of experience in the Advisory practice.

Mcquel started her career at KPMG Bahamas as a staff in the assurance space in 2012 and continued to advance within this space for approximately 3 years whilst voluntarily collaborating with the Restructuring, Advisory space for additional exposure. Mcquel’s experience in assurance generally comprised of providing external audits within the insurance and wealth & asset management sectors.

In 2015 KPMG presented Mcquel with an opportunity to transition to the Restructuring, Advisory practice and since then has pivoted her career and continues to advance her technical knowledge and expertise in this space. After approximately 2 years, Mcquel departed from KPMG as an Assistant Manager 2017.

In December 2017, Mcquel joined EY Bahamas Ltd. and served as a Manager in the Strategy and Transactions practice where she provided quality advisory services and collaborated with The Bahamas, British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands teams.

Collectively, whilst working at KPMG Bahamas and subsequently, EY Bahamas Ltd., Mcquel has gained valuable experience by overseeing a plethora of engagements related to court supervised liquidations, voluntary liquidations, receiverships, judicial management, forensic reviews, and AML remediation testing. Mcquel is currently serving as Experienced Manager at PwC Bahamas.

Mcquel became a member of RISA Bahamas on 6 March 2018 and has served on the membership committee from 2018 to 2021 and collaborated with the directors, membership committee members, RISA Bahamas members, and INSOL. During this period, Mcquel has also generously provided general assistance to the directors as needed.

Lanadia L. Davis-Pratt

Lanadia Davis-Pratt is an experienced Manager with over 11 years in public accounting and financial advisory at Deloitte Bahamas. She has a strong background in receiverships, liquidations, debt collection, payroll secondments, forensic investigations, KYC reviews, due diligence, and compliance with relevant legislations. Lanadia's earlier role in Deloitte involved engagements in diverse industries such as banking, insurance, utilities, and retail within the Audit and Assurance Department.

She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of The Bahamas (formerly College of The Bahamas). Lanadia's career journey includes her background in banking, small business, corporate, and wealth management. Committed to continuous growth in her field, she has obtained certifications and is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). Currently, she is working towards achieving the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) designation. Lanadia is passionate about community service, demonstrated through her role as Chair of Deloitte’s Impact Committee and leadership in the Virtual Reading Program. Additionally, she serves in various capacities at her church, including the role of Treasurer.

In her recent Financial Advisory roles, Lanadia excelled in supporting a private financial institution's HR department, managing due diligence and KYC reviews for a governmental program, and acting as an Agent for the Receiver-Managers of Baha Mar, a significant $3.2 billion development. She was a key player in operations for Bahamas Resolve, a Bahamas Government SPV addressing non-performing loans. Lanadia also led in winding up proceedings for insolvent companies, showcasing her expertise in due diligence, KYC reviews, financial preparation, and stakeholder management.

Lanadia holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of The Bahamas. She is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) and the Bahamas Chapter, ACFE. Lanadia is also a member of the Restructuring and Insolvency Specialists Association (Bahamas) (RISA Bahamas) and the International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency & Bankruptcy Professionals (INSOL).

Lanadia has served RISA Bahamas by volunteering with the Events Committee.

Cheryl Simms

Cheryl Simms, Certified Public Accountant (C.P.A.), is a Director at Kikivarakis & Co., a professional services firm specializing in a wide array of crucial domains, including Insolvency, Forensic Investigation, Litigation Support, Asset Recovery, External Audit, Internal Audit, and Real Estate and Support Services.

With an impressive twenty-six (26) years of professional accounting experience, Cheryl has demonstrated her expertise and dedication in various aspects of the financial industry.

Cheryl's professional journey encompasses a rich tapestry of experiences, notably sixteen (16) years in public accounting with Kikivarakis & Co. and Deloitte. During this tenure, she honed her skills with a particular focus on internal and external audits, as well as invaluable experiences in forensic investigations, insolvency, and receiverships. In addition to her public accounting career, Cheryl has also contributed her expertise during a four (4)-year stint in government tertiary education and three years in offshore banking.

Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is a proud member of esteemed organizations such as the American Institute of Certified Public Accounting, The Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Furthermore, Cheryl holds the distinguished title of Associate Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors, showcasing her commitment to the highest standards of professional practice.

Nadia A. Wright

Nadia is an experienced Litigation Partner at Providence Law whose expertise over the past 21 years includes practice in the following areas: Commercial and Civil Litigation, Insolvency and Company Liquidations, Directors Disputes/Fiduciary Duties and Trust Litigation Banking Law, Construction Litigation, Insurance Law, Personal Injury, Medical Negligence, Breach of Contract and Estates. She also has experience with resolving claims relating to the enforcement of foreign judgments.

Mrs. Wright commenced her tertiary education at The College of The Bahamas where she obtained her Associates of Arts Degree in History. Thereafter, she studied Law at The University of Leeds in northern England where she obtained her Bachelors of Law (Honours) Degree. Mrs. Wright continued her studies at BPP Law School in Holborn, London to obtain her professional Barrister Certification and was Called to the Bar of England & Wales on the 5th of July, 2002 and thereafter the Bar of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas on the 13th of September, 2002.

Mrs. Wright is a Member of The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn (London, England) and a member of The Bahamas Bar Association. She is a Director of The Children’s Non-Profit Organization called The Kathleen Phillips Activity Center for Education; she participates annually in pro-bono legal aid clinics and is an avid supporter of a number of civic organizations including: Core of Hope which is part of the Englerston Constituency, which later dovetailed into Mrs. Wright becoming a Children’s Ministry teacher at her church. Fun-fact: Mrs. Wright is a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Recipient and enjoys hiking and the outdoors. Finally, in recent years Mrs. Wright would have frequented “Bahamas at Sunrise” as a contributor to the show’s Legal Aid Segment and was a Former Board Member of the Air Transport Advisory Board.