Rachel Powell

Rachel Powell is a Senior Associate with extensive experience in public international law, energy, and environmental regulation. She holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) with distinction in Energy and Environmental Law from the University of Birmingham, where she focused her thesis on the weaponisation of energy security.

In 2025, Rachel was selected for the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) by the United States Department of State, recognising her as an emerging global leader. She is a member of NEXT 2025 Forum for the global network of Young Talents and Future Leaders, jointly organised by ISPI, Bocconi University, and the OECD. Through this platform, she actively engages with policymakers and experts on pressing global challenges, particularly in the areas of diplomacy, security, and development. In 2024, she was also awarded the OSCE Scholarship for Peace and Security, where she deepened her expertise in conflict prevention, arms control, and the role of gender in international peacebuilding.

In 2021, she obtained certification as a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E) from the International Association of Privacy Professionals, enhancing her expertise in data privacy and protection.

Rachel made history as the youngest legislative drafter, being responsible for the drafting of the Infrastructure Malta Act, which was successfully passed through Parliament in 2018. Between 2018 and 2023, she was the Head of Legal for Infrastructure Malta, overseeing legal compliance of high-profile, multi-million-euro public infrastructure projects.

She graduated from the University of Malta earning both her Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree and her Master of Advocacy with a thesis focused on the challenges of cloud storage in the collection, preservation, and use of electronic evidence in the criminal process, ranking within the top 5 of her respective cohort.

Rachel was admitted to the Maltese Bar in March 2019. She is well versed in property, infrastructure, transport, energy, environmental, data protection, privacy and security law, public procurement and litigation, with hands-on experience advising on complex tendering processes and representing clients in contentious legal proceedings. She has contributed independently to international mediation efforts and legal diplomacy, particularly in the context of post-conflict reconstruction, climate and multilateral dialogue.