Could you tell us a bit about your significant successes in your role?

Significant successes in my role are demonstrated through: (i) results in matters that I am principally driving (ranging from class actions to regulatory proceedings and commercial disputes, across multiple key business areas); (ii) resolving disputes as efficiently as possible and managing ongoing litigation at the right level to allow the organisation to direct its energies to future-looking opportunities; (iii) relationships that I have built with my team, clients, colleagues and external panel firms; (iv) deep understanding of the various businesses which make up the organisation (including having direct experience working within one of my key internal client teams); (v) undertaking effective advocacy in communications with regulators to result in a more productive and professional relationship; and (vi) supporting the organisation to achieve its goals by applying a commercial lens.

In your opinion, what are the qualities and skills needed to form a strong legal team?

A strong in-house legal team is comprised of lawyers with exceptional technical legal skills developed across a range of matters and different experiences in the relevant area – for my team this is civil litigation and regulatory enforcement matters. Technical skills, combined with a strong, positive culture (within the team itself and the broader legal function) are key. As part of a positive culture, the lawyers must have the confidence of the organisation to be separate from, but also part of, the business.

Team strength arises from appropriate oversight by and commitment from senior members of the team to develop more junior team members, particularly their legal, commercial, and relational skills. A necessary element of this is ability for those lawyers to work independently but also know when to escalate issues.

More generally, good communication and willingness to collaborate and share knowledge are essential, as well as developing networks within the legal function, the organisation and externally.

Our team works hard to maintain an excellent culture of respectful debate and challenge to refine ideas and approach, an open-door policy on ethical issues, identification and acknowledgement of good performance, contribution, and resilience, and with an awareness and management of the pressures of the in-house environment.

What challenges have you overcome to get to the position you are in today?

I have overcome several challenges to allow me to be successful in my role at AMP. Some of them involve balancing multiple, competing priorities – both at work and at home managing a young family – to triage and prioritise, to undertake new challenges wherever possible while working as efficiently and as effectively as I can.

Additionally, there have been some structural challenges following the Financial Services Royal Commission, which weakened the strength of the relationship between in-house lawyers and the organisation (and the organisation and its clients). Through continued effort, increased levels of clear communication and positive results, maintaining and building effective relationships with my internal business clients has been possible.