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

Our organisation has been through some extremely challenging times over the last few years and as a result, much of my role has involved assisting the business with strategic priorities. Most recently, I have been involved in the proposed demerger of our business from our parent company and then taking the lead on the sale of our business. The legal team also played a key role in the largest ever retail property transaction in Australia in late 2021, involving the recapitalisation of a property fund with US$2.4bn in assets, and members of the legal team taking several different roles due to the many interested parties and potential conflicts. I try to bring people together to achieve a common goal. I enjoy mentoring others, both within and outside the legal team and I am a strong advocate for our graduate program to give future lawyers the time and opportunity to learn from those who have come before them.

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

A strong legal team should be considered trusted advisers to the business and part of the decision-making process at all levels of the organisation. Strategic thinking, strong communication and stakeholder management skills, and a deep understanding of the strategy of the business are all integral to a legal team being able to support the business. Legal teams need to be able to adapt and be agile and not stuck in processes and procedure, but also provide the guardrails for the business to ensure good corporate governance. Legal advisers should partner with the business and work alongside their clients to develop strong relationships and gain an understanding of the key drivers of the business to achieve optimal outcomes whilst minimising risk.

What is the biggest risk to your industry or organisation and how are you contributing to prepare your organisation for this?

Our organisation has faced extraordinary challenges over the last five years, including the Royal Commission, a proposed sale of the business, a proposed de-merger, Covid-19, separate sales of different divisions as well as loss of funds under management to competitors and continued media scrutiny. This has changed the nature of the role of the legal team from a “business as usual” support function to being a strategic partner, adviser, and leader through the continual challenges. Our legal team has become an integral part of the decision-making processes of the business during volatile times. The funds management industry itself is facing increased regulation, particularly in relation to product development and delivering returns, a challenging global economy, and a consolidation of superannuation funds through merger resulting in more investors choosing to move management of their investments in-house.

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

I was fortunate early in my career to have been provided opportunities to work on projects and matters which extended me and gave me the opportunity to grow and learn. I faced the usual challenges around juggling having children whilst maintaining partnership in private practice and have never regretted the move in house. I have worked through a merger of companies which, although challenging, provided me with opportunities to lead a large team and develop my people management skills. The professional challenges of the last three years have involved working on matters and undertaking roles which were outside of my area of expertise and my comfort zone, however I have found that any challenge is manageable when you are surrounded by a first-class team.