Tell us a bit about your significant successes in your role?  

Reflecting on what success means to me, my most significant achievement is finding my genuine passion and purpose in pursuing a career in law, and the having the unique opportunity to combine the passion for the profession with fashion and retail whilst working in-house with leading Australian fashion brand, KOOKAI.  

We provide support across all practice areas which has been invaluable in gaining exposure to a broad range and diverse areas of the law.  We work collaboratively with departments and are often actively involved with providing support across various activities, everyday operations and new initiatives of the brand and therefore take a lot of pride in overall success of the business as whole.  

The areas of focus within my role at KOOKAI include intellectual property, retail leasing, consumer, privacy, employment, international support, environmental and social governance, not-for-profit support, corporate and general commercial law.  

Acquiring the French counterpart of the business in 2017, our team had an active role throughout this process and since then as a global business I have had the opportunity to have exposure to and provide ongoing support with international matters, our growth and expansion into new territories, and the management of our international IP portfolio.  

I have taken the lead with developing new systems, creating recourses, and introducing operative processes that are used across various areas of the business in day-to-day operations – integrating new legislative requirements to ensure the business can comply practically. Key to this success is understanding the impact of operations, clear and effective communication and providing department training so that teams are informed and enabling best business practices that are effective and compliant.  

Additionally, I have been fortunate to combine my passion for social accountability and sustainability, I have been actively involved in driving an awareness of ESG throughout the business. This has involved identifying industry related issues, areas of opportunities to improve business practices, and monitoring international legislative developments to maintain compliance. Most recently this has involved coordinating our reporting obligations with respect to modern slavery, and designing and implementing our supplier onboarding process, including the drafting of crucial policies around ESG, including our Code of Labour Practices.  

Within my role I have also been appointed as the acting company secretary for our supported charity Katalyst Foundation, initially obtaining our charitable status was a significant matter to contribute toward, and since then I am proud to provide ongoing support for overall compliance and corporate governance.  

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

In my opinion, a team-oriented mindset is crucial in fostering a strong legal team – cultivating an environment where, as individuals are respectful and supportive of all team members, and genuinely seek opportunities to upskill and support one another irrespective of levels of seniority allows the team to collectively grow.  

Especially when working in-house, in addition to having sound legal knowledge its vital to adopt a commercially focused approach in decision making when dealing directly with the business. Adopting a slight shift in mindset, it’s important to be strategic and proactive in supporting the business to not only ensure that we are compliant, but to also identify risks and legal issues before they occur to aid in making informed decisions. 

It’s also crucial to enjoy working within a varied workforce and to be approachable, whether the team is supporting executives or collaborating with other departments within the business creating a culture where the legal team is accessible, and colleagues feel welcomed is critical to ensure that the legal team is involved in matters at the earliest possible opportunity.