About

Focus on… my career 

Arohi Kaila serves as legal counsel at Alcoa, a global industry leader in bauxite, alumina and aluminium products. As legal counsel, Arohi provides legal and strategic advice across all facets of Alcoa’s operations in Australia, reporting directly to the managing counsel and company secretary. 

Arohi began her career with Squire Patton Boggs in Perth, based in the construction and engineering practice group. In 2016, Arohi was seconded to John Holland for six months, where she worked closely with senior management on significant legal matters as part of the high-profile Perth Children’s Hospital project. 

After several years in private practice, Arohi relocated to Sydney and joined Scentre Group as legal counsel, where she was involved with the successful implementation of pivotal customer-facing projects. In this role, Arohi developed extensive generalist commercial experience, becoming highly skilled in various legal areas including privacy, competition and consumer law, intellectual property, as well as litigation and dispute resolution.  

She recalls the transition in-house was initially challenging, but having a healthy curiosity for how a company works and fostering relationships at all levels of an organisation was key to her success. Arohi has also learned from her legal and business peers, who have played a crucial role in her career progression to date.  

Arohi identifies the role of an in-house lawyer as constantly evolving, and providing legal advice is only the beginning. She believes that immersing yourself in a company, whether it is meeting the business or understanding where the opportunities and pinch points are, is instrumental to success. Arohi’s appreciation of the market, industry and strategic considerations at play prove to be invaluable to the companies she advises. 

Outside of work, Arohi actively supports not-for-profit organisations, most recently as a volunteer solicitor for the Kingsford Legal Centre, based at the University of New South Wales. She believes giving back to the community through pro bono work helps to ensure that our legal system is fair and accessible to all.