About

Shaun Johnson has practiced as a lawyer for 18 years, one third of which was in private practice at Ashurst in Melbourne, Australia and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London, which provided him with a comprehensive technical legal base. For the last twelve years, he has undertaken purely in-house work with a mix of private and public sector organisations, and took up his current role as general counsel for the PPP Unit for Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Holding in February 2016. ‘When I came into the role’, he recalls, ’it was not just a new job – it was a new country and an entirely new region, which meant I had to leave at the door any preconceived notions of firms or professional relationships I had developed across my career up to that point. However’, he goes on, ‘this turned into a positive because it meant I had to invest time in cultivating new relationships from almost zero and, as a consequence, I have been able to introduce some of the things I have learnt over my career and apply them in my current role’. He sees this as a long-term investment: ‘Ultimately, where I would like to get to with our external legal advisors is simple: I want them to become our trusted advisors and in turn, we want to be their client of choice’. Johnson is clear about the advice he would give to someone looking to cultivate a world-beating in-house legal team. ‘Firstly’, he begins, ‘be accessible and make sure the legal team sits in close proximity to the business as you can never underestimate how much this integration helps in understanding your internal stakeholders’ needs and objectives. Secondly’, Johnson continues, ‘keep learning from others’. He goes on to explain how a conversation, an article, or a formal mentor can spark ideas on how you may be able to improve yourself and the team. ‘Finally’, he concludes, ‘strategise! The legal function can get pulled in many different directions as it is asked to deal with short-to-medium term issues so it is critical to take stock of where the team are now, where it should ideally be, and work out the steps needed to take it there. Doing this regularly can ensure your direction of travel is the right one. After all’, he notes, ‘your company is always changing and responding to internal and external factors, so why shouldn’t you?’