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

I recently assisted Wesfarmers with several significant sustainable finance transactions. This included the first sustainability-linked bonds issued in the Australian market under which Wesfarmers raised AUD$1bn in June 2021. I also assisted on the issue of €600m sustainability-linked bonds in October 2021 and a domestic bilateral sustainability linked loan. The interest rates of the Australian and Euro sustainability-linked bonds are linked to Wesfarmers progress against two sustainability performance targets. The performance targets relate to increasing the use of renewable energy in the Wesfarmers Group’s retail divisions and reducing the CO2e emissions intensity of ammonium nitrate production in the Wesfarmers Chemicals, Energy and Fertilisers division. Wesfarmers received multiple awards for these bond issuances including KangaNews Awards 2021 Australian Sustainability Issuer, Australian Innovative Deal, Australian Sustainability Bond Deal, Australian Dollar Corporate Bond Deal and Australian-Origin Offshore Corporate Bond Deal and the FinanceAsia 2021 House Award (Aus/NZ) for Best Issuer – Sustainability.

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

In my opinion, a strong legal team operates on the basis of integrity and respect. They are problem solvers, solutions focussed and resilient. Exceptional critical thinking, communication and collaboration skills are required to support business partners to achieve organisation goals.

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

As legal counsel at Wesfarmers, my role spans across several industries including the chemical, energy, and retail industries. The diverse nature of my role offers unique challenges and opportunities for continuous development.

Prior to Wesfarmers, I was a senior commercial manager at BGC (Australia) on a property portfolio sale project and prior to that, I worked in London and Sydney as an associate director – legal at Macquarie Bank. I was a Trustee of the Manor Gardens Welfare Trust (a health and social care charity in London) and a non-executive director of Solaris Cancer Care (a cancer charity in Perth). All of these experiences have developed my skill set which enables me to assist my clients across diverse areas of law and industries.