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

One of the significant successes of my role has been leading key projects that drive value and change within our group. I have stepped away from the traditional in-house role primarily focused on providing advice and review of contracts and instead lead, guide, mentor and coach our teams to bring about change within the organisation, that will enable and empower them to comply with law, manage risk and add value to our business.

I do not shy away from stepping outside of traditional legal function boundaries and have been involved in driving projects, such as developing, implementing and managing our Modern Slavery response framework, building a compliance framework, realising efficiencies by designing and implementing solutions for standard form contracts, and leading the organisation through a recent increased regulatory environment, including the Heavy Vehicle National Laws, Security of Critical Infrastructure and whistle-blower reporting.

I am focused on ensuring the legal function operates as a business enabler rather than a department of refusal. I provide practical and pragmatic advice, have a deep understanding of the business and its operations, and as a result have built great trust from our people. I am proud to have developed a role where I am a trusted business advisor and enabler, as opposed to being simply a compliance function.

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

It is not sufficient to simply rely on good legal skills. To be successful, in-house legal teams must demonstrate their value to the business as an enabler, providing practical and pragmatic advice that assists the business to achieve its strategic objectives while minimising organisational risk. Strong legal teams must be commercially minded, trusted and have a deep understanding of the business, its operations and the industry and environment within which it operates. The legal team is key to embedding a risk-aware culture where compliance is built into its day-to-day. This requires strong influence and leadership skills, both of which develop trust.

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

Given the scale and complexity of both the industry and our organisation, the increasing requirement to rapidly embrace, adapt to and successfully integrate digitalisation, innovation and technology as part of optimising our operating environment, currently presents one of the biggest challenges and opportunities. I play a key role in providing legal advice on partnering, procurement, service and equipment opportunities in terms of engagement, roll-out and integration within the business.

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

Moving from a private-practice role to an in-house role within the ports and logistics industry, required overcoming numerous challenges to achieve success in my current position. Adjusting from being an external advisor at arm’s length to an internal counsel, available on-tap, was challenging and required a key focus on learning the business and working closely with people at all levels, from senior executives to operations, to building credibility and trust.