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

I have been successful in breaking down complexity with our legal team, having a heavy involvement in our legal operations projects. Such projects include: (I) the development of an engagement plan so that the business knows who legal are and what we do; (ii) the creation of standard legal operating procedures to ensure consistency in the way the legal team carries out their work, which is helpful for existing team members but even more helpful for new team members; (iii) the review of our templates not only for legal compliance but also to ensure that they are simple for the business to use in terms of using plain language, user-friendly formatting and including guidance for negotiating difficult clauses; and put forward a fair position to the other side to reduce the back and forth and to make the negotiation process a simple as possible.

Picking up new skill sets and then being referred to as the “go to person” within my organisation for those same skills has been a great success for me in my role at Pacific National and of great assistance to our team to ensure we have a wide coverage of skill sets and strengths. Areas where this has occurred include whistleblowing, workplace surveillance, modern slavery, and private M&A.

I was leading a private M&A deal for our company. I had never done anything like this before since my background is in advertising, marketing, IP, privacy and general commercial. Influencing on this matter in a way where, the executive team asked —’Sarah, what do you think we should do?’ — was a massive success for me personally.

I have been and continue to be a strong advocate for the “S” in ESG. One of my greatest successes has been implementing a Modern Slavery programme and action plan for the company. Pacific National have made vast changes over the last 3.5 years in order to understand its supply chain and address the risk of Modern Slavery within the business. I was instrumental and led the project resulting in the creation of a 3-year Modern Slavery Action Plan for Pacific National. I was at the forefront of this action plan and the subsequent working group, constantly reminding everyone why this was important so that there was genuine buy-in from the business. This was a challenge as it was a topic that people knew little about, but it was indescribably rewarding when I could see the business making a difference in this space. I have now become expert in our legal team on this matter, assisting the team in most contract negotiations when it comes to modern slavery drafting and risks.

Most importantly, I have formed incredible friendships and relationships with all members of the legal team. My role in the team goes beyond legal support – I am always there to listen, a safe space for people to raise their concerns and a positive energy that keeps the team motivated which means they never give up no matter the task at hand. For me there can be no bigger success than being trusted by my colleagues and contributing to morale and productivity in a way that also makes the workplace a very pleasant and fun place to be.