What are the most significant cases, projects and/or transactions that you and/or your legal team have recently been involved in?

Over the past year, I have worked on a broad range of matters. These include intellectual property intensive projects, complex procurement and manufacturing arrangements, Premier’s proposed acquisition of RFG Holdings. Much of our work has been contract focused. In addition, we have been engaged in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience? 

I approach these periods with a combination of decisiveness and reflection.

I assess the risks and distinguish between those that are existential to the business, those that are commercially significant and/or materially affect the business, and those that are operational but manageable. This allows us to act decisively where the tolerance for risk is low, while calibrating responses in areas where the business can absorb a degree of uncertainty.

Reflection in my view is critical. Decisions must be tested against both short-term resilience and long-term strategic positioning, which means balancing legal conservatism with commercial pragmatism and recognising that in times of crisis, the business may need to accept certain risks for business continuity.

Ultimately, my approach is to provide the business with clear, actionable guidance that is commercially attuned, legally sound, and calibrated to the level of risk the business can realistically tolerate. This ensures resilience is not only preserved in the moment but strengthened for the future.

What is a cause, business or otherwise, that you are passionate about? Why is this?  

I am committed to giving back to the community and view this as a personal responsibility. Beyond the impact I strive to make in my individual capacity, I am fortunate to be part of an organisation that is committed to “earning the right to operate in the communities it serves” (a principle that underpins its sustainability vision), and to be able to use my legal skills to assist the organisation to drive such a profound principle forward. My passion for this stems from a firm belief that we have a collective duty to uplift others, particularly the most vulnerable members of our society. By doing so, we not only strengthen communities but also foster a more inclusive and sustainable future: we must leave a place better than we found it.

What factors influence your team’s decision to use external legal services versus handling matters in-house, and what criteria are used to evaluate their performance? 

Our team has the expertise required to manage the majority of legal matters. However, in certain specialised areas, or during periods of high demand when internal capacity is limited, we engage external legal service providers.

When evaluating the performance of external legal service providers, we apply the following criteria: quality of work (accuracy, reliability, and soundness of legal advice); turnaround times (ability to deliver within agreed deadlines); engagement and communication (proactive updates, clarity, and responsiveness); accessibility (ease of reaching the team when needed); cost-effectiveness (transparency and fees that are justifiable considering the scope of work); and fit for purpose (alignment of solutions with our business needs, including without limitation, tailored advice specific to our operations, a demonstrated understanding of our business, pragmatic recommendations that are practical to implement, and guidance that supports and advances our business objectives).