Australia 2019 – GC Powerlist
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Australia 2019

  • Industries

  • Powerlist

Adam Cooper

General counsel and company secretary | Flinders Ports Holdings

Transport and infrastructure

‘Adam Cooper is a very experienced commercial general counsel and company secretary, heavily relied on by the executive at Flinders Ports Holdings, not just in respect of legal matters, but...

Adrian Goss

General counsel, Australia and New Zealand | Bauer Media

Sports and media

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Bauer has undertaken a number of small asset divestments over the...

Andrew Finch

General counsel and group executive, office of the CEO | Qantas Airways

Transport and infrastructure

Andrew Selim

General counsel and company secretary | Home Consortium

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? I played a critical role in one of the most significant...

Anna Lozynski

General counsel | L’Oréal Australia and New Zealand

Consumer products

What does being “legally innovative” mean to you? Being legally innovative is a daily attitude and a practice. It means adopting a progressive mindset. It means being focused on the...

Anne Lock

General counsel | Bosch Oceana (Australia and New Zealand)

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Bosch’s legal services team has been involved in significant research and...

Ashe-lee Jegathesan

General counsel and company secretary | Vocus Group

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Vocus has had a very exciting two to three year period....

Benjamin Willis

Head of legal and company secretary, privacy officer | NOVA Entertainment

Sports and media

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Nova’s podcast partnership with Acast: at inception this strategic partnership created...

Betty Ivanoff

Group general counsel | Coca-Cola Amatil

Food, beverages and tobacco

Brett Cameron

General counsel and company secretary | Dexus

Financials

Brooke Connell

Senior legal counsel | Velocity Frequent Flyer

Transport and infrastructure

‘I would like to nominate Brooke Connell to be included in the GC Powerlist: Australia 2019. She is effectively responsible for the general counsel role at Velocity Frequent Flyer (which...

Carmel Mulhern

Group general counsel and group executive, legal and corporate affairs | Telstra

Telecommunication services

Have any new laws, regulations or judicial decisions greatly impacted your company’s business or your legal practice? The pace of technological change and innovation is transforming our industry. With this,...

Caroline Cox

Group general counsel | BHP

Materials and mining

Carolyn Lidgerwood

Head of privacy | Rio Tinto

Materials and mining

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Many people working in global data privacy law would provide exactly...

Carolyn Scobie

Group general counsel and group company secretary | QBE Insurance Group

Financials

Claire E. Bibby

Chief operating officer and general counsel | Immediation

Information technology

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? I am part of the Immediation senior executive team, together having...

Connie Carnabuci

General counsel | Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

Sports and media

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? My team and I have managed over 170 content deals and...

Craig Emery

Legal services executive – products and marketing | Telstra

Telecommunication services

‘Craig Emery has led a team through significant restructure and change, with a strong focus on the legal function supporting the strategic vision of the business into the future’.

Dan Cootes

Head of legal and company secretary | BT Australasia

Telecommunication services

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? For BT’s Australian business, we are very happy with the work...

Daniel Krutik

Head of legal, corporate | Origin Energy

Energy and utilities

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The successful sale of Origin’s upstream business (Lattice Energy) to Beach...

Daniel Moran

Group general counsel and company secretary | ASX

Financials

‘One of the most important financial entities in the Australian economy, the ASX is the primary securities exchange in Australia and is one the world’s most notable, being listed amongst...

David Cullen

Group general counsel | AMP

Financials

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? 2018 and 2019 have been two of the busiest on record...

David Dwyer

General counsel – Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand | Unilever

Consumer products

‘David Dwyer is general counsel of all of Unilever’s Southeast Asia and Australasian businesses, and is a member the legal leadership team and Southeast Asia leadership team. He manages the...

David Wenck

Group general counsel and head of legal | Aurizon Holdings

Transport and infrastructure

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The sale of Aurizon’s Intermodal Business to Linfox; Acacia Ridge Rail...

Denisha Anbu

General counsel and corporate secretary | Sydney Water Corporation

Energy and utilities

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Legal advice and contractual and negotiation support for the rollout of...

Diana Broadhurst

Legal director Australia | Amazon

Consumer products

Ellen Liondis

Chief legal counsel, Pacific | Mercer

Commercial and professional services

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Mercer’s acquisition of Evolve Intelligence, a talent strategy business in May...

Emma Zipper

General counsel and company secretary, Australia and New Zealand | Bupa

Healthcare

Fiona Harding

General manager, legal – dispute resolution, retail and regulatory | Bank of Queensland

Financials

Francesca Lee

Chief legal, risk and compliance officer | Newcrest Mining

Materials and mining

Frank Lavorato

Head of legal property | Harvey Norman

Consumer products

Gavin Carney

General counsel and company secretary | Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC)

Transport and infrastructure

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The GC division has implemented a dispute resolution protocol with major...

George Papanikitas

General counsel, Australia and New Zealand | Kimberly-Clark Australia

Consumer products

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Following a high-profile campaign by wastewater authorities and certain consumer advocates,...

Grant Smallhorn

General counsel Asia Pacific | WSP

Industrials and real estate

James Hebron

General counsel | New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment

‘James Hebron now leads one of the largest government departments in New South Wales with the recent merger of the Department of Industry into DPE’.

James Nguyen

Head of legal | TEG

Sports and media

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The acquisition of Ticketworld in the Philippines, the launch of TEG...

Janelle Cain

General counsel | EBOS Group

Healthcare

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? EBOS Group’s strategic focus includes investing for growth through M&A and...

Jaron McVicar

General counsel and company secretary | The a2 Milk Company

Food, beverages and tobacco

‘Jaron McVicar joined The a2 Milk Company in November 2016 as its inaugural general counsel. Since that time he has built up a legal team of six lawyers and managed...

Johanna O’Rourke

Group head – commercial, operations and technology legal | QBE Insurance group

Financials

In establishing a legal department from scratch, what were the main obstacles you had to overcome, and how did you successfully navigate these challenges? When I joined QBE almost five...

John Connolly

General counsel ANZ | Electrolux

Consumer products

Jorden Lam

General counsel and general manager commercial affairs | HESTA Super

Financials

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners? During a board strategy session I attended earlier in the year, I was struck by discussions around building...

Julian Sefton

General counsel, company secretary and general manager of property | NSW Ports

Transport and infrastructure

What do you predict will be the biggest change in the legal market in your sector over the next few years? I predict that as legal technology continues to grow...

Julie Galligan

Group general counsel | Transurban

Transport and infrastructure

Justin Forsell

Chief legal counsel | nbn

Telecommunication services

Justine Rowe

Legal services executive – Enterprise | Telstra

Telecommunication services

‘Leads passionate causes within their teams, including the importance of mental health and well-being. [She has been a] key note presenter on tackling the challenges around progressing women in the...

Karen Pedersen

Group general counsel | Lendlease Group

Industrials and real estate

Karen Tompkins

General counsel and company secretary | Sydney Airport

Transport and infrastructure

Katerina Paras

General counsel | Asurion Australia

Information technology

Katherine Grace

General counsel and company secretary | Stockland

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Stockland is an active property developer, manager and operator, and over...

Katrina Johnson

Associate general counsel and head of legal, Uber Asia Pacific | Uber

Information technology

Kylie McPherson

Director of corporate affairs and legal, APAC and ANZPI | Brown-Forman

Food, beverages and tobacco

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? From a corporate affairs perspective, ensuring the business maintains its freedom...

Laura Iskander

Legal advisory and compliance director | UrbanGrowth NSW Development Corporation

Laura Paulus

General counsel | Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator

Administrative bodies

Lauren Miller

General counsel | Carnival Australia

Hotels, restaurants and leisure

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The planning, negotiation and application for ACCC authorisation of the proposed...

Lawrence Kim

General counsel and executive general manager, external relations | ENGIE Australia and New Zealand (ANZ)

Energy and utilities

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The most important transactions in which I’ve been involved over the...

Leigh Holder

General counsel | Yara Australia

‘Leigh Holder is an exceptionally capable general counsel and has led the process of integrating the Yara Pilbara Group into the broader Yara International Group. This has involved a wide...

Libby Davidson

Group general counsel and external relations director | Lion

Food, beverages and tobacco

Lindsay Dick

General counsel | Power Ledger

Lyndall Stoyles

Executive general manager, people, communications and governance | Caltex Australia

Energy and utilities

Malcolm Haack

Group general counsel | Orica

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Amongst many others, one of the most important matters I’ve been...

Mark Bryant

Group general counsel and company secretary | Charter Hall Group

Financials

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? With over 28 years’ experience in property investment and funds management,...

Marnie Manning

Group general counsel | Smile Solutions Group

Healthcare

Have any new laws, regulations or judicial decisions impacted your company’s business or your legal practice? Yes. These include new laws regarding use of intravenous sedation and general anaesthesia, new...

Maya vanden Driesen

Group general counsel | Wesfarmers

Industrials and real estate

Michael Abbott

Senior vice president corporate and legal | Woodside

Energy and utilities

Michael Helmer

Chief legal officer and company secretary | NEXTDC

Information technology

Michael Herring

General counsel and head of group legal and governance | Macquarie

Financials

Michael Tropea

General counsel and company secretary, Australia and New Zealand | AIA Australia

Financials

As a member of AIA’s executive committee in Australia and New Zealand – what unique attributes do lawyers bring to this level of management? Historically, the role of general counsel...

Michelle Monteleone

General counsel Australia | Coca-Cola Amatil

Food, beverages and tobacco

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Of note in recent times for me personally is my key...

Nicholas Sedgwick

General counsel – legal and contracts | Thales Australia

Information technology

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? I lead a team of 30 legal counsel, commercial managers and...

Nick Myers

General counsel | MMG

Materials and mining

Nicole Bannerman

Group general counsel | Avid Property Group

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Since its separation from Investa Property Group, AVID Property Group (AVID)...

Nigel Lowry

General counsel and company secretary | Ausgrid

Energy and utilities

Patrick Hornby

Manager legal and governance | Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB)

What legal and management trends do you see having an impact in your market? Getting flexible working arrangements right is the key to promoting productivity in teams. I am a...

Patrick McGlinchey

Group general counsel and member of the executive committee | Tabcorp Holdings

Hotels, restaurants and leisure

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? I recently changed roles, so most of the matters relate to...

Paul Gregory

Senior legal counsel | WesTrac

Consumer products

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? As the regional counsel responsible for Western Australia, I have negotiated...

Philip Richards

Group executive, group general counsel | Rio Tinto

Materials and mining

Philip Ware

General counsel | Stanwell

Energy and utilities

Rachel Launders

General counsel and company secretary | Nine Entertainment

Sports and media

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Amongst many others, Nine acquiring the rights to the Australian Open...

Rachel Lunn

General counsel | Sonic Clinical Services

Healthcare

Rajiv Cabraal

Director – commercialisation, legal and IP | CSIRO’s Data61

Information technology

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Firstly, the merger of NICTA with CSIRO’s Digital Productivity Flagship to...

Rebecca Lim

Group executive, legal and secretariat | Westpac

Financials

Robert Tran

General counsel | Nearmap

Information technology

‘I would like to nominate Robert Tran to be included in this GC Powerlist. Tran is the general counsel for Nearmap, a fast growing ASX listed company recently admitted to...

Sabina Bickelmann

General counsel and company secretary | Vend

Information technology

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners? Deeply embed yourself in the business and don’t be “just the lawyer”. Jump into the trenches with the...

Sabine Anthon

Corporate counsel | Penske transportation Group International

Transport and infrastructure

What are the most important transactions and litigation that you have been involved in during the last two years? Due diligence, project funding, debt restructuring for the development and construction...

Samantha Evans

General counsel Australia | Goodman Australia

Industrials and real estate

Sarah Turner

General counsel and company secretary | REA Group

Sports and media

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners? At REA, lawyers are allocated to a line of business within the Group. For example, one lawyer is...

Sari Baird

General counsel | Oxfam Australia

Serge Radojevic

Manager – legal and commercial | Idemitsu Australia Reseources

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Muswellbrook Pumped Hydro: Project lead on the ongoing development of a...

Seshani Bala

Group executive, general counsel | Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ)

Commercial and professional services

How do you demonstrate the value of your team’s work to the business? The team is closely aligned to our board and executive team and their dedicated strategy of proactively...

Sharon Cook

Chief legal and commercial counsel | NAB

Financials

Sheldon Renkema

General manager – legal | Wesfarmers

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The acquisition of Catch Group Holdings Limited in June 2019 for...

Simon McDonald

General counsel and company secretary | IBM ANZ

Information technology

Susan Schneider

General manager – legal | Virgin Australia

Transport and infrastructure

‘Since commencing operations in 2000, Virgin Australia Group has developed into a real alternative to Qantas. Selected as the acting chief legal officer for the Group while Dayna Field was...

Tamara Kayser

Group general counsel | Incitec Pivot

Materials and mining

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? I have provided leadership and advice in relation to group issues...

Troy Swan

General counsel and company secretary | Winc | Officemax + Staples + Corporate Express

Consumer products

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The office products sector has undergone rapid consolidation in recent years,...

Vered Keisar

Vice president and general counsel Asia Pacific and chief of staff to the CEO | ResMed

Healthcare

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Acquisitions in Australia and Korea and corporate restructures in Asia Pacific....

Vivian Faraj

General counsel and compliance officer | Svitzer

Transport and infrastructure

‘Vivian Faraj was appointed general counsel for Svitzer Australia in July 2016. She is responsible for providing legal advice to the board of directors and senior management, as well as...

Vivienne Webster

Senior legal counsel and company secretary | Munich Re

Financials

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? January 2018 was interesting, with my employer being served with a...

Wendy McIntyre

General counsel and head of risk and compliance | Hub24

Financials

‘[She is] instrumental in driving strategy. Hub24 is a next-generation service with state-of-the art portfolio management, transaction, and reporting solutions for licensees, financial advisors, accountants, stockbrokers, and institutions’.

Will Duffy

Senior legal counsel | Treasury Wine Estates (TWE)

Food, beverages and tobacco

Zoe Solomon

Vice president legal, Australia and New Zealand | Carlton & United Breweries

Food, beverages and tobacco

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The A$16bn acquisition of Carlton & United Breweries by Asahi Group...

Since first being published as The Corporate Counsel 100, The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist series has grown exponentially since its beginnings in 2013. It started by covering four of the world’s most established legal markets, and whilst the core objective of the publication – highlighting the most capable, outstanding and innovative in-house counsel in a jurisdiction – has remained the same, the reach and scope of the GC Powerlist has since become almost unrecognisable. Now present in a vast array of jurisdictions and with a portfolio of 70 unique editions, the GC Powerlist series has gone from strength to strength and has been firmly established as the ‘go-to’ title that assesses and features leading corporate counsel across the globe.

Not content to rest on our laurels, we at The Legal 500 are evolving the GC Powerlist series even further, deepening our commitment to ensuring not only the widest geographical coverage, but to highlight and explore issues and challenges at the forefront of the minds of leading in-house lawyers. Therefore, this and future editions of the GC Powerlist will have a very different look to their predecessors. Instead of profiling individual counsel or in-house legal teams, more incisive insights from in-house thought leaders on the topics of the day will be featured extensively throughout our new look GC Powerlist publications.

This new look entails the publication of Q&A transcripts regarding legal and business challenges, comment pieces on specific industry or regulatory affairs, more detailed analysis as to where the market is heading and content related to soft-skills, work ethic and business relationships that general counsel utilise. This new format will not only provide more thought leadership and insight, but provide more clarity on what is driving legal business forward in each market that we cover.

This brings me to Australia. I have personally covered the Australian in-house legal market for almost five years, which has allowed me to become familiar with the deep pool of in-house legal talent that exists across various industries and levels of seniority within the country. If my work on this year’s Guide to Australia’s Rising Stars provided evidence of Australia’s immense in-house talent at a more junior level, then the standard of this year’s GC Powerlist: Australia serves to confirm the quality and depth of the country’s senior in-house counsel in the present.

It was my pleasure to speak to and extensively interview Australia-based counsel spanning Fortune Global 500 companies, domestic business titans and organisations at the cutting edge of technology and the future of work, each with their own priorities and challenges. I would like to thank our sponsors – Gilbert + Tobin, Johnson Winter & Slattery and McCullough Robertson – for supporting this publication. I’d also like to thank our extensive network of law firm partners and in-house counsel in the region whose opinions we canvassed during the course of the research phase. Of course, feedback is valuable and welcomed, so if there are any comments or suggestions please feel free to get in touch with these.

Last but not least, I would like to congratulate all those featured in this year’s list. Their selection means they have been identified as in-house counsel who are amongst the standard bearers of the profession, and as specialists who confront and manage commercial and legal challenges in a way that marks them as market leaders. They are not only talented legal practitioners, but instrumental partners to and crucial components of their respective organisations, demonstrably helping them drive success and move business forward.

Gilbert+Tobin

Gilbert+Tobin logo

Johnson Winter & Slattery

Johnson Winter & Slattery logo

With significant regulatory changes coming into effect and the spotlight staying firmly on culture, ethics and one’s social licence to operate, compliance remains a critical issue for Australian businesses.

Regulators have had a political mandate to be more active, which has created an increasingly sharper focus on sustainable and socially acceptable business conduct, with unethical behaviour being publically pursued and punished.

The Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry revealed sweeping shortcomings among many industry participants sparking political and regulatory action to restore trust in the financial sector. Regulators now have the resources to increase investigative activity, resulting in an increase in prosecutions and civil penalty proceedings. The publicity surrounding these activities means corporate behaviour, culture and compliance remain a key focus for boards and senior management across all sectors.

The Australian Government has also announced new legislation to better expose corporate misconduct with proposed reforms to enhance protection and rights for whistleblowers and a comprehensive review of Australia’s white-collar crime laws.

The increased scrutiny on Australian businesses is throwing more challenges at general counsel who are already operating across an ever broadening spectrum of business issues. The role of the general counsel today is not just about delivering legal advice. They are also responsible for compliance, business risk, governance, operations and regulatory issues; bringing legal knowledge and business acumen to help businesses navigate through future risks and opportunities.

Like the private sector, many general counsel are also feeling the pressure to do more with less as they balance a tightening budget and expanding mandate. It is therefore no surprise that technology and innovation are increasingly becoming a priority for general counsel looking for ways to deliver quality legal work faster and more cost effectively. Technology will free in-house lawyers to focus on business critical issues, leaving the low value legal work behind. This is likely to serve as a further catalyst for the general counsel role to continue evolving to be less about legal advice and more focused on strategically steering the business forward.

The Legal 500 GC Powerlist is one of the few industry directories that recognises the talent of Australia’s corporate counsel as they navigate these industry changes. As a proud sponsor of the 2019 GC Powerlist, Johnson Winter & Slattery is pleased to play a small part in highlighting the critical role in-house counsel play in the achievements of their organisations. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with our clients as we both seek to deliver greater value to the business community. Congratulations to those ranked in this year’s The Legal 500 GC Powerlist.

About Johnson Winter & Slattery

Johnson Winter & Slattery is an independent national Australian law firm with over 60 partners and offices across Australia. We advise major Australian and international corporations and investment funds on their most challenging transactions and disputes within Australia and surrounding regions.

An appropriate blend of legal know-how and commercial acumen lies at the heart of effective and valuable legal counsel. Through working closely with clients, getting to know their business, and appreciating their commercial parameters and objectives, Johnson Winter & Slattery ensures its approach is tailored to deliver cost-effective commercial outcomes. A partnership ethos of service, technical excellence and collaboration ensures the most relevant specialist expertise and experience is brought to bear on every assignment.

McCullough Robertson

McCullough Robertson logo

McCullough Robertson wholeheartedly congratulates all individuals on being named part of the GC Powerlist: Australia for 2019.

This accolade reflects the instrumental role each of you play in your organisation, particularly in a time of endless disruption – both internally and in the external business landscape.

With ever changing business priorities and expectations, the role and skillset of the general counsel is evolving. Increasingly, the job description includes the responsibility of more than just the “day job” of purely legal work. You are required to be part of general business considerations, be mindful of new technology to improve process efficiency, and sustainably lead teams of high-performing lawyers. The role requires you to be a well-rounded professional, with skills beyond legal technical excellence.

McCullough Robertson is firmly committed to supporting the holistic growth and development of legal professionals through our executive education program, tomorrow’s GC. Australia’s first-to-market course focuses on equipping the leaders of tomorrow with the soft skills and knowledge required to thrive in their role – now and into the future.

Over the 12 month program of professional coaching and upskilling, participants work with industry leading facilitators on areas such as personal leadership and wellbeing, unlocking the potential of teams, enterprise leadership, and managing disruption through innovation and project management.

For further information or to register your interest in being part of tomorrow’s GC visit:
www.mccullough.com.au/tomorrowsgc/

Again, congratulations to all individuals listed in the GC Powerlist. It is a great accomplishment and you should be extremely proud of your efforts. We look forward to watching you continue to flourish and inspire in your vitally important role.

Jones Day Hong Kong Roundtable 2024

The Legal 500 was thrilled to join a selection of top Jones Day partners and a hand-picked group of 15 the most prominent GCs in Hong Kong for a freewheeling and no-holds-barred discussion on geopolitical risk management at a time of global transition. Steve Brogan, managing partner of Jones Day from 2002-2022 flew over to lend his considerable expertise to the discussion, as did Partner-in-Charge Hong Kong Joelle Lau. Joining them to give expert briefings on the topics of the day were partners Peter Wang, Dr Qiang Xue, James Fidler, Samuel Ngo and Charles Chau. The conversation moved from sanctions and counter sanctions, to the increasing pre-eminence of the Asian economy, to the philosophy of the rule of law in times of crisis.