About

Home-grown kiwi lawyer Anton Shead led the nation’s first ever joint venture between an NZ-listed property vehicle and a sovereign wealth fund. ‘It was an absolute highlight’, Shead says of the $313m deal between Goodman NZ and Singaporean fund GIC. Formerly a Bell Gully senior associate, Shead became Goodman’s GC in 2010, and proceeded to reposition the legal team from a support function to a central part of business decision-making. He has also built concrete processes and structures, including a formalised law firm panel management system. ‘There is a very limited number of firms that truly understand their clients’ businesses’, opines Shead. ‘Those lawyers that do are always in high demand. Those that don’t, need to improve this as they will always struggle to show how they would add value’.