Team size 45 across London, Leeds, Continental Europe and Asia

Career biography

I took over as General Counsel of the International Division of QBE Group in early 2023. I have a local C-Suite reporting line but also report on a dotted line basis to the General Counsel & Company Secretary of QBE Insurance Group (a member of the Group Executive Committee). QBE Group is an Australian (ASX) Listed (re)insurance company with three operating divisions. I lead the Legal and Governance function for the largest Division.

A key focus for the last 12 months has been the modernisation of the structure of the International Division Legal team, combined with work at the Group level to bring the global legal and governance team (of around 160) together as ‘one team’. We sought to enhance the brand of the global team and promote the breadth of our delivery to the business and its enabling functions. For me, this has included mentoring three global Legal team colleagues, working with colleagues on the launch of a global legal academy, revisiting our external law firm engagement proposition and redesigning my local leadership team. When I took the role, the Divisional Legal team and the scope of work that it covers was poorly understood and significantly undervalued. Since then, I have worked to help our stakeholders and the wider business understand how, why and when to engage the team and demonstrate that our early engagement enables better and faster delivery.

A cause I am passionate about is supporting women back to work after career breaks and enabling women to see an opportunity to develop into different roles beyond legal. I had a five-year career break to have children and came to work at QBE 13 years ago following a divorce. A lot of female lawyers leave private practice to come in house seeking a better work life balance. I believe that this community are an untapped resource for organisations looking for professional, hard working and intelligent women who are perfectly placed to move laterally into the business. I have led work to bring all of our ‘level two and three’ women together in informal settings and for them to hear from, and be inspired by, our female Non-Executive Directors about their careers. I have implemented many measures to prioritise inclusion in the team. including a sponsoring a schools partnership opportunity for a student from an underprivileged background to join us for work experience and supporting a Ukrainian refugee who was a lawyer in her home country.

The most important attribute for a General Counsel is a demonstrable passion and understanding of the business they support, combined with an ability to communicate in a user friendly and accessible way. Knowing the law and watching the horizon are ‘a given’. Leadership, strategic thinking (to be able to ‘do more with less’) and promotion of the team and the value it adds to the business are key.