Moving forward and embracing everything life throws at you has been the enduring motto behind Tony Holland's success. He tells Claire Chaffey why

A challenge to Tony Holland is like a red flag to a bull: dangle one in front of him and chances are he'll run at it. This is, after all, how he ended up in the role of Chief Executive at global alliance firm DLA Phillips Fox. Such was the allure of exploring unchartered territory, Holland cut short his stint as partner at DLA Piper in the Middle East and returned to Australia to begin the next chapter of his legal career.

"I was approached to take this role on, which I wasn't expecting," says Holland.

"My wife and I thought we'd be heading towards London and that we would be away for five years or so. But I thought, well, this is something different, with different challenges taking me out of my comfort zone, so why not?"

The red flag was thus waved and the bull charged accordingly. Now, Holland relishes the position that lets him escape some of the monotonies of legal practice, and has embraced his newly found status as guardian of the business, rather than the law.

"I am really enjoying it. I am enjoying not being a lawyer," he says. "I feel like I have had enough of drafting documents and reading other peoples' documents and all that comes with it. There is a lot to do [as Chief Executive], but also a lot of opportunity and potential." And despite the fact he and his wife reside on Victoria's lonely and squall-prone Phillip Island - shared only with a few thousand people, a penguin colony and occasional tribes of motorsport enthusiasts - being a very present, personal and involved leader is a priority for Holland.

"I am a very collegiate person and I strongly believe in teamwork and collegiate behaviour," he says.

"I also believe in people seizing an opportunity, then getting a group of people around you and driving that opportunity forward. My style is very much one of engaging with people to work together to achieve an objective."

Equally as potent as Holland's zeal for opportunity is his dearth of patience for people who lack resolve and those who dwell on the past.

"I don't like people who complain and say, 'This isn't right.' To my mind, if people complain I say, 'Do something about it. Don't just sit back and complain, get involved,'" he says.

"I am a person that doesn't look back ... I will say, 'This is where we are now, so let's go forward and face the new challenges and new opportunities. If you've got a problem, deal with it and move forward. There is no point in looking back. No regrets. You just have to go forward.'"

Holland's philosophy is evident when looking at his long career which includes articles at what is now Freehills and 20 years as partner at Mallesons, including a stint at Clifford Chance in London.

But it was perhaps his time at DLA Piper in Dubai which tested Holland the most.

"When I agreed to go [to Dubai], the world economy was ... going northwards," he says. "By the time I arrived, Lehman Brothers had collapsed and the world turned upside down. We were cold calling for business, and it really forced [me] out of [myself] to do things."

Poor timing aside, Holland characteristically conquered everything that living in the Middle East during a global recession could throw at him.

"A number of people said, 'I bet you wish you'd never left Mallesons!' and I had to say, 'No, actually it was fantastic because it was so hard and it took me out of my comfort zone - way out of my comfort zone!'" he says.

"It is all part of taking on challenges and stretching yourself."

Even though Holland is now in more familiar territory, he still sees a raft of challenges ahead.

"The next challenge is developing the practice further. The firm is obviously not in the top tier in some areas, so it is really about growing the awareness of the firm ... and helping the partners go to market," he says.

And even in the face of a changing legal market, Holland seems unperturbed by the potential arrival of even more competition.

"There's no doubt we are going to see more international firms coming into Australia. Whether it is through the Allen & Overy way of setting up its own office, or through the merger type process, it is going to continue," he says.

"We've got a very competitive, mature market ... and having the international firms come in isn't going to make that much of a difference. It is probably going to be the same individuals, but just at different firms."

Fundamentally, though, Holland is excited about the opportunities presented by global firms.

"I have seen the power of the global firm and the opportunity it creates, both for clients ... and lawyers who want to do cross border work," he says.

"Many young lawyers want to work overseas ... and to be able to do it under the one umbrella - and effectively with the same clients - so you can be building your practice, developing client relationships, and having a great time overseas ... [while] being able to come back and progress within the firm, is great for young people."

And while the state of the market evolves, Holland has firmly set his sights on simply getting the best out of his partners.

"The greatest joy is seeing the partners engaged together and focusing on winning new work," he says.

"Whether or not they win, you see some great teamwork, collegiate behaviour and leadership amongst the partners. That is terrific, because you won't win every pitch or every bid, but you are getting that total focus on the client and on value ... and that will succeed in the end."