7 of 10 new Australian Ashurst partners are women
The promotions come as part of 24 new global partnerships announced by the firm yesterday.
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58 per cent of new Ashurst partners are female, with the total list of 24 new partners coming from Australia (10), UK (nine), Italy and Hong Kong (two each), and Tokyo (one).
“I am also very pleased that we have exceeded our gender target for new partner promotions this year, which reflects the firm’s focus on identifying, supporting and developing the pipeline of female leaders,” he said.
“We have also appointed two partners this year who work on a part-time basis. We wanted to improve our gender targets and whilst we have made progress, we remain very conscious of how much more needs to be done.”
The partner announcements follow the firm’s inclusion last week as one of 50 employers in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women list for the second year in a row.
The 2018 list, published as part of Responsible Business Week in the UK, celebrating British employers who are “building gender equality into their business strategy and have committed to creating inclusive workplace cultures and examining women’s progression at work”.
But while Mr Jenkins said the firm was delighted to have been included, he made it clear that there is still a way to go before achieving parity across the board.
“Receiving this accolade for our broader gender diversity program will reinforce our efforts in the future,” he said.
“The next few months will see a range of initiatives designed to support gender diversity in the partnership and a more inclusive culture for all of our partners and staff.”
Firm chairman Ben Tidswell congratulated all new partners on their promotions.
“They are a tremendously talented group of people who are recognised for their expertise and have shown an exceptional track record in client service,” he said.
“I’m confident they will play an invaluable role in the future growth and leadership of this firm.”
The new Australian partners are: Emma Butler (digital economy, Melbourne), Camilla Clemente (restructuring and special situations, Sydney), Stuart D’Aloiso (intellectual property/media, Melbourne), Karen Dwyer (digital economy, Sydney), Justin Jones (competition, Melbourne), Krista Payne (projects, Sydney), Catherine Pedler (dispute resolution, Perth), Caroline Smart (global markets, Sydney), Kathy Srdanovic (employment, Sydney), and Sanjay Wavde (tax, Sydney).
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Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. In June 2024, he also assumed the editorship of HR Leader. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
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