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Pinsent Masons reveals new Melbourne head, all-female leadership
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has appointed a new head of Melbourne, a move which means the firm now has an all-female leadership team across its three Australian offices.
Lauren Croft
The new lead for the Pinsent Masons Melbourne office, Phillipa Beck, first joined the firm in 2020 and currently heads up the diversity and inclusion group for Australia and serves as a mentor for many junior lawyers across the firm.
Ms Beck is a construction law specialist, dual qualified as a lawyer and civil engineer, advising on project delivery and disputes across the energy and infrastructure sectors in the Asia-Pacific region. She replaces Matt Croagh, who is stepping away as head of Melbourne and will continue in his capacity as head of Australia.
“I am delighted to take up the role of head of Melbourne alongside my colleagues and fellow leaders in Sydney and Perth,” she said.
“I look forward to steering the office through the period of growth ahead to best support our clients’ evolving needs.”
This news coincides with extensive growth for the firm over the past year, after Pinsent Masons hired over 50 lawyers and business professionals in 2022, bringing the total number of employees in Australia to almost 200.
As such, the firm’s Melbourne practice will move to Melbourne’s central business district and financial district in April, opening a new office at 101 Collins Street.
The new office has been designed to provide a unique client experience and fosters a collaborative working environment for Pinsent Masons’ people. This includes areas to facilitate “deep thinking” and large “project rooms where teams can meet to workshop ideas”. The single-floor layout improves connectivity between teams and supports the firm’s approach to promoting hybrid working.
Pinsent Masons head of Australia Matt Croagh said he was “pleased to announce the appointment of Phillipa Beck to the head of Melbourne role” as well as the Melbourne office change.
“Phillipa has been a key member of the Melbourne office since joining and is a solid mentor and colleague to many people,” he said.
“Alongside this change, we are excited to be moving to new premises to provide our employees and clients with a premium workspace.”
Lauren Croft
Lauren is a journalist at Lawyers Weekly and graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from Macleay College. Prior to joining Lawyers Weekly, she worked as a trade journalist for media and travel industry publications and Travel Weekly. Originally born in England, Lauren enjoys trying new bars and restaurants, attending music festivals and travelling. She is also a keen snowboarder and pre-pandemic, spent a season living in a French ski resort.
