METHODOLOGY AND JUDGING

Ali joined LexisNexis in 2017 as Head of Legal for the Pacific Region. Ali and her team work with LexisNexis’ Australian and New Zealand businesses providing advice across issues from intellectual property and digital media through to privacy and competition laws.

Ali has held senior legal roles across a variety of industries internationally, including higher education, renewable energy and leisure.  Ali’s focus is on working closely with the business to address both the opportunities and the challenges presented by rapid advances in technology, changing customer needs and the evolving nature of legal practice across the region and the world.

Andrew is General Counsel and Company Secretary at Home Consortium, an internally managed Australian property group focussed on ownership, development and management which is built on a platform of big brands and hyper-convenience.  He was recently named in the globally prestigious GC Powerlist Australia 2019 and has been recognised in Doyles Best Lawyers Guide 2019 as a leading in-house lawyer. Andrew was also Construction and Real Estate Lawyer of the Year 2019 at the Corporate Counsel Awards, was shortlisted to win General Counsel of the Year 2018 at the Australian Law Awards, and was a finalist for In-House Lawyer of the Year 2017 at the Australian Law Awards. He has also been shortlisted to win Construction and Real Estate Lawyer of the Year 2020 at the Corporate Counsel Awards.

He has worked at leading global law firms in Australia and the United Kingdom and more recently worked as Senior Legal Counsel and Company Secretary at The GPT Group, one of Australia's leading real estate investment trusts.

Andrew sat on the 2019 Law Society of New South Wales In-House Corporate Lawyers Committee. He is currently a member of the Governance Institute of Australia, a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel Australia. For 2 years he sat on the Property Council of Australia Future Directions Committee (NSW Division). During that time he also chaired the Property Council of Australia's Future Leaders Mentoring Program Subcommittee. 

Ann-Maree David is an Executive Director of The College of Law, the largest provider of practice-focused legal education in Australasia. She has worked in the legal profession for over 30 years, in public and corporate sector roles and in private practice as a solicitor.

Ann-Maree has held a career-long passion for developing and delivering education and training programs to enable all involved in the delivery of legal services to thrive both personally and professionally.

In addition to leading the College of Law’s Queensland campus, Ann-Maree is Immediate Past President of Australian Women Lawyers and a Director of the Australian Gender Equality Council. She also chairs the Queensland Law Society’s Equity & Diversity Committee.

Belinda Speirs joined Suncorp (which includes AAMI, APIA, GIO, Shannon’s, Bingle, Vero, Suncorp bank and Insurance, Suncorp Life and Superannuation) in 2013 and is currently the Group General Counsel, leading all legal functions, including the Advisory, Litigation, Internal Fraud and Legal Planning & Operations teams which provide Group wide legal support. Her focus is on driving timely, legally appropriate and optimal commercial outcomes and to enhance the delivery of internal and external legal services in a more agile, resilient, efficient and effective manner. This includes transition to self-service modalities where appropriate; enhanced risk, cost, knowledge and work flow management.

In addition to her General Counsel activities, Belinda lead the Groups Royal Commission response team and is now looking to support the Suncorp Group going forward in proactively managing and leveraging the opportunities that will flow from concomitant regulatory and other changes.

Prior to joining Suncorp, Belinda was in private practice for nearly 20 years; 10 of those at partnership level where she focused on commercial and financial services litigation. 
Outside of work, Belinda is a tragic follower of reality TV cooking competitions and a not so secret petrol head who loves Formula 1. She is a mother to 2 children and 2 dogs. Her husband is also a lawyer which makes for lively dinner debates. Despite the hint of South African accent Belinda is a loyal albeit long-suffering Wallabies supporter.

Cameron Cross is General Counsel – Customer and Commercial at nbn and leads a team of 5 providing legal support for the products, supply terms and customer facing aspects of nbn. Cameron has almost 20 years’ in-house and law firm legal experience advising in the corporate, technology, media and telecommunications industries across Australasia, including for APN News & Media. He started his career Ashurst in its corporate advisory group working mainly in mergers and acquisitions.

Catherine has a strong background in governance and policy gained at the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, the ASX Corporate Governance Council, ASX, the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Financial Services Council. Qualified as a lawyer, she has also held roles as a company secretary with The Cancer Council NSW, NPP Australia Limited and Father Chris Riley’s Youth off the Streets Limited.

Claire is COO & General Counsel of Immediation, a non-executive director of Marist180, My Property Circles, and the University of Technology Sydney Law Advisory Board, an accredited mediator and a mentor.

In addition, Claire is an executive member of the Australian Association of Corporate Counsel, an Entrepreneur Ambassador for Opportunity International, and a committee member of Soroptimist International, the New South Wales Law Society Futures Committee and the Resolution Institute. Claire is also a Foundation Speaker with The Prominenti Society Speakers Agency.
 
Claire has been recognised as one of Australia’s best lawyers and female executives, including having been awarded the “Excellence Award for Women in Law”, “General Counsel of the Year”, “Female Executive of the Year in Asia, Australia & New Zealand”, “Mentor of the Year” and most recently she was featured in SmartCompany's 2018 International Women's Day Showcase.

Part and parcel with her passion for the law and advancing the interests of women, Claire is an active philanthropist and public speaker on issues of innovation, diversity and inclusion, psychological wellness, developing high performing teams and women’s leadership. Claire is also a mentor for 7 x World Surfing Champion Layne Beachley AO's "Aim for the Stars" Foundation.

www.clairebibby.com

Damian is one of the founders of the innovative Australian firm, Marque Lawyers where he heads up the Dispute Resolution team.

Damian has almost 30 years’ experience as a commercial litigator with specialist expertise in the areas of international arbitration and cross border dispute resolution.  He has run international arbitrations in London, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.
He is recognised as one of Australia’s leading lawyers in the field of Dispute Resolution by Legal 500, Best Lawyers and the Chambers Global and Asia Pacific Guides. In 2018 he was named the Arbitration Lawyer of the year by Best Lawyers. He is a Visiting Professorial Fellow at UNSW.

David is the Chief Legal Counsel at Canon Australia, after having worked in-house at Telstra for more than nineteen years.    Prior to moving in-house, David worked in private practice for Mallesons Stephen Jacques, having started his legal career working for Mallesons in Taiwan.   Outside of work, David is a fanatical photographer and one of the founders of the Laws of Creativity portrait project, exploring the role that creativity plays in the practise of law.  David serves on the board of the Minds Count Foundation, working in mental wellbeing in legal workplaces, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

The Croesus Holdings Group comprises six companies, which provide services in Project Management; Corporate Legal Compliance; Management Training & Education; Environmental GRC; ADR (mediation, arbitration & adjudication); and Litigation Funding.

Previously, Garry was Managing Director of an international Investment Bank with offices in Sydney, Vancouver, New York, London, Dublin, Hong Kong and Singapore. Those activities involved him in international capital raising; public listings; distressed company “turn-arounds”; workplace & employment relations; drafting & management of contracts; project management; governance & risk assessment; corporate strategic planning; supply chain logistics & human rights; corporate legal compliance; environmental sustainability; and optimising management outcomes.

A solicitor in private practice, Gary provides clients with strategic advice on resolving disputes. He is also an expert determiner, NMAS accredited mediator and a Senior Member (Part Time) of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

A former partner with MinterEllison specialising in commercial dispute resolution, Gary was the 2016 President of The Law Society of New South Wales. While on the Society’s Council he served as the Chair of the Society’s Professional Conduct, Litigation Law and Practice and Future Committees. He is the current Deputy Chair of the Society’s ADR Committee and the immediate past Chair of Resolution Institute.

Prior to this appointment Dr Boersig worked as an Assistant Secretary in the Federal Attorney-General’s Department, responsible for a number of areas including Indigenous law and justice and human rights. Before joining the Attorney-General’s Department John practiced law in NSW, as a lawyer for the Aboriginal Legal Service and in private practice. He established the University of Newcastle Legal Centre and was Director of the Professional program in 1994. He was a part-time Presiding member of the Guardianship Tribunal for many years.

John has a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Sydney, and is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Canberra. He was awarded the Public Service Medal in the 2008 Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Influencing motivated professionals to make a difference

John Chisholm is a 3rd generation recovering lawyer, former partner, managing partner and CEO of 2 prestige Australian law firms, former Executive Chair (Melb) of a national accounting firm and previously Chair of Board of 3 law firms and a wealth management firm.

John established his own consultancy, John Chisholm Consulting, in 2005 to share his expertise and experience with professionals who look to maximise the wellbeing of their people, their firm’s business performance & their relationships with their clients. He now speaks, trains, facilitates, writes, coaches and consults in Australasia and internationally on firm management, strategy, innovation and pricing.

John is a Senior Fellow of the VeraSage Institute, an international think tank of thought leaders and innovators for professionals, a Fellow of the College Of Law Practice Management (US) and Adjunct Professor La Trobe Law School.

[email protected]
+61 (0) 419 763 391
www.chisconsult.com @ChisConsult

John has been CEO of Mills Oakley for fifteen years.

Armed with a mandate to position the firm as one of Australia’s most successful national law partnerships, John works closely with all partners to lead Mills Oakley’s overall direction and strategy. He has infused the firm with his own brand of energetic leadership and spirit to deliver on a vision of outstanding legal expertise and client service.

With his commitment to innovation both within the firm and externally via Mills Oakley’s partnership with Swinburne University’s Legal Futures Lab, John has developed a reputation as one of Australia’s most progressive legal CEOs.

Joseph Catanzariti AM is a Vice President of the Fair Work Commission, the national workplace relations tribunal.
Prior to his appointment to the Fair Work Commission, Joseph was a senior Partner of Clayton Utz and Practice Leader of the Workplace Relations, Employment and Safety Practice Group. Joseph was a trusted adviser to many of Australia’s leading companies and government departments. Joseph was also a highly experienced Commercial Litigator.

Joseph is a Visiting Professorial Fellow of the School of Law and the Faculty of Law at the University of New South Wales, and an Adjunct Associate Professor in Work and Organisational Studies, School of Business at Sydney University.

Joseph is the Chair of the College of Law.

Joseph is also co-author of Workplace Bullying published by LexisNexis.

He has previously held the positions of President of the Law Council of Australia, President of the NSW Law Society, Chair of the Workplace Committee of the Law Society of New South Wales (2000 - 2013), and Secretary of the Industrial Relations Society of Australia (1997-2011).

Joseph was awarded Life Time Recognition, Industrial Relations Society of Australia / Australian Labour and Employment Relations Association 2011, and the Industrial Relations Society of New South Wales in 2015.

Joseph is a fellow of the Academy of Law.

On 26 January 2016 Joseph was made a Member of the Order of Australia.

In January 2012 Jürgen Bröhmer joined the Law School of Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia as Dean and Professor of Law. Before joining Murdoch University he worked at the University of New England, in Armidale, NSW, Australia, having commenced there in 2006 and serving as Head of the Law School from 2007 to 2011. He received his law degree from Mannheim University in Germany and his doctorate and post-doctoral habilitation from Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany where worked at the Europa-Institute of Saarland University from 1992 to 2006 and where he continues to be part of the visiting faculty. His areas of expertise are German and comparative constitutional law, European Union law, public international law and international human rights law. Jürgen has authored two and co-authored one monograph in specific areas of public international (State Immunity and the Violation of Human Rights, Kluwer Law International, 1997), German constitutional and European Union Law (Transparency as a Constitutional Principle – Basic Law and European Union, Mohr Siebeck, 2004), edited a number of other books and published numerous articles and book chapters (details at www.jbroehmer.de).

Kara is the General Counsel and Manager Information Technology at Sustainability Victoria, a Victorian government agency. She is responsible for governance, contract management, procurement, grants, compliance, risk, information technology and legal issues as well as advising on, and contributing to, commercial and strategic issues.

Kara started her career in commercial litigation, specialising in insolvency and intellectual property. She previously worked at Minter Ellison and ran the University of Queensland Student Legal Service. Kara also worked as an arts producer and presenter for 20 years, including at the Melbourne International Arts Festival.

In 2017, Kara was awarded Government Lawyer of the Year by the Law Institute of Victoria.

Linda Baxter is the Director, Continuing Professional Development and part of the senior management team at Leo Cussen Centre for Law. Having previously been in private practice followed by a regulatory investigative role, Linda also writes materials and trains legal practitioners in Ethics & Professional Conduct.

Philip Gleed is a highly experienced corporate lawyer and law firm leader. He has been a law firm partner, principal or director for over 35 years; whilst he has been a Managing Partner, CEO & Managing Principal, Managing Director or Executive Head for over 25 years. Over his thirty nine years of practice as a lawyer, he has undertaken a broad gamut of commercial and corporate work for his clients.  He has high level advice and transactional experience in the areas of mergers & acquisitions, business advisory & strategy, corporate governance & restructuring, insurance & risk management, commercial litigation and employment law.

Rachel is general counsel and company secretary at Nine Entertainment Co. Holdings Limited, leading a team which manages the diverse array of legal issues which arise across the business. Prior to joining Nine Entertainment Co. in 2015, Rachel was a partner at Gilbert + Tobin for many years where she specialised in mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and compliance.

Rachel is a director and company secretary of Giant Steps, a charity which runs schools for children and young adults with autism in Sydney and Melbourne.

Rachel is an internationally-experienced financial services lawyer specialising in data, derivatives, asset management, life insurance and regulation.  She has recently joined the data consulting firm, D2 Legal Technology, as their Asia Pacific Lead heading up the business in the region.  Prior to this Rachel has worked as an in-house lawyer for Goldman Sachs, Westpac, Challenger Life and Allianz Retire+, and was General Counsel at fund manager Magellan Financial Group. 

In 2018, Rachel founded the NSW “First Hundred Years” initiative celebrating the centenary of women in law.  With an additional interest in music, Rachel has been a Board Director of Australia’s premier classical vocal ensemble, The Song Company, is currently on the Committee for Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Vanguard group, and is Governance Director for the International Women’s Forum Australia.

Rebecca has advised developers and landowners on industrial, commercial and residential development projects, is on the board of Mackillop Rural Community Services and now works as general counsel at PAYCE Consolidated Limited.

Simone is the CEO and Founding Partner of Lodestar Legal.

Simone has been recognised as being one of Australia’s leading lawyers, including having been awarded the " Excellence Award for Women in the Law”, "Sole Practitioner of the Year” and “Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals and Biotech Lawyer of the Year”. She has also been named a finalist for “General Counsel of the Year” and “FMCG Lawyer of the Year”.

Simone is a wildly experienced commercial and IP lawyer with a fascinating background in very senior in-house roles. She has a passion for business, with particular expertise in highly regulated and emerging industries, FMCG, IT, Health and Data Protection.

She’s a Registered Trade Mark Attorney, a Company Secretary, a Fellow of the Governance Institute and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

There’s barely a law been made that Simone hasn’t read, digested and turned into a colour-coded table with matching napkins.

Steven is a 19-year lawyer, having spent 10 years in-house at Hewlett-Packard working across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific, with several years as Vice President, South Pacific General Counsel and Group Secretary. Before that, he worked for Norton Rose and Baker McKenzie in London, Sydney and Cologne.

In 2017, Steven founded and is CEO of a consulting and solutions company, Gen2Law, specialising in helping legal departments, law firms and law companies innovate and transform to the next generation of legal and ops services through technology and process modernisation.

Steven speaks and writes frequently on the future of legal services, contributing to
publications by the AFR, Association of Corporate Counsel and “Remaking Law Firms” by George Beaton, published by the American Bar Association. He is a Committee Member for the Future of Law and Innovation in the Profession (FLIP) initiative of the Law Society of New South Wales and holds advisory board positions for the International Association of Contract and Commercial Management (IACCM) and several technology start-ups.

Trisha is a non-executive director, senior legal counsel and chartered secretary. She has significant experience in commercial and corporate law, compliance, governance, intellectual property and mergers and acquisitions. She is passionate about education, digital and social media and good corporate governance.

In 2019, Trisha was appointed to the Board of Directors and Board Advisory Committee of Australia’s leading youth services organisation, yourtown (formerly BoysTown). In addition, Trisha was the first Board appointed independent non-executive director of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society Ltd, a professional association representing over 10,000 natural medicine practitioners in 2017 and was promoted to Vice President in January 2020. She is also a member of three sub-committees of the Board as follows: (i) Finance, Audit and Compliance; (ii) Marketing; and (iii) Regulatory Committees.

Trisha is a Past President and served as a non-executive director of Governance Institute of Australia Limited for a decade. She continues to be an active member of the Institute, including as Chair of the Chant Legacy and Scholarship Award Committee which awards scholarships each year from profits generated by the Leonard Chant Trust. Trisha is a Fellow of Governance Institute of Australia and a Fellow of the Institute of Company Secretaries and Administrators.

In addition, she was an Adjunct Fellow in Governance at the School of Law, Western Sydney University from January 2015 until December 2019. She is also a Member of the Association of Corporate Counsel - Australia, the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Law Society of New South Wales and Women on Boards.

Troy Swan is the Chief Legal Officer, Company Secretary and Board Member of the $1.4billion office products company Winc Australia & New Zealand. Winc was formed following the acquisition of Staples & OfficeMax by US based private equity firm Platinum Equity.

He has been publicly recognised as one of Australia's leading corporate lawyers and was named the 2017 Australian Lawyer of the Year (FMCG) and a General Counsel of the Year finalist in both 2016 and 2017. He became only the second Australian lawyer to win the prestigious International Value Champions Award in San Francisco and was recently named in Washington, the Association of Corporate Counsel Member of the Year, from over 43,000 lawyers worldwide for his commitment to the legal community and profession. This was the first time this honour was ever awarded to a lawyer outside America.

Known for his business judgment, he is highly active within the Sydney legal and business community. He is a regular speaker and media commentator on legal affairs, innovation and large scale legal service delivery models and leads an award winning legal team based in Sydney.