Advance Your Career by Being Board Ready
Ever thought about expanding your career choices and considering a board role but not sure how? In this unique webinar you will inform yourself on what it means to be board ready. The satisfaction and rewards you can receive will advance your career and give you that added something as a practicing solicitor. Be guided by those who have experience and have reaped the benefits firsthand, and understand the skills needed and how to avoid any risks along the way. WEB229N66
Description
Attend and earn 4 CPD units including:
1 unit in Ethics & Professional Responsibility
1 unit in Practice Management & Business Skills
2 units in Professional Skills
This program is applicable to practitioners from all States & Territories
Chair: Kirsten Mander, Chair, Legalsuper; Chair; Non Executive Director and Chair, Audit and Risk Committee and MePACs Committee, Peninsula Health
Professional Skills
1.15pm to 2.15pm 7 Reasons why a Board Role is Good for Your Career and How to Get There
- 7 reasons why boards are good for your career
- Setting a plan
- Where do you want to go?
- Which board is right for you?
- Pathways for lawyers
- Steps to take to get onto a board
- WOB Quiz exercise
- Marketing yourself
- Turning your professional profile into a board CV
- Mistakes to avoid
- Sample board CV
Presented by Ruth Medd, Executive Chair, Women on Boards
Professional Skills
2.15pm to 3.15pm Diversity as a Director and a Lawyer
- Review case studies
- Reflect on the role of advisor and non-executive
- Consider strategy, commerciality, culture and risk in decision making and legal advice
- Answer the question whether being a lawyer (and perhaps a litigator) can make you a better director: or is it the other way around?
Presented by Caroline Hutchinson, Principal Director, Coleman Greig Lawyers
3.15pm to 3.30pm Afternoon Tea
Practice Management and Business Skills
3.30pm to 4.30pm Fundraising: Leveraging Your Skills for Board Activities
- Hear how you can contribute more than your legal skills to really make a difference to the board on which you serve
- The case for lawyers to be actively involved in fundraising pursuits on behalf of the board (we will take you through case studies of lawyers that have successfully delved into fundraising as part of their board role)
- How you can use your advocacy skills to support the CEO drive funding and in-kind support to benefit the organisation
Presented by Catherine Brooks, Senior Adviser, Wendy Brooks and Partners; Co-Chair, Human Rights Watch Australia; Board Chair of InLife Independent Living Ltd and Board Director of a number of organisations
Ethics and Professional Responsibility
4.30pm to 5.30pm Avoiding Legal, Ethical and Career Risks as a Director
- Skills lawyers can bring to Boards
- The importance of clarifying roles when directors are also lawyers
- Identifying potential conflicts of interest quickly
- Protecting legal professional privilege
- Avoiding risks
- Insurance considerations
- Why be a NED?
Presented by Sonia Petering, Principal, Sonia Petering Lawyer; Chair, Virtus Health Ltd (ASX:VRT); Non Executive Director & Chair of Board Remuneration Nominations & People Committee, TAL Life Australia; Non Executive Director & Chair of Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee Qantm IP Pty Ltd (ASX:QIP); Water Board Appointment Panel Member, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, Chair of Qantm IP Pty Ltd (ASX:QIP)
Presenters
Kirsten Mander
Kirsten Mander is an experienced director, executive and lawyer. She has over 30 years' experience in the financial services, health and minerals sectors within Australia and internationally. She is currently chair of legalsuper, the superannuation fund for Australia’s legal community, and a director of Peninsula Health and chair of its Audit and Risk and MePACS Committees. She was formerly chair of the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority, the International Women’s Development Agency and a director on various boards including the Law Institute of Victoria and chair of its Ethics Committee. Prior to this she had over 20 years’ experience as a senior executive, general counsel & company secretary for a number of Australia's top companies in various sectors, namely Australian Unity, Sigma Pharmaceuticals, TRUenergy, Smorgon Steel Group and Western Mining, working throughout Australasia, Asia and the former Soviet Union. She holds a Master of Laws from Melbourne University and is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Governance Institute of Australia.
Ruth Medd
Ruth is an experienced director; Chair of Women on Boards, Health and Sciences Institute Pty Ltd and the Australian Chocolate Pty Ltd as well as Trustee, NSW Historic Houses Trust and a Board Member, National Foundation for Australian Women. Ruth is a Certified Practicing Accountant and former IT professional. As a founder of Women on Boards with Claire Braund she has been instrumental in supporting many thousands of women to become board members. She maintains wide interests, including in the start-up sector and angel investing as well as her other board and committee roles. Ruth was previously the chair of Australian Ethical Superannuation, a member of the NSW Casino Control Authority and a director of the Infants Home at Ashfield.
Caroline Hutchinson
Caroline Hutchinson is a Principal Lawyer and Accredited Specialist who leads Coleman Greig’s Commercial Litigation Team. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. With extensive experience in litigation, Caroline and her dynamic team deal with a wide variety of issues from contractual disputes to intellectual property proceedings, misleading and deceptive conduct through to insolvency matters. Caroline brings to the benefit of her clients a pragmatic perspective and has advised on large-scale commercial projects, complex contractual disputes and litigation, and worked with national clients in various sectors including Australian subsidiaries of multinationals. Caroline is well-placed to assist in mitigating the risks involving the effects of litigation on a company’s corporate profile with her keen grasp of commercial realities and comprehensive understanding of the differing legislative requirements across the various Australian states. She is highly knowledgeable and has expert skills, in alternative dispute resolution processes, pursuing the resolution of disputes in the environments of both threatened and ongoing litigation.
Catherine Brooks
Catherine is passionate about working in the not-for-profit space in her role as Senior Advisor at Wendy Brooks & Partners. Catherine helps organisations amplify their impact through strategic fundraising and via her volunteer role as Council Member for Institute for Community Directors Australia and Board Director of Her Place. Catherine spent the first 12 years of her professional life as a practicing lawyer with a range of top tier and boutique law firms, specialising in employment law and working with not-for-profits in the areas of governance and strategic workforce planning. Catherine is also the author of a book, “Let’s make it work, baby!’, a guide to help other parents work flexibly and achieve their personal and professional goals. Catherine has been facilitating and training boards and senior executive staff for over a decade and loves helping organisations maximise impact in the best interests of those they serve. As a woman living with a disability, she is a proud advocate for equal rights and is proudly raising two feminist boys.
Sonia Petering
Sonia runs her own broadly based commercial legal practice with a particular specialty in representing landowners of native vegetation in their negotiations with ASX listed and other companies on native vegetation offset agreements. Sonia is also an experienced non executive director and Chair in various highly regulated sectors of professional services, financial services and insurance and healthcare. Currently, she is Chair of ASX listed QantmIP Limited; and a non executive director of TAL Dai Ichi Life Australia Pty Ltd. Sonia is a member of and chairs various board committees - including Remuneration and Audit and Risk Committees. Sonia has previously served as Chair of Virtus Health Ltd, Rural Finance Corporation, and board member of Transport Accident Commission and Cuscal. Sonia served as a member of the Hazelwood Mine Fire Inquiry with Justice Bernard Teague and Professor John Catford, submitting their final report to the Governor of Victoria in August 2014. Sonia completed her law and commerce degrees (LLB and B. Com) at the University of Melbourne. In other roles, Sonia recently assisted the State Government Minister for Water as one of the members of the selection panel for the Water Corporation Board appointments interviewing many aspiring board members. Sonia is also a member of the University of Melbourne Law School Foundation. Sonia is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and Chief Executive Women.