FINALISTS FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CORPORATE
LAWYER AWARDS 2026
Recognising leadership, excellence in legal services and the contribution made by in-house lawyers
General Counsel of the Year
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WINNER
JOANNA CAPPELLUTI General Counsel EssilorLuxottica
Joanna is General Counsel for EssilorLuxottica in ANZ, leading its legal team to support the group's retail and wholesale operations across the ANZ region.
Before that, Joanna worked for GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare for 16 years in its London headquarters before returning to work in Australia for Mondelez and national retailer Myer in their Melbourne head offices. Joanna's career started at leading Australian law firms in their general commercial and litigation divisions.
Joanna has extensive experience across a broad range of industries, including FMCG, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, retail and e-commerce, manufacturing, wholesale and consumer goods. Her experiences include leadership roles on management teams, and appointments to industry bodies such as the British Brands Group and ISBA in the UK.
Joanna has supported businesses in various markets including UK & Ireland, Sub-Saharan Africa and ANZ across a broad range of domestic and cross-border matters, including M&A, corporate transactions, litigation and regulatory investigations.
Joanna is admitted to practice in NSW, and England & Wales.
WINNER
JOHANNA O'ROURKE Group General Counsel & Company Secretary ASX
Johanna O’Rourke is ASX’s Group General Counsel and Company Secretary, leading the organisation’s legal, governance, company secretariat and regulatory policy functions. A highly respected legal and governance leader with more than 25 years’ experience across in-house, private practice and international roles, Jo is a trusted adviser to the ASX Board and Executive Team on complex strategic, regulatory and transformation matters. Since joining ASX in 2021 and being appointed Group General Counsel and Company Secretary in January 2023, she has played a central role in supporting ASX’s position as the operator and steward of Australia’s critical financial market infrastructure.
Jo has led ASX’s legal response to major regulatory inquiries and proceedings, strengthened governance frameworks, and guided the organisation through significant change while balancing legal risk, stakeholder expectations and commercial objectives. Known for her strategic, principled and empowering leadership style, she has built high-performing teams and fostered a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement. A strong advocate for the value of in-house legal teams and diversity, Johanna is committed to excellence in legal practice, corporate governance and ethical leadership, and is dedicated to helping organisations navigate complexity with confidence and integrity.
WINNER
RACHEL LAUNDERS General Counsel & Company Secretary Nine Entertainment Co.
Rachel Launders is General Counsel & Company Secretary of Nine Entertainment Co, leading a team of lawyers who provide the wide array of legal services needed for a multi platform media company, including content acquisition, technology, privacy, employment, pre-publication and defamation advice, and dispute management. Rachel has been at the heart of a number of business defining transactions during her time at Nine, including the merger with Fairfax, acquisition of QMS, numerous NRL rights deals, the Olympic Games rights and Paralympic Games rights acquisitions, and disposal of various businesses.
Before joining Nine, Rachel was a partner at Gilbert + Tobin for 13 years, specialising in M&A and corporate transactions. Before G+T, Rachel worked for a number of government organisations, including ASIC.
In addition to her legal roles, Rachel has been an active supporter of numerous charities, serving on Not for Profit boards including (currently) Giant Steps (which runs programs for people with autism in Sydney and Melbourne) and the City Recital Hall in Sydney (as Chair).
In-house Lawyer of the Year
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WINNER
TARA VARNAVIDES Senior Legal Counsel Mastercard
Since qualifying as an Australian solicitor, Tara has guided multinational corporations to drive regulatory development, navigate complex legal issues, and champion technological innovation in Australia, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. Tara currently advises upon the implementation of cutting-edge solutions in the Australian New Zealand and Pacific Islands payments sector.
Tara’s experience includes negotiating complex commercial arrangements, dealing with issues of market competition, responding to regulatory developments, guiding corporations through contentious disputes and litigation, and championing innovation in a rapidly evolving payments sector. Tara also advises upon marketing activations across some of Australia’s and New Zealand’s largest sporting events.
Tara has obtained a Master of Laws at the University of Cambridge specialising in regulation of artificial intelligence, developing technologies and intellectual property. Tara has also completed her Company Directors course with the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Tara is actively involved in volunteering and pro-bono work in the Australian community, and is an advocate for global sustainability initiatives such as the Priceless Planet Coalition.
WINNER
SARAH LANG Senior Corporate Counsel St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
Sarah is a senior corporate, commercial and property lawyer specialising in front end transactional law and major projects. Sarah joined St Vincent's in 2019 having been drawn to its mission and purpose to lead the sector in providing excellent accessible and equitable healthcare, with an emphasis on marginalised populations.
WINNER
VIJHAI GRAYAN Senior Legal Counsel APAC Avepoint
Vijhai Grayan is Senior Legal Counsel APAC at AvePoint, the sole legal counsel for the NASDAQ-listed company's operations across Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. He works at the intersection of AI trust and data governance, helping Australia's largest companies and government agencies adopt AI safely and protect their data.
At AvePoint, he has redesigned legal workflows around AI, including building self-serve AI agents and automations that cut inbound legal requests and reduced contract turnaround time.
He is the Sydney University Future Leaders Scholar and recently won the Kahneman-Thaler Prize for his research on cognitive bias in AI-assisted decisions, with a focus on how these biases have led to protracted legal negotiations. His wider writing spans the barriers to AI adoption in community legal centres and the case for AI incident response plans within in-house legal teams, and he is currently researching AI's impact on legal professional privilege.
As Special Advisor on AI to Community Legal Centres Australia, the peak body for the national community legal sector, he authored a paper proposing its national AI strategy and drafted the pilot project plan that secured $1.3M in government funding for the sector. He also sits on CLCA's National AI Advisory Group.
Sole Legal Officer of the Year
WINNER
COURTENAY WILLIS Chief Counsel Nando's
Courtenay Willis is Chief Counsel for Nando’s ANZ. In her role she is responsible for legal and governance matters and leads legal strategy across the multi jurisdictional business spanning franchising, retail and property. A trusted adviser to the executive team, she aligns legal frameworks with commercial objectives.
With expertise in governance, corporate law and compliance, Courtenay delivers pragmatic, business focused legal solutions that enable growth while maintaining strong regulatory discipline. She is recognised for embedding a culture of positive compliance and ethical business practice, positioning legal as a strategic partner to the organisation.
Courtenay also contributes to the broader legal community through leadership roles within the ACC and governance-focused volunteer work, including acting as Company Secretary for Bicycles for Humanity, Melbourne.
WINNER
MAYA POLLAK Head of Legal Atelier
Maya Pollak is Head of Legal at Atelier, where she established the legal function and advises on the legal and commercial issues shaping one of Australia's fastest-growing technology companies. She partners with founders and executives across global supply chain strategy, commercial contracting, AI and venture capital.
Maya began her career at Allens in mergers and acquisitions before moving in-house to a global private investment company, where she advised on private M&A transactions and oversaw the legal affairs of packaging and manufacturing businesses across Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Europe.
She later became the first Head of Legal, Risk and Compliance at Stake, where she built the legal, risk and compliance function from the ground up, established the company's AML/CTF and compliance frameworks, negotiated strategic commercial partnerships, and supported multiple capital raises, including approximately A$90 million from leading venture capital investors.
Across each stage of her career, Maya has built legal functions from first principles, helping high-growth businesses scale, secure investment and navigate complex regulatory environments. She is recognised for delivering commercially pragmatic legal advice that enables innovation while managing risk.
For-Purpose Lawyer of the Year
WINNER
GEOFF BAKER Senior Legal Counsel Uniting NSW.ACT
Geoff Baker is a Senior Legal Counsel at Uniting NSW.ACT with extensive experience across both the government and not-for-profit sectors. Driven by a strong sense of purpose, Geoff is committed to using the law as a practical tool for positive social impact, helping organisations navigate complex legal and regulatory challenges while remaining focused on the people and communities they serve.
Guided by the principles of fairness, integrity and social justice, Geoff provides strategic legal advice across governance, compliance, risk management, privacy, procurement, aged care and commercial matters. His work supports Uniting’s diverse range of services, including aged care, retirement and independent living communities, disability services, mental health services, early learning, youth and family support, homelessness services, community and social programs, and advocacy initiatives across New South Wales and the ACT.
Geoff is passionate about ensuring that legal and governance frameworks do more than manage risk. He believes they should enable organisations to uphold dignity, protect vulnerable people and deliver meaningful outcomes for those who rely on their services. This commitment aligns closely with Uniting’s mission to disrupt entrenched disadvantage and create a more just and inclusive society.
Known for his collaborative approach and practical problem-solving, Geoff works closely with leaders, operational teams and stakeholders to deliver practical, values-driven solutions.
WINNER
SAMANTHA LENNOX General Counsel & Company Secretary Cancer Council Queensland
Samantha Lennox is General Counsel and Company Secretary at Cancer Council Queensland, where she leads the organisation’s legal, governance and risk functions and advises the Executive and Board on complex legal, regulatory and governance matters. Since joining Cancer Council Queensland in 2011, Samantha has become a trusted adviser known for clear judgment, practical communication and values-driven advice that helps a purpose-led organisation operate with confidence and impact.
Her work spans contracts, privacy, intellectual property, research, governance, compliance, risk, disputes, investigations and legal operations. She has led significant initiatives to strengthen organisational capability, including fit-for-purpose legal systems, matter and contract management improvements, templates, training, self-service tools and a pro bono legal advice and secondment panel to extend access to specialist legal support.
Samantha is also active in the not-for-profit legal sector, contributing to discussions on practical legal and governance challenges facing purpose-led organisations. Before moving in-house, she worked in private practice in Sydney, Singapore and London. She holds degrees in Law with Honours and Arts and brings more than 20 years’ legal, governance, risk and compliance experience to her role.
WINNER
SARAH LANG Senior Corporate Counsel St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
Sarah is a senior corporate, commercial and property lawyer specialising in front end transactional law and major projects. Sarah joined St Vincent's in 2019 having been drawn to its mission and purpose to lead the sector in providing excellent accessible and equitable healthcare, with an emphasis on marginalised populations.
WINNER
KATRIN O'SULLIVAN Global General Counsel The Fred Hollows Foundation
Katrin O’Sullivan is an award-winning legal and strategic leader with more than 20 years’ experience across the international development, humanitarian and not-for-profit sectors. She serves as Legal, Governance, Risk and Compliance Director and Global General Counsel at The Fred Hollows Foundation, a leading international NGO operating in over 25 countries with annual revenue exceeding AUD $130 million.
In this role, Katrin leads the Foundation’s legal, governance, risk, compliance, safeguarding, integrity and internal audit functions, providing strategic oversight of organisational accountability, ethical practice and enterprise risk management across global operations.
Katrin holds an LL.B (Hons) from the University of Sydney, an LL.M from University College London, and has completed executive education at Harvard Business School. Prior to joining the Foundation, she worked with the German Foreign Office and the United Nations, serving in Geneva, New York, Dubai, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Berlin. She established and led the UN legal function for the Middle East, Africa and Asia and later served as Acting Director of the Indonesia Office following the 2004 tsunami.
Katrin also serves on the ACNC Legal and Governance as well as Thomson Reuters Consultation Panel and is a guest lecturer at the University of Sydney Law School.
New-to-In-house Lawyer of the Year
WINNER
LING LI CHONG Legal Counsel Accor
Ling Li Chong is a Legal Counsel for Accor in the Pacific, bringing a foreign law background and cross-jurisdictional perspective to the team. She serves on the Global Operations Expert Committee and the Pacific Climate Risk and Reporting Committee, and is the legal lead on compliance with sustainability reporting obligations and modern slavery reporting. Ling acts as legal counsel on Accor's community fund partnership with The Domestic Violence Collective.
Joining the Accor Pacific legal team in March 2025, she quickly established herself as a trusted adviser to the business, adapting rapidly to a new industry, local market standards and regulatory requirements including franchising law and unfair contract terms legislation. Ling mentors a junior lawyer based on the Gold Coast from her Sydney office, bridging geographic distance to build a unified legal team. She is known for her pragmatic, commercially focused perspective.
WINNER
BRITTANY FLOWER Legal Counsel | Sanitarium Health Food Company
Brittany Flower is Legal Counsel at Sanitarium Health Food Company and has quickly become one of the most trusted members of our legal team. After beginning her career in private practice, she made the move in-house and has embraced the opportunity with remarkable energy, curiosity and determination.
In just 2.5 years, Brittany has developed expertise across a broad range of areas including commercial contracts, intellectual property, governance, marketing and regulatory matters. She is known for her practical, solutions-focused approach and her ability to partner with stakeholders across the business to achieve outcomes that are both legally sound and commercially effective.
What truly sets Brittany apart is her willingness to step up wherever she is needed. During a recent period of significant change within the team, she seamlessly took on responsibilities well beyond her role, ensuring the business continued to receive outstanding support. She has led strategic projects, established valuable resources and training for the business, and played a key role in supporting new team members.
Brittany is generous with her time, highly respected by colleagues and deeply committed to helping others succeed. Her combination of technical skills, commercial judgment and genuine care for people makes her an exceptional in-house lawyer.
WINNER
SAM GILLIS Senior Legal Counsel Gold Fields
Sam joined Gold Fields in November 2024 as Senior Legal Counsel, following a six-month secondment from Ashurst. Prior to joining Gold Fields, he spent nearly eight years in private practice, first at Allens and then at Ashurst.
Sam specialises in mining, energy and resources law, with a particular focus on land tenure and access, native title and Aboriginal heritage, environmental law, and construction and procurement contracting.
Since joining Gold Fields, Sam has broadened his experience across safety and employment law, as well as financial and reporting regulations in Australia.
Outside of work, Sam and his wife recently welcomed their first child, Theo, who is nearly 12 months old and keeps them very busy. When he’s not working or parenting, Sam enjoys playing golf, hockey and soccer, travelling with family and friends, and spending long, relaxing mornings at the beach.
Risk & Governance Excellence Award
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WINNER
BIANCA XERRI Director, Compliance & Data Protection | Thales Australia
Bianca is Director, Compliance and Data Protection at Thales Australia & New Zealand working across defence, air traffic management and cybersecurity. She covers compliance risk, ethics and integrity, and privacy and digital, and also serves as the Privacy Officer.
She’s spent her whole career in house, starting as a legal assistant and paralegal before moving into legal counsel roles in insurance and financial services. She later shifted into the defence and technology sector to apply the regulatory experience she’d built, and has stayed in house because she values being close to the business.
Bianca is known for a collaborative, practical approach - weighing not just the legal position but what makes sense for the organisation and its risk appetite. At Thales, she developed the company’s compliance risk management framework and led its ISO 37001 anti bribery recertification, work recognised by both internal and external auditors and shared across the Group’s global compliance network.
Outside work, Bianca spends time in community service roles, where she applies the same practical legal, risk and governance skills.
WINNER
KATRIN O'SULLIVAN Global General Counsel The Fred Hollows Foundation
Katrin O’Sullivan is an award-winning legal and strategic leader with more than 20 years’ experience across the international development, humanitarian and not-for-profit sectors. She serves as Legal, Governance, Risk and Compliance Director and Global General Counsel at The Fred Hollows Foundation, a leading international NGO operating in over 25 countries with annual revenue exceeding AUD $130 million.
In this role, Katrin leads the Foundation’s legal, governance, risk, compliance, safeguarding, integrity and internal audit functions, providing strategic oversight of organisational accountability, ethical practice and enterprise risk management across global operations.
Katrin holds an LL.B (Hons) from the University of Sydney, an LL.M from University College London, and has completed executive education at Harvard Business School. Prior to joining the Foundation, she worked with the German Foreign Office and the United Nations, serving in Geneva, New York, Dubai, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Berlin. She established and led the UN legal function for the Middle East, Africa and Asia and later served as Acting Director of the Indonesia Office following the 2004 tsunami.
Katrin also serves on the ACNC Legal and Governance as well as Thomson Reuters Consultation Panel and is a guest lecturer at the University of Sydney Law School.
WINNER
COURTENAY WILLIS Chief Counsel Nando's
Courtenay Willis is Chief Counsel for Nando’s ANZ. In her role she is responsible for legal and governance matters and leads legal strategy across the multi jurisdictional business spanning franchising, retail and property. A trusted adviser to the executive team, she aligns legal frameworks with commercial objectives.
With expertise in governance, corporate law and compliance, Courtenay delivers pragmatic, business focused legal solutions that enable growth while maintaining strong regulatory discipline. She is recognised for embedding a culture of positive compliance and ethical business practice, positioning legal as a strategic partner to the organisation.
Courtenay also contributes to the broader legal community through leadership roles within the ACC and governance-focused volunteer work, including acting as Company Secretary for Bicycles for Humanity, Melbourne.
Culture & Impact Award
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WINNER
SBS LEGAL TEAM
The SBS Legal Team is a centralised team providing strategic, holistic and commercially savvy legal advisory services and guidance across all SBS divisions and SBS corporate areas.
The team works collaboratively with SBS teams in an enabling way. Building relationships with clients to understand and anticipate their needs, while providing opportunities to build internal legal knowledge and awareness in order to empower clients to achieve their goals.
WINNER
THERESA JENNINGS Senior Legal Advisor Cancer Council Queensland
Thersa Jennings began her legal career as a student volunteer at Cancer Council Queensland (CCQ). Following Admission, she joined the CCQ Legal team where she has recently celebrated 10 years. She provides advice across contracts, intellectual property, deceased estates and privacy compliance.
Theresa was diagnosed with bilateral hearing loss at 11 and is moderately-severely deaf. She is a founding member of the Queensland Law Society’s Disability and Accessibility Network and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Queensland Law Society’s Equity and Diversity Committee.
She is an active speaker and contributor on diversity and accessibility, participating in panels about diversity in the legal profession, and presents to university audiences and appears on podcasts. She has contributed to law reform discussions, including a submission to the Chief Justice of Queensland on court accessibility for people with disabilities.
Theresa promotes inclusive, open-minded legal practice that supports all members of the legal profession.
WINNER
ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY LEGAL TEAM
The Adelaide University Legal Team is redefining what excellence in an in-house legal function looks like. The team played a central role in creating Adelaide University, delivering the legal framework that enabled one of the most significant transformations in Australian higher education.
But its impact extends beyond the University itself. Through a pioneering internship program, the team is investing in the next generation of lawyers, providing Adelaide University law students with real-world legal experience, mentoring and practical skills that help them transition confidently into the profession.
Combining strategic expertise and a strong commitment to service, the Adelaide University Legal Team is recognised not only for legal excellence, but for creating lasting impact across the University and the wider legal profession.
Legal Innovation & Operations Excellence Award
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WINNER
REBECCA GRANT Manager, Legal Technology & Operations | Crown Resorts
Rebecca is a strategic leader with more than 15 years’ experience at the intersection of law, technology, compliance and operations. Admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Victoria and the High Court of Australia, her career has spanned criminal and civil litigation, regulatory investigations, intelligence operations, surveillance, digital forensics and legal technology.
As Manager, Legal Technology & Operations at Crown Resorts, Rebecca leads initiatives that enhance legal service delivery through process improvement, automation, data analytics and enterprise technology. She has built in-house legal technology solutions, developed self-service tools and playbooks, led large-scale legal transformation programs, and delivered enterprise-wide technology projects spanning matter management, contract lifecycle management, eDiscovery and legal knowledge management.
Rebecca is passionate about helping legal teams move beyond traditional service delivery models by combining legal expertise, technology and operational excellence to create practical, scalable solutions that improve efficiency, strengthen governance and deliver measurable business value.
She is a strong believer in appropriate and balanced innovation rather than technology for technology’s sake, recognising that the user journey and change management process are critical to successful implementation. Rebecca advocates for practical solutions that meet the needs of the organisation, acknowledging that sometimes a free solution, such as Power Apps, can be more effective than a lengthy procurement process for a custom-built solution.
WINNER
MCCAIN FOODS (AUST) LEGAL TEAM
The McCain Australia Legal Team is a high-performing, commercially focused in-house legal function supporting McCain Foods’ Australian business across manufacturing, agriculture, supply chain, and retail operations. Based in Melbourne and integrated closely with ANZ leadership, the team provides strategic legal support spanning commercial contracting, regulatory compliance, employment, competition and consumer law, and dispute resolution.
In recent years, the team has undertaken a significant transformation to modernise legal service delivery through its MLIFT (McCain Legal Innovation For Tomorrow) program. This includes embedding legal operations capability, implementing AI-enabled tools such as Spellbook and Microsoft Copilot, and developing LegalLink, a business-facing knowledge platform that enhances accessibility to legal guidance and resources.
The team is recognised for its pragmatic, risk-based advice and strong partnership with the business, enabling faster, more informed decision-making. It has also played a leadership role in driving digital adoption, improving knowledge management, and strengthening governance across ANZ operations.
Through innovation, collaboration, and a focus on operational excellence, the McCain Australia Legal Team has evolved into a scalable, digitally enabled function delivering measurable value to the business and positioning McCain Legal as a trusted strategic partner.
WINNER
VERNON TING Legal Counsel Brighter Super
Vernon Ting is Legal Counsel at Brighter Super, where he provides strategic legal advice across superannuation, financial services regulation, trustee governance, commercial contracting, member matters and dispute resolution. In this role, he helps the business navigate complex legal and regulatory issues, manage risk effectively, and make sound, well-informed decisions.
Known for his clear, considered and commercially grounded approach, Vernon works closely with teams across the business to turn legal complexity into practical outcomes. He combines strong technical legal analysis with an understanding of business context, regulatory expectations and member impacts.
Alongside his legal advisory role, Vernon has led a significant legal operations uplift within Brighter Super’s lean legal team. Working without dedicated legal operations resources, administrative support, external developers or project funding, he independently designed and built an integrated Legal Operations platform using SharePoint, Power Automate and Power BI. The platform uses structured intake forms, centralised registers and automated workflows to create legal matter records, generate folders, file documents, notify lawyers and stakeholders, manage contract records, trigger renewal reminders and support real-time reporting. This has helped move legal work away from email-based administration and manual filing into more consistent, automated and reportable workflows. In doing so, Vernon taught himself the technical capability required to create practical tools that improved how legal work is captured, managed, filed, reported and delivered.
Outside of Brighter Super, Vernon serves as director and Vice-President of the Asian Australian Lawyers Association (AALA). In this role, he contributes to AALA’s work in supporting Asian Australian lawyers, strengthening professional connections, and promoting greater representation within the legal profession.
WINNER
HARRISON.AI LEGAL TEAM
The Harrison.ai Legal team is made up of five people, four lawyers and a dedicated Legal Operations Specialist, supporting a clinician-led healthcare AI company operating across more than 40 countries and six SaaS regions. Over the past two years the team has rebuilt how legal services are delivered, on the principle that a global commercial team needs legal available 24/7.
That rebuild rests on continuous process work. A self-service contract suite in LawVu lets commercial teams generate the right agreement without waiting for legal, supported by business-wide training and regular template updates shaped by what teams need. This year's flagship was the Lite Contract, a single clickwrap acceptance agreement that compressed sales cycles from months to days.
Guidance is captured once and reused: knowledge articles in LawVu, surfaced through Pensieve (our internal AI tool), let the business self-serve common questions, which leaves time for bigger strategic work. Consistent contract and matter data keeps reporting live, giving the executive team a clear view of contract load, volume and cycle times.
The team is AI-native rather than AI-curious: Harvey AI is embedded in contract review and mark-up, and an AI-compiled weekly report tracks actions and movement in legal software and practices.
More Than a Lawyer Award
WINNER
KATRIN O'SULLIVAN Global General Counsel The Fred Hollows Foundation
Katrin O’Sullivan is an award-winning legal and strategic leader with more than 20 years’ experience across the international development, humanitarian and not-for-profit sectors. She serves as Legal, Governance, Risk and Compliance Director and Global General Counsel at The Fred Hollows Foundation, a leading international NGO operating in over 25 countries with annual revenue exceeding AUD $130 million.
In this role, Katrin leads the Foundation’s legal, governance, risk, compliance, safeguarding, integrity and internal audit functions, providing strategic oversight of organisational accountability, ethical practice and enterprise risk management across global operations.
Katrin holds an LL.B (Hons) from the University of Sydney, an LL.M from University College London, and has completed executive education at Harvard Business School. Prior to joining the Foundation, she worked with the German Foreign Office and the United Nations, serving in Geneva, New York, Dubai, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Berlin. She established and led the UN legal function for the Middle East, Africa and Asia and later served as Acting Director of the Indonesia Office following the 2004 tsunami.
Katrin also serves on the ACNC Legal and Governance as well as Thomson Reuters Consultation Panel and is a guest lecturer at the University of Sydney Law School.
WINNER
RAY MARSHALL General Counsel & VP Compliance & IT Octopus Deploy
Ray is a legal and technology executive who builds trust at scale.
At Octopus Deploy Ray leads four business functions and a multidisciplinary team of 18 across four countries and eight time zones. He is responsible for Legal, Information GRC, IT Operations, and Revenue Operations - in essence, everything involved in ensuring Octopus has and maintains its customers' trust from order through to delivery.
Since joining Octopus as head of Legal, Ray has supported the 3x growth of the company to over $80m USD / $115m AUD ARR and 300+ people globally.
Ray's approach is to tightly integrate business operations with legal decision-making to ensure legal adapts as the company grows and the growth of the company is scalable at speed. Applying his legal skills to management, he is a quick study and effective advocate for accelerating functions.
Ray and his legal team have been nominated for and won numerous awards and accolades, including Corporate Counsel Awards' Best Performance by a Team in Cyber Security Management (2026, 2025) and Defense Security and/or Cyber Lawyer of the Year (2024), and named as one of Doyle's Guide's Leading In-House Intellectual Property & TMT Lawyers in Australia in 2025.
WINNER
KIRSTEN KIEL-CHISHOLM Director - Legal Services Translational Research Institute
Kirsten Kiel-Chisholm is the General Counsel and Company Secretary of the Translational Research Institute (TRI), one of Australia's leading translational medical research institutes. Kirsten is also Chief Risk Officer, Chief Audit Executive and Chief Strategy Officer as well as having governance oversight of the TRI Foundation. Kirsten’s broad portfolio positions her to lead enterprise-wide initiatives that shape TRI's strategic direction and long-term success.
Kirsten’s role of General Counsel is one of enterprise leadership. She has strengthened executive governance, integrated enterprise risk and assurance, and helped transform the TRI Foundation into an active strategic vehicle for philanthropy. Her leadership supports an organisation that enables approximately 1,500 researchers and clinicians to translate scientific discoveries into improved health outcomes through laboratory research, biomanufacturing and clinical trials.
Kirsten has more than 25 years' experience as a corporate and commercial lawyer in Australia and the United States. She is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia, In-house Counsel Certified, a graduate of the Harvard University Corporate Director Certificate, and has been recognised as one of Australia's Top 100 Governance Professionals. She is also a member of the MSHHS Human Research Ethics Committee and serves on the Board of Benevolent Living, an aged care provider.
Small Legal Team of the Year Award
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WINNER
GRANT THORNTON AUSTRALIA IN-HOUSE LEGAL TEAM
The Grant Thornton Australia In-House Legal Team comprises Amy Dodd (General Counsel), Clare Ryan (Senior Legal Counsel) and Cayleigh Kavanagh (Contract Administrator). The in-house legal function only having been established only in the last few years, the team of three supports more than 1,500 stakeholders nationally across commercial contracts, procurement, governance, privacy, risk, regulatory matters, litigation and strategic initiatives.
The past six months have marked a period of significant evolution for the team. By combining a shared commitment to innovation, the team has reimagined how legal services are delivered across the firm. Working collaboratively, they have implemented new technologies, self-service resources, service standards and process improvements that have enhanced efficiency, strengthened stakeholder engagement and elevated the role of Legal as a strategic business partner. The team's mission is to provide commercially focused, risk-balanced advice that enables growth at pace.
WINNER
LINEAGE ASIA-PACIFIC LEGAL TEAM
Off the back of a period of rapid M&A growth, Lineage listed on the NASDAQ (Ticker: LINE), raising USD 4.4B in the largest global IPO of 2024.
As strategic, agile in-house partners, the Asia Pacific Legal team, comprising Katrina Bobeff, Josh Blue and Ayesha Singh, apply their collaborative, solutions-focused approach to cement Lineage's place as the world’s largest and most innovative temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics company.
Leveraging the trust and partnership they have forged from the warehouse floor to the C-suite, this dynamic team of just three lawyers supports all aspects of Lineage’s Asia Pacific business spanning a complex network of 89 warehouse operations across 6 countries (Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Singapore, Sri Lanka and China), 3,000+ customers, 2,500+ employees, 200+ transport assets and AUD 540M annual revenue.
The Asia Pacific Legal team are versatile high-performers known for going above and beyond to deliver in-house legal excellence that is values driven, innovative, strategically aligned and which tangibly contributes to Lineage’s success.
The team embodies Lineage’s core values of Safe, Trust, Bold, Respect, Innovation and Servant Leadership and drive Lineage’s mission of transforming the food supply chain to eliminate waste and help feed the world.
WINNER
AGRIFUTURES AUSTRALIA LEGAL TEAM
The AgriFutures Australia legal team brings together a small group of skilled individuals delivering outsized outcomes in a complex, Commonwealth-regulated environment.
Stephanie-Kate Bratton, General Counsel, leads the team with over 13 years’ top-tier and in-house experience across both domestic and global organisations. She is a trusted advisor to the Executive and Board, known for embedding legal as a strategic enabler and driving governance reform, innovation and organisational capability uplift.
Isabelle Stillman, Legal Counsel, brings a wealth of private practice disputes experience to the team, and supports the organisation across a wide range of commercial and regulatory matters.
Kristy Middlebrook, Manager, Governance and Compliance, leads the development and implementation of the organisation’s governance, risk and compliance frameworks, and provides the team with systems-thinking and legal operations support.
Together, the team combines legal expertise, governance discipline and a strong service mindset to support AgriFutures Australia’s strategic objectives.
WINNER
AURORA ENERGY LEGAL TEAM
Together, Oliver Cousland (General Counsel and Company Secretary), Elisabeth Flett (Head of Legal) and Adrian Hutchinson (Senior Corporate Counsel) comprise the Legal Team of Aurora Energy, which operates under the broader Governance Team umbrella.
Ollie Oliver has over 20 years' experience in private practice and as an in-house legal adviser in Australia and the UK.
Oliver has been leading the Governance business unit at Aurora since 2014, responsible for legal services, risk and compliance, internal audit, procurement, corporate affairs, government and stakeholder relations, media, strategy, community, Board secretariat and corporate governance functions.
Elisabeth joined Aurora in 2024 and was formerly the General Counsel and Company Secretary of Cancer Council NSW. She heads the day-to-dayday operations of the legal team and is also the responsible Privacy Officer and Right to Information Officer.
Adrian joined Aurora Energy in 2022, and has deep experience in real estate, government, administrative law and commercial law. He is a trusted and valued member of the team and is highly regarded by the business for his pragmatism and responsiveness.
Aurora Energy is Tasmania's largest electricity retailer, supplying energy solutions to more than 280,000 residential, business and major industrial customers across the state.
Large Legal Team of the Year Award
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WINNER
NINE ENTERTAINMENT LEGAL TEAM
The Nine Entertainment Legal team provides pretty much all the services required by a multi-platform media company. This includes pre-publication advice on defamation and similar risks, dispute management, employment issues, sports rights, M&A transactions, joint ventures, privacy, technology, corporate governance, regulatory advice and dealings with government and industry bodies.
WINNER
CROWN RESORTS LEGAL TEAM
Crown Resorts is one of Australia’s largest entertainment groups and a leading operator of integrated resorts in Australia. With over 20,000 employees strong across our resorts in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, together, we create joyful, elevated experiences. The Crown Legal Department partners with the business to help it achieve key strategic business initiatives through its pragmatic, commercial, and strategic legal support. The team works together across all departments at Crown to ensure the business is supported with its legal obligations. The department oversees and carries out all legal matters across the business in a variety of areas, including employment, insurance, intellectual property, litigation & disputes, licensing, privacy, procurement, property, regulatory, retail, and commercial transactions, with a ‘can do’ approach and client centric attitude.
WINNER
ASX OFFICE OF GENERAL COUNSEL
Led by Group General Counsel and Company Secretary Johanna O’Rourke, ASX’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) is a multidisciplinary legal, governance and regulatory advisory function that partners with the Board, Executive Team and business leaders to deliver strategic legal advice, manage regulatory engagement, enable major transformation initiatives and maintain the integrity and resilience of Australia's financial markets. OGC comprises almost 50 legal, corporate governance and regulatory policy specialists and provides end-to-end support across ASX's licensed markets, clearing and settlement facilities, strategic technology programs and enterprise transformation initiatives.
