All levels of an organisation must be working towards a clear vision, Andrew Wedding says
When Andrew Wedding officially took up the role of CIO at HopgoodGanim Lawyers in August, he wasn’t new to the firm. Over a 10-month stint as a consultant and interim CIO, Wedding was introduced to HopgoodGanim’s culture and its team, which he found “open, transparent, and welcoming”.
“That period gave me a thorough understanding of the firm, not just through a technology lens but also from a people, process, and partner perspective”, he told Australasian Lawyer. “I chose to stay because I genuinely enjoyed working with the team and felt like I was making a real difference”.
Wedding credited the time he spent as a HopgoodGanim consultant with helping him to develop the team’s priorities, strategy and structure. Going into his new role, his initial focus was on completing works in progress.
“The team has built tremendous momentum, and we are continuing to build on it”, he told Australasian Lawyer. “My first priority was to finish the in-flight projects that I inherited when I joined the firm. The adage that ‘the last 20% of the work takes 80% of the effort’ proved true, but I’m pleased to say all those projects are now complete. Our focus is now on consolidating systems and retiring legacy platforms and processes”.
Before his time at HopgoodGanim, Wedding held senior roles at ValueFlow, Australia Post and StarTrack. His experience taught him two key lessons that he is now applying to his new position.
“First, technology is only part of the picture. Throughout my career, I’ve learned that explaining how technology can deliver transformational change is only the start. People must also change how they work, and they need help in understanding why it matters”, he shared to Australasian Lawyer. “Second, alignment drives results. Talent, technology, and a strong market do not guarantee success. The best results come when every layer of an organisation is working towards a clear vision and shared values”.
As someone just entering the legal industry, Wedding explained that he was cultivating relationships at all levels “to understand how a law firm works”.
“This perspective is helping me remove unnecessary complexity and build an operating model that is designed around what matters most”, he told Australasian Lawyer.
