The firm’s new Australia country head also discloses his top three priorities in the role
Last week, Marshall Bromwich officially stepped into the role of Australia country head at Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF). Before he did so, he shared his top three priorities in the role with Australasian Lawyer. In the second part of this interview, we reveal what those priorities are – along with what Bromwich considers to be the most important piece of advice he got from predecessor Alison Deitz.
What are your top three priorities as the incoming Australia country head of NRF?
Continuing to provide outstanding client service will always remain the top priority, as our clients are central to everything that we do. As part of that, we need to ensure that we have the structures in place to support our people to thrive and continue delivering outcomes for our clients.
Beyond that, I am focused on increasing collaboration between our teams and offices, harmonising systems and processes, and looking for more ways to support our clients on a regional and global basis. This is particularly the case in the APAC region, where we have the vision to operate as a single integrated regional team, and we are well on the way to achieving that vision.
If we get these things right, I am very confident that we will fulfil our goal of winning a larger share of complex cross-border work, particularly in on our key industry sectors. These include financial institutions; energy, infrastructure and resources; technology; transport; life sciences and healthcare; and consumer markets.
What can you tell us about the transition period?
Our current Australia country head, Alison Deitz, has made an enormous contribution to the success of our Australia business, which is an important part of our Asia Pacific and global offering, culminating in our successful financial integration into the Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific (EMEAPAC) region in July last year. We are now in a very strong position, structurally, strategically and financially, to continue the growth of the firm. I am fortunate to be in a position where I can tap into Alison’s advice and experience through a transition period until her retirement from the firm.
What has been the most important piece of leadership advice you received from Alison as your predecessor?
Alison has been very open about the demands of the role, and the need to make time for myself amongst what will likely be increasing demands for my time. As a husband and father of 7 children, I never need to look too far to find things to do with myself outside the workplace.
