Following a big win at the 2023 Australasian Law Awards, Jackie Waddams highlights the company's highly engaged team
Last May, AIA NZ returned victorious from the 2023 Australasian Law Awards with the trophy for NZ In-House Team of the Year, making the organisation a standard bearer for New Zealand in-house legal teams.
Jackie Waddams, AIA NZ GC and company secretary, credits the organisation’s “highly engaged team” with being crucial to AIA NZ’s momentum. She highlighted the company’s commitment to making a difference across the country and helping New Zealanders live better lives through various initiatives.
In this interview, Waddams talks her favourite thing about being an in-house lawyer, regulatory change, and AIA NZ’s zeal for charity work.
What, for you, is the best part of working in in-house legal?
For me, it’s the variety and scope of the work, and being closely connected to all areas of the business at all layers. Being part of the executive team and part of the board in the company secretarial capacity allows me to play a key part in strategic decision making.
The team thrives on the opportunity to bring a valuable, unique perspective to work being done across the business and to see the direct outcomes of their input. It is the best feeling when the legal and strategic advice is a key piece of the puzzle, and it helps everything to fall into place for our business to achieve its goals.
With your big win at the Australasian Law Awards, you’re now a standard bearer for NZ in-house legal teams across the region. How do you plan to sustain your momentum?
We have a highly engaged team who come from different backgrounds both personally and professionally, but who all thrive on working together to help AIA achieve its dream of helping make New Zealand one of the healthiest and best protected nations in the world. We provide stretch and development opportunities, including secondment to projects, as well as a supportive and collaborative team environment. As a team, we are also focused on how to best support our colleagues be that advising on a particular transaction or initiative, horizon scanning and navigating regulatory change, or just being available for chat or sense check.
What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing within the NZ legal market right now?
For us, the biggest challenge we are facing is the continuing pipeline of regulatory change. The pace and volume of change over the past few years has been huge and the team have been at the forefront of this both in terms of guiding our business through these changes and helping to shape the change for the wider industry.
Why is it the biggest challenge in your opinion?
It takes considerable time and resource to implement regulatory change, and often we are responding to multiple changes at any one time. We have to ensure all these moving parts fit together, while continuing to support the business on a day-to-day basis.
How can the legal profession as a whole better support in-house lawyers?
Having support from external legal advisers who really understand our business makes a big difference. Events and CLE sessions hosted by the legal profession also provide invaluable opportunities for in-house lawyers to connect with others in the profession and build support networks.
In addition to your legal contributions, AIA NZ is doing great work with a number of charities. Why have you chosen to work with Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, the Heart Foundation and Trees That Count?
AIA NZ is committed to making a difference throughout New Zealand. Through AIA Vitality we have partnered with three important organisations, the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, the Heart Foundation and Trees That Count, all of whom share our commitment to helping New Zealanders live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.
How do you encourage young lawyers on the team to engage in these activities?
The team don’t need any encouragement when it comes to getting behind our fundraising and volunteer activities. As an example, our tree planting days are always over-subscribed, which is evidence that everyone is behind our purpose and the charities that align with this.
