Justine Hollows credits stints at top-tier firms with getting her into the law
For a few years, Justine Hollows had “too much fun and not a lot of direction”. As a young woman who didn’t like school, she wound up in the UK, where she did “very random jobs”.
On returning to New Zealand, however, Hollows found herself working for the likes of Bell Gully and Chapman Tripp as a legal secretary, and despite money being tight, she began to pursue legal studies.
Today, she has climbed the ranks as Winton’s corporate services GM; last year, she was named among NZ Lawyer’s Most Influential Lawyers. In the first part of this interview, she talks what excites her the most about working at Winton, and what she’s proudest of surviving.
What made you choose a career in law?
I didn’t really have a clear direction of what I wanted to do as a career when I was younger. I wasn’t a huge fan of school and left after the first few weeks of sixth form and travelled to the UK to wander around doing very random jobs!
After a few years of too much fun and not a lot of direction, I ended up back in NZ as a legal secretary at Bell Gully and then Chapman Tripp. So, inspired by working with some amazingly talented lawyers, watching a little bit of old school LA Law, and despite having a small child and no money, I enrolled to study law.
What's your favourite part of the job?
It’s pretty hard to narrow down what the favourite part of my job is. My current role is so far from the early private practice days – it doesn’t really compare and every day brings something new. I have genuinely had true career and personal growth at Winton, and as corny as it sounds, the people I work with make it for me.
I have worked with some amazing colleagues in all my previous roles, but Winton has some of the most talented and truly good people who work hard and care about what we deliver. I am really proud to say I work here, it’s not always easy and it certainly has its challenges but every day is an adventure!
What is going on at the organisation? Are there any new programs and initiatives that you’re particularly interested in?
Winton has really diversified during the time I have been here – our current focus in the luxury retirement sector and the destination hospitality sector are exciting and allow us to bring the Winton vision and standards to new ventures. Who wouldn’t want an excuse to go and enjoy Arrowtown's newest food and wine neighbourhood Ayrburn?
What has been your proudest accomplishment in the last year or so?
Although it’s a few years old now, my proudest accomplishment is completing (and surviving…) the company’s listing on the NZX and ASX at the end of 2021. As a management team, we were completely focused on getting that done in a record timeframe, while navigating Covid lockdowns. We couldn’t have done it without the incredible external advisors and the rest of the company who worked hard to supplement our absence from the day to day running of the place.
