Lawyer Monthly - Women In Law Special Edition

28 LAWYER MONTHLY WOMEN IN LAW EDITION television entertainment and choice to our screens really excited me (and still excites me today!). What motivates you most about your role? The biggest motivation in my role is the constant drive to do better both as a legal team and as a business. ‘Believe in Better’ is a well-known motto for Sky, but it really is true - there is a constant sense of renewal at Sky. We always look to improve and give our customers more, not just in the UK, but right across Europe, that’s probably what motivates me the most in my role – always thinking ‘how can we do this better?’. Can you summarise the power of women in law in three words, from your perspective? Inspiring. Empathetic. Flexible. Who are your legal role models? There has not been one single role model for me. I have been inspired by a number of different people, men and “ “ ‘Believe in Better’ is a well-known motto for Sky, but it really is true - there is a constant sense of renewal at Sky. Q Q women. My first boss showed me the importance of pulling together as a team to get things done and that success is never down to one person. Being a team player has become the hallmark of my own career. My second boss was brilliant at empowering his team. It was under his guidance that my career really flourished as I was given opportunities to work on some ground-breaking deals. He also backed me to go for partnership (I was six months pregnant with my first child). Sky’s current Group GC, James Conyers, paved the way for many women in our legal team to work flexibly, at a time when it really was not that common to do so. If it had not been for him, I would not have been where I am today. Life as a GC: What is the best part of it? On the contrary, what is the worst? The best part of my job is the diversity of work. Sky has grown vastly since I joined the business in 2000, a year before Sky+ launched to the market. Since then, Sky has grown to become Europe’s leading media and entertainment company, serving 23 million customers with multiple products across seven markets. It is this diversity in work that makes my job so interesting. But the breadth of things that the GC has to be across also bring its challenges. Knowing enough about the right things is a constant challenge but it certainly keeps things interesting! In your opinion, how should lawyers handle [potential] failure? It’s inevitable that lawyers will experience failure at some point in their careers. Self- belief and learning from your failures is key. Don’t be overwhelmed. It can be hard to maintain your self-confidence after a set-back. Keep a list of your key strengths and if your confidence has taken a knock, go back to the list. Make time every so often to look back at how much you’ve developed in the past year. Working part-time but getting everything done: how do you manage it all? It’s a combination of having a brilliant team and also working for a company like Q Q Q Q