Australia is rich in female lawyers who just need to get noticed,
according to advocacy group women on boards. There are a number with
similar quality and experience to Mallesons' Australian Hong Kong
managing partner Nicola Wakefield-Evans who should be on company boards
and focus on becoming more visible.
"Nicola Wakefield-Evans is not unique in the experience and quality that women possess that we don't
see flowing through to the board," said Claire Braund, executive
director of advocacy group Woman on Boards. Wakefield-Evans recently
become the first female board member at logistics company Toll. Braund
added that she is delighted that long term member Wakefield-Evans has
been appointed to the board of ASX listed Toll Holdings Limited.
Being managing partner in Hong Kong and leveraging a solid client base
has helped Wakefield-Evans develop her executive career. She didn't have
to do what a lot of other female board members do and start on the board
of a not-for-profit or in the charity sector. "She didn't have to follow
the not-for-profit route," Braund said.
According to Braund this is one
of the reasons so many talented female lawyers are passed up, meaning
that because those qualified in corporate law tend to go in-house for
better hours they miss opportunities. "In house the difficult thing is
to be more visible [there is a] need to get aligned with the senior
executive team. It's the key to getting noticed," she concluded.