7 Questions with ACC Australia Member, Carolyn Reynolds - General Counsel at Vicinity Centres
We ask ACC Australia member, Carolyn Reynolds, 7 questions.
Carolyn is General Counsel of Vicinity Centres.
1. Tell us about your current role.
I joined Federation Centres as General Counsel just over three years ago and have undertaken a merger and name change since then. I’m responsible for two legal teams, lease administration, risk (including insurance and crisis management), compliance, company secretariat and safety, and am a member of the executive committee. There are about 65 people in my team.
2. Tell us a bit about Vicinity Centres.
Vicinity Centres is an owner and operator of shopping centres across Australia –currently over 80. They range from small local shopping centres through to centres such as Chadstone, Emporium and Chatswood Chase. We also have a portfolio of DFOs with another currently being built in Perth. We work closely with every department across the business – we have a very active development pipeline so we work a lot with the Development team, and we are constantly working with Leasing, Shopping Centres and Investments. In addition, Vicinity is pursuing new strategies in digital and data which has led to new types of work coming into the team, and increased engagement with IT, Data and Marketing.
3. What are some of the factors that led you to pursue an in-house legal role?
I was at a point in my career where I needed to make a change or decide to remain a partner for the long term. Change won, influenced by experiences I’d had of working in-house on secondment while I was a partner.
4. Did you ever have a different career, or do you have a side project that you could tell us about?
I’m not sure that my extensive bar and waitressing career while at law school counts! While I was at Minter Ellison, I did spend 18 months on secondment in Singapore to Las Vegas Sands working on their bid for what is now Marina Bay Sands, which I’d describe as more of a project management than a legal role. I learnt so much from doing this! I’ve also been involved with a number of not for profits throughout my career and have been a director of Ovarian Cancer Australia since 2007.
5. What are the biggest changes you’ve witnessed across the legal sector since you joined the profession?
I’ll probably give away my age here but when I started practising only the secretaries had computers. The rise of technology and the consequent ‘always on’ demands of the profession are amongst the greatest changes I’ve observed. There’s no more sending off a letter and knowing that it’ll take at least four days to get a response. The rise of the in-house profession has been another huge change and has resulted in different career paths and aspirations than existed when I started out. Unfortunately one of the things that hasn’t changed as much as I had thought it would is diversity within the profession. Despite the huge numbers of talented women graduating from law schools each year, the senior levels of the profession remain a predominantly male domain.
6. What is the best piece of advice you would offer a lawyer that’s new to the in-house sector?
Forget a lot of what you learned in private practice, get to know as much as you can about the business you have joined as soon as possible and adjust to not being the revenue generator!
7. Finish this sentence… If I wasn’t a lawyer I’d be…
I’ve often pondered this question. My fall back is that I’d go and study international relations as the intersection of history, politics, economics and religion fascinates me.
Posted 16/10/17
