Is Business Travel Dead?

December 20, 2022
It is a pleasant, sunny morning. My coffee is frothing nicely, the delectable aroma wafting gently about my bedroom. I have just donned my favourite pair of beach Bermudas, in striking blue emblazoned with little yellow pina coladas. I draw the curtains wide to let in the bright sunshine and grab a bag of potato chips on my way across the room. Unfortunately, I am not heading off for a nice swim or frisbee in the park. Instead, it is a Monday, and I settle at my desk to log on for a meeting with my international counterparts.  This is 2022, and the world has been upended by more than two years of a global pandemic. Many of our offices have gone from comprising system furniture parked in long rows in a nondescript high-rise commercial building, to comfortable gaming chairs and ergonomic tables nestled in our bedrooms or study rooms. Our colleagues no longer lean over the cubicle partitions with coffee cups in hand, sharing their latest run-in with the HR department, but now stare at us emotionlessly out of little digital pigeonholes on our monitor screen, their silhouettes morphing oddly with every twitch or shake of the head. “Let’s meet at the lobby for lunch” has vanished from our vernacular, replaced by “I think your mic is muted”.   Against the backdrop of all this, a genuine question arises – when the pandemic is fully behind us, will people return to in-person meetings and dispute resolution hearings? Or will the comfort of our homes and the inertia of not needing to wear proper trousers prove decisive in shaping the...

In-House Insights with Francesca Gori of Accenture Legal

December 15, 2022
Cultivating purpose-driven values in-house to better serve clients and communities 1. WHAT GENERAL TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING EMERGE IN THE WORK OF ACCENTURE AND YOUR LEGAL TEAM ACROSS GROWTH MARKETS, OR BELIEVE WILL IN THE NEAR FUTURE? Every business is a digital business, with technology changing how we live, work and build relationships; it is a powerful enabler. The pandemic accelerated this change, including how we provide legal services. With a team of around 3,000 people worldwide, Accenture Legal is one of the biggest in-house legal teams globally – this means we have both the capacity and imperative to lead the change in the legal industry. One area we have focused on that I see being a key area of impact for the wider industry is the use of Artificial Intelligence to gain insights from millions of contracts and chatbots to create a seamless user experience. “Every business is a digital business, with technology changing how we live, work and build relationships; it is a powerful enabler.” This approach, as well as the use of big data for compliance and smart, customized dashboards to facilitate strategic reviews, allows our people to be at their best, focus on the right priorities and decrease repetitive work. 2. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE CULTURE AND VALUES OF ACCENTURE AND HOW THESE MAY BE BOTH SHAPED BY AND SHAPE THE COUNTRIES IN WHICH YOU WORK? The team is helping to build a diverse pipeline and increase representation by establishing a legal internship program for female nationals of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. One of our Saudi legal interns subsequently secured an...

Baker McKenzie adds Karyn McLean as Director of Business Development, Marketing and Communications

September 8, 2022
  Karyn McLean took up appointment as Baker McKenzie’s Asia Pacific Head of Business Development, Marketing and Communications on 22 August 2022, based in Hong Kong. McLean will be responsible for Baker McKenzie’s business development and marketing strategy and execution across its 17 offices in Asia Pacific. She will also support senior management and industry and practice leads with new business generation, client relationship management, change management, branding, and other key strategic initiatives. McLean is a senior marketing, business development, brand and communications executive with 15 years of experience working in international firms. Her past legal sector experience includes leading the Asia regional BDMC team for DLA Piper and managing the client relationship program for Allen & Overy’s top Asia billing clients. Most recently, she was the regional marketing and communications head of the CFA Institute, where she was also a member of the Asia Pacific Executive Management team and Global MarCom & Client Experience Management team. McLean is a CFA Charterholder and has an MBA from the University of Toronto. She has a passion for mentoring young women to support them in their early career development, and has contributed to programs such as the FT Women in Business Asia Forum, Women in Finance Asia and Young Women in Investment, India. She also serves on the Board of the American Women’s Association and the Advisory Board of the Mission for Migrant Workers. Chris Freeland, Managing Director of Baker McKenzie Asia Pacific commented, “We are delighted to welcome Karyn to the Firm, as she brings with her a wealth of experience in business development and marketing in the legal and professional services industry. We...