In-house: With a fair wind

Tell us about your career path to date

It’s been wonderfully varied. I studied in Aberdeen, and trained at D&W Edinburgh before moving to London (for love and work!). I learned my fundamentals in a great corporate team, who worked long hours, shared mistakes and had lots of fun. I loved a deal, had lots of responsibility and every week had to go digging for courage I didn’t know I had. I didn’t know then how instrumental these themes would be in my approach to life and work, and still think about the people in our small team and the jokes we shared so often. As Maya Angelou famously said, “People don’t remember what you said, but the way you made them feel.” I felt valued and included.

Despite my best efforts to sit tight, a secondment was thrust on me in a sector that felt big and boring. Well, it proved to be big... I worked across EDF’s various businesses, from customers, where I supported the branding and smart meter rollout for the 2012 Olympics within the customer’s business, to buying and reorganising renewable assets, to energy trading and business supply contracts. The mixed bag allowed me to recognise that our skills as lawyers are broad and adaptable to different contexts. I always said yes to everything and worked out how to deal with the situation afterwards.

This approach was especially true when I applied for the role of Legal Affairs Director of the EDF Renewables business while on maternity leave with my third baby. I’d had all three kids within two years (and a day), and hadn’t quite worked out how logistics or the role would work. But not having a plan was familiar, and I knew I’d try everything to come up with one, so I embraced the opportunity and got to it. This role was transformational for me, as EDF Renewables was a comparatively small business, meaning I had responsibility for areas wider than legal (like HR; office locations and strategy; insurance; governance). We grew quickly and I loved the ride.

I was then encouraged to join the EDF UK generation business – the shareholder of EDF Renewables – in the same role, and despite my love of renewables and lack of experience in nuclear, went with an open mind and learned so much leading the legal function and then the nuclear decommissioning business (overseeing about 2,000 people and a multi-billion pound annual revenue stream managed by the Nuclear Liabilities Fund on behalf of Government).

By this point I was still working away every week but living in Scotland. Great opportunities in renewables had sprung up in Scotland, and my yearning to focus on offshore wind was stronger than ever, so a few months ago I left EDF and have the privilege of leading the joint venture between BlueFloat Energy and Falck Renewables, delivering floating offshore wind projects that will provide important capacity to our energy market and unlock the potential to harness energy generation in deeper waters – something that’s never been possible before on utility scale anywhere in the world.

As managing director, what are your main responsibilities?

Being a good listener and creating the environment to deliver great projects.

I see this clearly in two parts. First, internally, combining the right skillsets and people, as well as providing all the enablers to success whether they are practical (in structure, governance, ways of working equipment or support), or more human, in connection and shared experiences which lead to trust and often fun. Secondly, externally, working to identify and unlock barriers to delivery, developing a platform and relationships to clearly communicate our aims and needs in order to influence change that will enable projects and our collective ambition to achieve net zero.

Why would you encourage young lawyers to consider a career in energy?

Because it’s a fascinating sector that’s changing all the time. When I was a junior lawyer it would frustrate me to be in meetings where everyone spoke of their vast experience, inferring that those with less were less worthy to speak. In energy, things change and develop so fast that an open, inquisitive, dedicated mind is valued more than I’ve seen anywhere else and, most notably in renewables, every day is a school day as we continuously try to adapt and optimise ways of delivering projects to drive down cost. We learn as we go, so people are keen to take time to explain what’s gone before and listen to new perspectives. From a legal point of view there are plenty of areas of law you can focus on: planning, property, construction, commercial, M&A, debt, company secretary and governance, or be a generalist as I have enjoyed being. The options are vast.

How does the future look for in-house lawyers? What are the key challenges and opportunities?

It’s bright! There will be masses of opportunities as the renewable sector ramps up to deliver on the Scottish and UK Governments’ stated deployment targets, so it would be a great time to get involved.

What are the current hot topics in your sector?

The key topics are focused around the current blockers to deployment of offshore projects. There are current ongoing reviews of the Grid connection arrangements and network design to ensure there is enough infrastructure and capacity to take on the new projects that will be built.

Secondly, we as an industry are working to ensure we can provide enough certainty to allow a UK supply chain to develop in a way that will sustainably deliver projects in the long term. This requires infrastructure investment, planning and preparation in skills and training, and locking in important decisions on projects that will determine the components we will need and what can be fabricated locally – it feels like a 1000+ piece jigsaw puzzle, but using that analogy, taking each piece as it comes will slowly build a complete (and wonderful) picture. Our projects will be enormous (with turbines now projected as being 200m tall), so the sheer scale and logistics are also key considerations being worked through.

What does success look like for your team, and how do you measure this?

Earlier in the year I interviewed a lady who was very explicit about her professional goal, to the extent that she included it on her LinkedIn profile. I was so struck by her clarity of thought and I almost immediately turned my mind to my own professional goal, which is “to be part of courageous teams, energised to deliver groundbreaking projects with skill and care for each other and the planet”.

I’ve always lacked confidence, but saw a massive turning point when I labelled what I needed as courage rather than confidence. This felt more natural and doable, and having had a mum who always encouraged me to try (even if I fail), I realised I was quite comfortable with failure, so success for me is definitely to try. And inevitably, confidence came from that courage and the “failures”.

Success to me also means having fun and feeling fulfilled and valued, and while hard to measure, I like to think my gut acts as a good measure of success for the team on this front.

Lawyers aren’t generally seen as being particularly innovative. Would you agree?

While maybe not considered innovative, we do think differently, which is a great thing in an in-house environment. I believe in always having an open mind and being open to sharing our ideas. As lawyers we sometimes feel we need to think things through before we speak, but sparks can fly when we genuinely co-create and go with ideas or scenarios rather than the finished article or entrenched view.

What advice would you give lawyers who want to start a career in-house? What makes a good in-house lawyer?

Be a great listener, show interest in the business and the people involved, and make suggestions or speak up even if it’s not your area of expertise. A variety of thoughts will make the outcome richer every time.

What are your thoughts on training in-house versus training in private practice?

I think every scenario gives you something different, and more importantly, wherever you find your opportunities, make the most of them and grab all experiences. I believe the same applies when qualified and choosing where to be, unless you know in your heart where you want to be, in which case follow that and do not compromise.

What is your most unusual work experience?

Crawling into a concrete gravity base foundation on the Blyth offshore wind project during a directors’ safety tour: it blows my mind to know that foundation is now at the bottom of the North Sea and has made such an important contribution to future projects worldwide in testing that technology.

How can solicitors build good mental health, increase resilience and manage stress successfully?

By knowing it’s something that takes continuous attention and talking really openly about when things are good and when they are challenging. Practically speaking, I think automating as much of my week as possible helps with stress and peaks, so having groceries delivered or exercise planned at the same time each week feel like important coping mechanisms for me. I also give up alcohol when I have particularly intense phases, so my physical and mental energy isn’t sapped further.

You’ve held on to your solicitor status by maintaining your practising certificate despite not being in a legal role. What value do you see in doing so?

I see it as massively valuable and want to ensure I retain the development and skillset that I believe serves us all so well, regardless of our area of focus. And I would love to practise again one day…

Finally, what do you love about your role, and what do you love doing when the working day is done?

I love being part of a small team delivering big things. I always say, “The small things are the big things”, and truly feel that if we care for each other and the small things that matter to each of us, the big stuff will flow.

Out of work I love to hang out with my three boys, play squash, golf or whatever sport any friends are up for, and enjoy great food.

Questions put by Rachael McLean, interim deputy director, SGLD Head of Strategy & Business Division.