In Conversation: How Can Innovation and Diversity Shape the Legal Profession?

Dame Janet Gaymer is the non-Executive Director of the Management Board of the House of Commons and is currently its Acting Chair. A true pioneer, she has been dubbed the “matriarch of the legal profession” by Legal Business magazine and was voted as one of 2004’s 50 most powerful women in Britain (Management Today). The list of commendations and awards are endless – 2010 saw the esteemed Dame Janet receive The International Alliance of Women “100 World of Difference Award” for her public service in promoting the economic empowerment of women, and in the same year, was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her public service. In 2013 she was named one of the 30 Most Inspirational Women on Boards (Brummell Magazine).

Rosemary Martin is Vodafone’s Group General Counsel and Company Secretary, and “personifies the forward-thinking in-house lawyer” (Financial Times). She is chairing of the European General Counsel Association and non-Executive Director at HSBC Bank, and was named Lawyer of the Year at the 2015 Legal Business Awards in London: “Martin has been single-handedly pioneering the delivery of an in-house legal service to Vodafone that is as cost-effective, flexible and supportive as any” (Legal Business). She is also one of a very small number of women General Counsel in FTSE100.

The first event in our ‘In Conversation’ series was proudly hosted by JLL: “At JLL, we are committed to ensuring that our company is as diverse and vibrant as the communities we serve. Diversity drives innovation, creativity and promotes a culture that attracts the best talent and the best clients. We are therefore delighted to partner with the First Hundred Years project and celebrate the journey of women in the legal profession by hosting this event.”

Please follow this link for a thorough write-up of the event.