In-person CPD Event
HFW Australia
Level 15, Brookfield Place – Tower 2
123 St Georges Terrace
Perth WA 6000
Overview (Program Summary)
A program hosted by:
ACC Australia
Doors open at 4:45pm, the Session commences 5:00pm with Networking opportunities available from 6:00pm AWST.
The session will explore the unique position in-house counsel occupy, balancing ethical standards and professional obligations with the commercial realities of an ever-expanding role. We will discuss how to build an organisational culture that recognises these challenges and creates an environment that prioritises shared values and clear purpose, fostering open communication and collaboration, in order to successfully navigate them.
Speakers
Michael Chaney AO, Chairman, Wesfarmers
Michael Chaney graduated with Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Western Australia in 1972 and 1980 respectively. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1992 and has also been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Western Australia.
After obtaining his Science degree, Mr Chaney worked for eight years as a petroleum geologist in Australia and the USA. He joined the Australian Industry Development Corporation in 1980 as a corporate finance executive and became Manager for Western Australia in 1981. He joined Wesfarmers in 1983 as Company Secretary and Administration Manager, became Finance Director in 1984 and was appointed Managing Director in July 1992. He retired from that position in July 2005 and returned as Chairman in 2015.
He has been Chairman of Wesfarmers since 2015 and of Northern Star Resources Limited since 2020 and is a former Chairman of National Australia Bank, Woodside Petroleum and the National School Resourcing Board and Chancellor of The University of Western Australia. He is a former director of BHP, the Centre for Independent Studies and Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition Ltd and served on the Council of the National Gallery of Australia.
Mr Chaney was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia in 2004 for services to business and the community.
Paul D Evans, Partner, HFW
Paul is a Partner in HFW’s Disputes group with more than 35 years’ experience handling complex commercial litigation, with a focus on disputes relating to corporate governance, transactions and takeovers, and competition and economic law. He also advises clients on disputes in the energy & resources sector, including large oil and gas construction litigation, and pricing arbitrations.
Prior to joining HFW, Paul founded the Perth office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan after serving as the State Solicitor for Western Australia for more than five years. Prior to that, Paul was a senior partner in the Perth office of (now) Herbert Smith Freehills.
As the State Solicitor for Western Australia, Paul led a team of more than 200 and was responsible for some of the State’s most significant civil and regulatory matters, including key aspects of the Bell Litigation – one of Australia’s most complex and longest-running commercial disputes. He is an Adjunct Professor with Murdoch School of Law, the Deputy Convenor of the Ethics Committee of the Law Society of Western Australia, and has held board positions on several listed companies.
Maya vanden Driesen, Group General Counsel, Wesfarmers
Maya was appointed Group General Counsel in January 2015. Prior to this, Maya held various senior roles, including Legal Counsel – Litigation, Senior Legal Counsel and General Manager Legal – Litigation.
Before joining Wesfarmers, Maya practised law at Parker & Parker (now Herbert Smith Freehills) and Downings Legal (now HWL Ebsworth). She is a director for the Committee for Perth (since 2016), Bell Shakespeare Company (since 2021) and MercyCare (since 2023). Maya sits on the joint Law Society and Women Lawyers Committee, the In-House/Government Lawyers Committee for the Law Society of Western Australia and the UWA Law School’s Advisory Board and is a member of Chief Executive Women.
Notes
*Competitor Exclusion – ACC Australia Partner’s may request that representative/s of a competitor organisation/s registered for the event be excluded, and ACC Australia reserves the right to make the final decision as to whether a registration is rejected. As a guide, a competitor organisation could be defined as a rival organisation of similar size to the host Corporate Partner, with an established practice, product or service in the area being showcased by the Corporate Partner’s at the event. Please provide a brief statement as to why you have deemed an organisation to be a competitor, in support of any request to ACC Australia to reject a registration.
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