Sarah Sinclair–Attending the WLG IBA Breakfast hosted by Santamarina y Steta S.C.
Member Voices
Sarah Sinclair
Attending the WLG IBA Breakfast hosted by Santamarina y Steta S.C.
MinterEllisonRuddWatts (New Zealand)
Briefly describe your role at the firm.
As both the Board Chair and a Partner leading the infrastructure practice of MinterEllisonRuddWatts, I wear a few hats.
My "day job" is to lead the firm's infrastructure practice as one of six partners in New Zealand's largest specialist construction and infrastructure practice. The focus of my practice within the team is large-scale complex infrastructure projects (including PPPs, energy, transport, etc.) and public sector reform programmes (such as the reform of water services delivery across NZ)–acting for both government and the private sector.
Our team is committed to contributing to the sectors that we work in. In this regard, I am a board member of New Zealand's Infrastructure Commission, which is the government's independent advisor on infrastructure matters responsible for developing a 30-year infrastructure strategy, long-term pipeline, and prioritization of infrastructure needs and programmes of work; and I have also recently been appointed to chair an independent investigation into a major failure of the electricity transmission system. These roles allow me to stay connected to the markets that we serve and to contribute to the policy discussions that shape the market in which we operate.
As the Chair of our firm, I see my role as providing strategic leadership, working closely with my board members and our Chief Executive to ensure we make decisions that align with our firm's vision and values. Most important is being visible and accessible to everyone in the firm—we are extremely proud of our values that represent who we are and what it means to be at MinterEllisonRuddWatts, and it is my job to lead to these and stay connected with our staff to support our vision of being the leading firm for exceptional people to work at. I am particularly passionate about driving sustainable growth and making a positive impact both on New Zealand's legal profession and the markets we support–our firm's purpose is to help shape New Zealand's future which we hold at the heart of our strategic direction.
My dual role allows me to ensure that the strategic decisions we make as a Board and partnership align with the operational realities of our firm's full-service practice areas. I enjoy fostering a cohesive and forward-thinking approach for our firm and applying that across everything we do–both our internal operations and our client work.
You will be attending the upcoming IBA Breakfast hosted by Santamarina y Steta S.C. in Mexico City. What are you looking forward to regarding that event?
I am looking forward to the upcoming WLG IBA Breakfast in Mexico City. It will be an excellent opportunity to reconnect with my colleagues from World Law Group following the summit in Rome late last year. It never ceases to amaze me how common the issues are that we each face no matter which jurisdiction we work in. I'm particularly interested in discussing global trends in the legal profession and exploring opportunities to collaborate to create real value for our clients. I am looking forward to sharing insights and learning from each other's experiences.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
My greatest joy is my family–our three gorgeous kids are my greatest achievement by far. Our kids are getting older now, so my husband and I have more time for the other things we love–travel, cooking, theatre, music, walking, reading, and spending time with friends and family. Most recently, I have decided to take up something new and challenging and have been learning to row–so I am a novice masters rower–both hilarious and enjoyable, but one thing for sure is that when you're in a boat on the water as the sun is rising, you can't think about any of those things that might be bothering you at work. It was particularly wonderful a few weeks ago when my daughter (a very passionate coxswain) coxed the boat of "oldies" that I was rowing in–a very special moment!