I started my professional life as a private client (or 'trusts and estates') lawyer in the 1980s, when advising charities and philanthropists was an integral part of what we all did. Over time, we all became more specialised and, having moved to Withers, I became part of the charities team, advising both charities and their donors. As charities and their donors increased their cross-border activity and Withers' international practice grew, my work started to become more international and new horizons opened up. At about the same time, I was asked to become the firm's Money Laundering Reporting Officer, which exposed me to another area of law and a different way of thinking altogether.

When I was asked to take over as the firm's International Risk and Compliance Director in 2013, I had mixed emotions. It was difficult to leave a team I had worked with for many years and hand over the leadership of a cross-border practice area I had spent some time building. At the same time, having spent over ten years working closely with the risk and compliance team as the firm's MLRO, the opportunity to take on a management role which built on that part of my experience was exciting.