Alistair Dunstan posing beside his motorcycleWhen did you work at Norton Rose Fulbright and in what team?

I joined the firm in 2019 and relocated to Sydney at beginning of 2022. I really only had a few months in the office before the pandemic surfaced and we all had to work remotely. Even having worked remote the majority of my time with the firm, I can say in all honesty that I always felt like a bona fide member of the Singapore office family. I have worked in many professional services firms over the years but the collegiate and inclusive atmosphere of Norton Rose Fulbright is genuinely something special.

My role was Senior Bids Manager for Asia in the BD and Marketing team. I reported into John Connell-Smith and worked with our offices in Asia, supporting the Partners and lawyers to pitch to clients across the region. Being based in Singapore, in an office of about 100 people, it was easy to get to know everyone and build longer term relationships. The teams and partners we worked with really set great expectations for our team. We were well resourced and this made us feel much appreciated! 

What are your favourite memories from your time with the firm?  

The collegiality for sure. Whether it was in the office or over Zoom, everyone was (most of the time!) really friendly. Something I looked forward to each week was our managers' meeting. John set this up and it was never, ever a chore to attend. JCS hosted a great agenda to share information and update each other but it was always fun with a few laughs. Fun is such an important element to develop in a team at work and is hard to curate over screens. John’s natural disposition is to drive productivity and positivity but one doesn’t come at the cost of the other. Business services can sometimes get a bad rap in professional services firms or be a thankless role. However, the tone John set and the camaraderie he created within the team meant we presented a supportive, enthusiastic and unified working approach to others in the firm. 

Was there anyone who particularly inspired you?

Aside from John, I would also mention Adi (Aditya Rebbapragada). Adi might be the calmest, most respectful, most appreciative lawyer I have ever worked with (and I’ve worked in a number of corporate law firms). Adi of course is very impressive technically, but working with him was always so pleasant and such a breeze. His respect and appreciation for everyone in support roles he works with never falters. He would always encourage your ideas, be mindful of your time and effort and be reasonable with his expectations. Adi’s quiet demonstration of respect then extended to the team he was working with because he set the tone. In calling out Adi, I should add that his demeanour was often quite reflective of the junior lawyers at Norton Rose Fulbright in Singapore. The Partners set the tone that we would all work together to achieve a common goal, not at odds with one another, and that filtered across their work with us into the non-legal side as well. 

Where has your career taken you since leaving Norton Rose Fulbright?

After leaving the firm, I returned to Australia and joined Qualtrics. Qualtrics is a tech company listed on the NASDAQ and part-owned by SAP. We work in experience management offering tools to help companies uncover customer or employee experience gaps and take the rights actions to drive change. I work in the Asia Pacific proposal strategy team and the processes are quite similar to those I worked on at Norton Rose Fulbright, though of course the product and services are quite different. Interestingly, Proposals reports into the Commercial team (as opposed to Marketing and BD, like in most law firms.) It is great to learn a new approach, and see the pursuit process from a sales-driven angle.  

What is the best piece of advice you have been given in your career?

Get. It. Done. Ha-ha - simple but it's true! I think one of the best quotes I’ve read is that you are what you DO, not what you SAY you’ll do. Too often we are caught up in designing for perfect, waiting for the right time, waiting for a nudge from someone else. But in the meantime, nothing gets done and it’s all talk. So the advice I try to drive my career with is - do the research, back yourself, and then Get. It. Done! Decide what you want to be famous for and go do that. Women especially can tend to lean out rather than lean in, deferring to others. We need to stop wondering how our thinking aligns with everyone else and just trust our intuition and get it done. 

Another one would be to find a sponsor. This is something that Norton Rose Fulbright is exceptionally good at. We all need someone in our corner with whom you can talk things through. It might be a formal or informal relationship but it’s about chemistry and having that sponsor who can help you maximise your impact in your role. Lastly, I have to say how impressed I was with some of the employees of Norton Rose Fulbright who are at the start of their career, such as the graduates. Their confidence, enthusiasm and drive to do a good job over and above expectations is inspiring. By having that impact early in their careers they are creating a lasting impression. Apart from being inspirational to me, I found it gave me a little nudge to ensure I upped my game too and focussed on where I would make the most impact. 

What do you do to relax when you are not working?

I left Norton Rose Fulbright and Singapore to return to Australia after 10 years away. I had the best time in Singapore – it was my first job abroad, my first big adventure into Asia. As well as the tremendous professional growth and all the fun travel on the weekends, Asia gave me some of the most precious moments of my life. I married my husband Dan in Singapore, we had a big wedding in Lombok and we had our two little kids, Lenny and Scotti, in Singapore too. So Singapore has a lot of history for me and will always have a special place in my heart. But I must say, it has been great getting to know Sydney and Australia again. I am enjoying the change of seasons which Singapore doesn’t really have – it always just wet or wetter and hot or hotter. Living the Aussie lifestyle is pretty amazing. We are always outdoors and have started camping, heading to the beach, going on bush walks, or visiting artisan, craft and food markets – Australia has so much of this to see. The best thing of all is to be close to our families again and our children are loving getting to know their grandparents and their aunts and uncles - that cannot be replaced.