I had a humble start in life – and the hunger I developed from that gave me an edge. After a few years working on the business side at some technology companies, I decided I wanted to be a lawyer – mainly because I enjoyed negotiating and running projects. I decided to study law on a part-time evening basis whilst holding down a full-time job at a multinational technology company. I threw everything at it – leaving the house at 7am to go to work and getting home around midnight after university most days.  

The first key milestone occurred during my second year at university. I landed a two week diversity work placement at Allen & Overy (now A&O Shearman). I was treated very well by A&O and it gave me insight into a world that was very different than the world I was from – and I wanted more.

On my first day, I attended an evening function and was told ‘off the record’ by a partner that the placement ‘will not lead to a job or anything, but just enjoy the experience’. I wasn’t having any of it. I left the function early to go home to apply for a training contract at the firm!

My hard work paid off – I ultimately managed to land the training contract and my career took-off from there. I qualified in the M&A group, working on multiple high profile deals, and eventually landed a secondment from A&O to Fenwick & West in California.

Another milestone in my career was when I landed a secondment to SoftBank at their then recently launched $100bn SoftBank Vision Fund. It was an unprecedented opportunity that was only going to come by once in my career, as the founder and CEO of SoftBank, Masayoshi Son (Masa), had put together the biggest tech-focused fund in history. I hit the ground running and quickly started playing a leading role in some of the most high profile and complex deals, including a $7.7bn investment in Uber.

The stars really aligned for me at SoftBank – my prior experience in business, law and technology came together at once. When I was offered a permanent role at the end of my secondment, I jumped at the chance of joining SoftBank full time.

My time at SoftBank was crazy but I loved every minute. The pace, the workload, the characters, the sums involved – everything was off the scale! Backgrounds didn’t matter – hard work and ability were what counted. I started by building out a European legal team, before joining the front-office as an investor and sitting on numerous boards.

My next task was to set-up and help manage a new fund in the Middle East as its GC. Then Masa invited me back to the Vision Fund and promoted me to managing partner and GC of both Vision Funds (a second Vision Fund had since been launched). 

Being given the opportunity to join the front-office at the Vision Fund was huge – it gave me a seat at the table and expanded my network and my skillset. I was no longer ‘just a lawyer’. Working with Masa and being entrusted by him to manage and deliver on many of SoftBank’s most important projects was a career game-changer. 

I first got to work with Arm and its now CEO, Rene Haas, during its proposed $40bn sale to Nvidia by SoftBank. I immediately gelled with the company and developed a great rapport with Rene and the rest of the management team. When the Nvidia deal was called off and Masa decided to return Arm to the public markets, I was offered the role of EVP and chief legal officer at Arm and tasked with playing a leading role on the proposed IPO. It was too good an opportunity to miss.

I officially joined Arm in 2022 and today, I’m fortunate enough to run the legal, compliance, Co-Sec, trade compliance, government affairs and corporate development departments globally. I also sit on the executive committee and work closely with its members and the CEO on a daily basis.

There were many highlights of the Nvidia deal – it was a very important, high-profile transaction that was heavily scrutinised by regulators. At the early stages, managing the leak risk was key and the deal team on the SoftBank side was incredibly lean as a result. It was the leanest internal team I have ever worked with on any transaction, let alone one of this scale – and I was carrying a lot of responsibility personally. Just getting to the signing of the transaction on terms that were acceptable to SoftBank was a challenge – Nvidia is a first-class outfit and they negotiate hard – but so do I, and we got it done with mutual respect. 

Leading a deal of this magnitude and importance for SoftBank elevated my standing within the organisation but the biggest benefit for me was the understanding I developed of Arm’s business and the semiconductor industry. I had no idea at the time that I would go on to become Arm’s next GC, but I was involved in the regulatory process and my learnings from that have benefitted me immensely since joining Arm. 

Ultimately the deal didn’t clear the regulatory hurdles, but in true SoftBank and Masa style, there was no dwelling on what could have been – we accepted the outcome and immediately pivoted to an IPO, and the rest is history! 

Given Arm’s importance to the UK tech scene, the topic of where Arm would list after seven years as a private company was always going to garner attention. Coupled with the political landscape (a general election was fast approaching) and the then growing pressure around UK vs US listings, it wasn’t a surprise that interest was taken at the very highest levels. Not only did we have the various exchanges in the US and UK pitching us, it’s also public knowledge that we had numerous conversations at the highest levels of the British government and the FCA.  

Arm is a British company and we are very proud of that fact. The decision to list in one jurisdiction versus another is entirely independent from that. We had an obligation to our shareholders to choose the best path forward for the company and its stakeholders. Based on extensive research and the advice we received from our advisers, it was decided that we would conduct a single primary listing on NASDAQ.

I worked with the teams of no fewer than three Prime Ministers, including directly with Rishi Sunak, and I didn’t enjoy breaking the news that we had decided to list in the US. I remain a proud Brit and I desperately want the UK to be successful. Arm’s HQ remains in the UK, as do the majority of our employees and our intellectual property, but a small percentage of our shares are listed in the US where the majority of our customers and investors are based.  

Many lawyers apply the law and their advice in a way that suggests legal issues trump everything else. In my experience, that drives business people mad. Sometimes the law and/or regulation is the most important component of a particular situation or project and a GC’s advice needs to reflect that – but where it is not, the advice should reflect that.

In my role as GC at Arm, much of my advice is business or practical advice rather than pure legal. If I stuck to pure legal advice, my phone wouldn’t ring half as much as it does – and that would definitely not be a good thing! I see myself primarily as a business adviser with legal knowledge and the ability to use the law and regulation to facilitate the business objective at hand. There are occasions where I will jump in front of an issue and just say ’no’, but I only do that when no really is the right answer – not just the easiest answer. 

It’s important to understand the environment you work in as well as possible. You must understand the sector, the stakeholders, the major shareholders, the business strategy, the company’s strengths and weaknesses, the political landscape, the leadership team, the board of directors and especially the CEO! Shying away from these components rarely ends well.  

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. At each of A&O, Fenwick & West, White & Case, SoftBank and Arm, I have always delivered on what I was brought in to do. On each occasion I have worked tirelessly to get the job done and, in my experience, after doing that no-one questions your ability to get the next one done – they trust you to deliver. On the flipside, if you start behind the eight ball, you rarely get back out in front.  

 I’ve seen too many in-house counsel stagnate and complain about a lack of opportunity, growth or a clear career path – make your own! In a law firm you have much better visibility on your career path and promotion timelines, etc. When you move in-house, much of that goes out the window. You must to make your own way and demonstrate your relevance and value-add.

Take on additional responsibilities and stretch yourself. Our careers can be short. I would rather try and fail than ultimately retire knowing that I underachieved and had more to give.