Career Timeline

June 1985
I graduated from Oxford. Had to do some thinking about what to do with a degree in English literature.

I had read a lot about law and it really interested me. I started the CPE in September and I soon discovered that law is a completely different discipline from English literature. I did wonder whether I had made the right decision.

September 1987
Started my training contract at Lovells. Having been quite uncertain as to whether I had made the right choice I was very pleased at how much I enjoyed the work right from the outset. My first seat was in Corporate Finance during the late 1980s M&A boom - headline transactions, Black Monday, big shoulder pads - I loved it!

August 1991
After qualifying in Lovells' corporate department in 1989, I moved to the Tokyo office on a three year secondment. I was ready for a new challenge and saw this as a great opportunity. The Tokyo office had only recently opened and being very small we were expected to have a wide range of experience. It was an invaluable experience for me.

April 1995
Back in London, acted for ING on the acquisition of Barings Bank after its collapse. It was all exciting stuff - questions in Parliament everyday, television cameras everywhere and a very real sense of working against the clock to try and pull off a major transaction. Subsequently spent six months on secondment at Barings.

March 1998
Became a partner in Lovells' corporate department. Was working on the sale of Rolls-Royce motor cars by Vickers plc.

October 2001
My son was born. My daughter followed two years later in September 2003.

March 2006
Acted for Softbank (in Tokyo) on its acquisition of Vodafone Japan.