Mary Padbury retires as Vice Chairman of Ashurst

Mary joined what was then Blake & Riggall in Melbourne as a graduate in 1981. She was appointed to the Blake Dawson Waldron partnership in 1989 after working on secondment in London. She served in a number of roles at Blake Dawson including as a board member, London Resident Partner and Executive Partner before being elected Chairman, a position she held for three terms until the merger in 2013, when she was elected Vice Chairman of the global firm. Mary led the negotiations for Blake Dawson which led to the merger and has played an active role in post-merger integration. 

 

Mary is also internationally recognised as a leading practitioner in intellectual property, being ranked in the firm's Tier 1 Australian IP practice as a Leading Individual in Asia Pacific Legal 500 2018 and as an Eminent Practitioner in Chambers Global 2017 in Patents. 

 

Outside the firm, Mary is a board member of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, The Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health Limited and the Victorian Legal Admissions Committee, and Chair of the Trans-Tasman IP Attorneys Board. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women and a World Intellectual Property Organisation Domain Name Panellist.

 

Chairman Ben Tidswell said:

 

"Mary has made an immense contribution to the firm, its clients and its people, as well as playing an influential role in the global legal industry. Her leadership has been characterised by exceptionally strong values, a commitment to diversity and inclusiveness and to realising her vision of a global law firm. We will continue to benefit from the legacy she leaves for many years to come. I would like to thank her personally and on behalf of the partnership for her support and total dedication to Ashurst."  

 

Global Managing Partner Paul Jenkins commented: 

 

"Mary has been critical to our success as a firm. She was an instrumental leader in steering Blake Dawson through the merger with Ashurst, a merger that transformed the firm and the legal market. Her intellect, energy and strategic insight were integral to every stage of the process of becoming a fully financially integrated global firm. We have been very fortunate to have Mary as a leader of our firm for over 15 years and I am personally grateful for everything she has done for us."

 

Mary Padbury said: 

 

"I feel very fortunate to have had so many varied opportunities to serve our clients and the firm and work alongside so many wonderful colleagues in doing so. I am proud to be leaving a fully integrated and successful international firm capably led by our Chairman Ben Tidswell and Managing Partner Paul Jenkins."  

 

Ashurst's Board comprises Chairman Ben Tidswell, Global Managing Partner Paul Jenkins, partners Karen Davies, Bernd Egbers, James Marshall, Barbara Phair and Jason Radford, Chief Financial and Operations Officer Jan Gooze-Zijl and independent Board members Robert Gillespie and David Turner.