Sharon Cook

Managing Partner, King & Wood Mallesons

Ceremony: 21 April 2016, 5.30pm

About the Speaker

Sharon Cook is the Managing Partner, Clients, Australia at King & Wood Mallesons – an elite, global law firm employing over 2,700 lawyers in more than 30 international offices across Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Between 2008 and 2014 Sharon was the Managing Partner of Henry Davis York, a principal law firm practicing nationally from its Sydney base. Sharon led Henry Davis York on a successful journey of major transformation which involved implementing projects to improve the client experience, and rolling out a structured relationship opportunity and management program across key clients that set the firm apart in an increasingly competitive market.

As a lawyer, Sharon practiced in the fields of litigation and corporate insurance.  She became a specialist in professional indemnity insurance law, directors and officers liability, and corporate governance.  She has been listed as one of Australia’s Best Lawyers in the Australian Financial Review and was named as one of the world’s leading reinsurance and insurance lawyers in the Legal Media Group Guide.

Sharon is a prominent advocate for gender balance and flexible work practices.  In 2013, Sharon was awarded the Lasting Legacy award by Lawyers Weekly for having acted as a trailblazer for women and regularly using her position of prominence in the profession to agitate for change. She was also named as one of the 100 Women of Influence by the Australian Financial Review in 2012.

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.