NRF boosts Australian risk advisory team with three senior advisers

Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) has grown its risk advisory team in Australia with the appointment of three senior advisers.

The global firm’s head of regulatory compliance, John Davison, has moved from London to Sydney. The firm has also recruited Danielle Avery and Philip Charlton, who also joined the firm in Sydney.

The senior advisers deepen the suite of services NRF offers to clients wanting to minimise their exposure to risk or increasingly being subjected to regulation and investigations, the firm said. The advisers will focus on providing non-legal advice to complement the firm’s large team of risk advisory partners and lawyers.

“The time is right to continue the investment in our risk advisory offering – through the addition of John, Danielle and Phil – under Australian risk advisory head Scott Atkins,” said Wayne Spanner, NRF managing partner in Australia. “The growing scrutiny on organisational behaviour, as well as heightened concern over investigative and regulatory responses, have fuelled a demand for better, more holistic risk advice. We are confident that our growing local and international team has the range of skills and experience required to help our clients as their risk exposure evolves.”

Davison, who has more than 25 years’ experience, adds to Sydney his extensive understanding of the compliance and operational risk functions in large financial institutions. He was previously head of regulatory response at Deutsche Bank, head of core compliance at clearing house LCH, and interim head of enterprise risk framework at the London Stock Exchange.

Avery, who has been appointed senior risk advisor, moved to NRF from Westpac, where she was most recently head of risk, strategy and operations. In that role, she transformed the organisation’s governance programs and risk and compliance functions. She was an associate at Ashurst in Melbourne, a senior attorney at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York, and an associate at Jones Day in Sydney.

She has more than 22 years of international experience in risk and strategy roles in financial services. She also has a strong legal background, having led legal teams in Australia and the US on major transactions, risk and compliance functions, and risk-related projects, the firm said.

Charlton, who was also appointed as senior risk adviser, was most recently head and senior manager of international strategy at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). In that role, he led the team responsible for the regulator’s contribution to international financial regulation, settling ASIC’s position on cross-border regulatory issues, and advising both the chairman and commission, the firm said.

Charlton has held various leadership roles at the ASIC, including senior lawyer of the chief legal office and the market participants and supervision division. He was a long-time partner at Linklaters, with stints in the global firm’s London, Amsterdam, Warsaw, and Moscow offices. At the firm, he regularly acted for lead managers, issuers, trustees, and stock exchanges.

“From our many conversations with clients about the risks they are exposed to, it’s become clear that finding the best solutions for their problems requires a multi-disciplinary approach. The genuine risk advisory services that we are delivering arise from, or relate to, solving a legal problem, and this is where we believe we offer a compelling alternative to the non-legal consulting services in the market,” Atkins said. “Bringing John, Danielle and Phil on board will allow our clients to benefit from their rich experience in financial institutions and regulation, with the backing of a deep pool of legal advisors that have a thorough understanding of how risk impacts organisations across all industries and sectors.”