A quick chat with: Jeremy Valentine, CLANZ Committee Member
A quick chat with: Jeremy Valentine, CLANZ Committee Member
General Manager – Risk, Legal & Governance, The Co-operative Bank
How long have you been on the CLANZ Committee for?
Since 2008 and served as President from 2010-12.
What do you hope to achieve as a CLANZ Committee member in the year ahead?
I am keen to continue to represent the interests of in-house lawyers and use my knowledge and experience to help further the many initiatives CLANZ engages in. I am particularly excited about our membership of In-house Counsel Worldwide (ICW), a collection of in-house counsel associations who have come together to provide support and promote the interests and standing of in-house lawyers. I have joined the executive committee of ICW and see it as providing real benefits to in-house lawyers through things such as access to shared resources and knowledge sharing.
What do you do?
I am General Manager – Risk, Legal & Governance at The Co-operative Bank. This is a relatively new role for me and as a broader role than my previous one, it is both exciting and rewarding. I am part of the Senior Leadership Team of the Bank and am involved in broad oversight and decision making through that. In addition to legal risk management, my role has responsibility for the bank’s credit risk, operational risk and internal audit functions as well as supporting and managing the relationship with our Board.
What do you like most about your job?
It is a great New Zealand company, which as a co-operative, is owned by its customers and committed to their long term interests and benefits. For my role in particular I enjoy the variety and diversity. There is never a dull moment!
What is a career highlight so far?
I am proud of the role I played in developing the in-house legal function at The National Bank – which was a tiny team when I joined – and grew to a significant and well respected team as a broader legal group following ANZ’s acquisition of the Bank. I have really enjoyed the increasing relevance and development of in-house practice.
What are some challenges or issues that you think in-house lawyers are facing today?
I think one of the key challenges for in-house lawyers is getting the resources they need to be able to continuously improve and become more efficient. The legal function is respected and plays a valuable role in organisations but in an environment of closely managing costs, often the function doesn’t receive the support and resources needed to be even better. If only organisations realised the benefits that would accrue if they provided their in-house teams with the support and resources taken for granted by many of their private sector colleagues.
What’s a false belief that you have heard about in-house lawyers?
I think there was a view (thankfully diminishing) held by many that practice in-house is easier. From my experience nothing is further from the truth. Being a lawyer in-house requires skill and diplomacy while balancing obligations to be independent, yet ensuring you are a key contributor to achieving business goals, while managing an increasing workload. That is certainly not to give an impression that life in-house is not rewarding, it absolutely is. The enhanced reputation of in-house teams and individual lawyers has been a pleasure to watch develop and be part of.
What are your hobbies?
I love mountain biking and golf and am an avid supporter of my children’s sports, in particular having coached cricket for a number of years. I am also keen on music, though sadly not many are keen on my musical tastes! I also have a healthy interest in wine (if there is such a thing…) and really enjoy travel and would like to do explore more of our country and great destinations overseas.