Among the new entrants in the LawFuel Power List of the 40 most powerful lawyers in the country – about to be announced – is the new corporate lawyer appointed as General Manager of Corporate Affairs for the $47 billion Fund, former Bell Gully lawyer Christina Billett
Being involved in a governance capacity screening Fund investments and chairing news investments implementation group that assesses risks and other issues has provided a major power player, which has seen her involved in Auckland’s light rail proposal as well as working in a group across Crown entities that helped establish the $300 million Elevate NZ Venture Fund.
The Fund Guardians have a relatively small legal team given the size of their portfolio with General Counsel Craig Douglas, formerly a senior solicitor at Russell McVeagh, reporting to Billett following his appointment to the role in late 2022.
The nature of the Fund requires ‘agility and scalability’ according to one report on Billett, who said that the legal department’s capabilities through both its legal advice and business counsel permits the Fund to participate in investment opportunities that can be complex and varied, as well as time-bound and where risk mitigation is fundamental to successful investment.
