Nick says: “I was 18 when I joined White & Case with every intention it would be a temporary job ahead of university.

“My first job was as an accounts assistant, supporting the London office accountant George Wyatt.

“At the time, there were only three partners and seven or so associates in London. Much of what George and I were doing was on paper, faxed to the New York office to be processed again.

“I quickly realized that, while it wasn’t the job I’d necessarily seen myself doing, there was a genuine opportunity to learn, progress and make a mark.”

Nick committed to the role and was offered the chance to take accountancy exams with a view to succeeding George when he retired.

Nick says: “From the very beginning, the Firm made a big impression on me, because I was given so much responsibility, so quickly.

“Even though the office was small, I immediately sensed the energy of the Firm. I saw the international aspect and the scope to make a difference.

“I could see the potential, because there was so much we were doing that could be improved with a fresh perspective. I guess it was the bravery of youth, but I wasn’t afraid to put myself forward and challenge traditional ways of working.”

Nick’s entrepreneurial spirit was a good match for the Firm’s culture and has been a hallmark of his career ever since.

He says: “Combined with a strong work ethic, and an openness to broaden my horizons, I’ve always been looking to innovate and challenge the status quo.”

Having impressed with his proactive approach in London, word spread across the Firm’s network and he travelled to several offices to share his ideas.

“From the very beginning, the Firm made a big impression on me, because I was given so much responsibility, so quickly.”

By 1997, his work earned the attention of the Firm’s Chair Jim Hurlock and Chief Finance Officer Jim Latchford in New York, leading to Nick’s appointment as regional financial controller for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

In 1999, the opportunity came up to expand his scope further and transfer to the Firm’s New York office as assistant financial controller overseeing all offices outside the United States.

Nick says: “I put my name forward because I saw it as an amazing chance to make a lasting impact on the way the Firm managed its accounts, as I’d seen first hand that things weren’t necessarily as joined up as they could have been and improvements needed to be made in New York.

“ln just the first few months of starting that job, I was asked to go out to work in Bangkok, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Jeddah, Riyadh and Bahrain.

“At the time, every transaction was recorded in U.S. dollars and it was important for the Firm to shift to a multi-currency system, especially when we merged with German firm Feddersen Laule in 2000.

“I was really driven to challenge the convoluted systems that were still being used between offices despite new technologies meaning we could all work much more efficiently and focus on more value-add aspects. It was about changing our mindset to match the global realities of the Firm.”

Nick was based in New York until 2002 when he moved back to London to re-establish the EMEA finance role with a much greater understanding of the Firm. He spent the next five years collaborating with offices across the region as they grew in size and importance.

He says: “I spent most of my time on the road visiting each of the offices and working with the managing partners and respective management board members, assisting them in the strategic developments within the office.”

Not content to stand still, Nick took up a new challenge in 2007, which he describes as a transitional year.

“My second daughter was born in September and within a few weeks I was in Manila to interview our initial finance team members there. Hugh Verrier was elected chair in 2007 and I remember being in New York in October and bumping into him outside our 1155 offices, congratulating him and telling him that, if there was anything I could do to support him, he should let me know,” Nick explains.

“He soon took me up on the offer and asked if I’d provide him with direct support to plan and implement the various strategic initiatives that he had in mind.

“My job title didn’t change, but my roles and responsibilities expanded and transformed overnight. I was immediately helping Hugh and the Executive Committee (EC) members, particularly Asli Basgoz, (who was on the EC from 2007 to 2011) rethink and overhaul all of the key processes that they are responsible for. I quickly became an expert in how the Firm evaluates partner performance and promotions.

“Having spent weeks at a time working in New York again, my family and I moved back there in September 2008, the week that Lehman Brothers collapsed.

“I think 10 years is a long time to be in any role, but it was truly fascinating and rewarding. I learned and developed a lot during this period.”

“I look at this time as a real inflection point for the Firm, shifting from an office-centric structure to regional sections and, from there on, I was supporting the executive team in everything that they were doing and helping them measure performance against their goals.

“I think 10 years is a long time to be in any role, but it was truly fascinating and rewarding. I learned and developed a lot during this period” says Nick.

“Being heavily involved in a transformational period for the Firm and getting full insight into the decision-making of the EC and the partnership committee over that decade was a great privilege. Hugh has been a great mentor throughout much of my career.”

The EC would ask Nick to get involved and lead various projects during this time. “One of the highlights was spending time in Johannesburg, South Africa, where I worked with Peter Finlay and the partners there to build on the strength of the office by realigning its focus and improving its integration with the rest of the network,” he says.

“It was quite incredible to see the office transform over such a short period of time. My role there was simply applying my knowledge and the strength of the Firm.”

In a further pivot to his career, Nick was recently appointed Global Head of Business Intelligence – a role he’s relishing.

He explains: “We formed the Business Intelligence function in 2020 with a remit to significantly improve the way the Firm manages and analyzes its data.

“Over recent years, we’ve invested millions of dollars in systems and technology that give us access to an incredible amount of information, but we’ve lacked the business intelligence infrastructure and know-how to bring that data to life.

“We’ve also tended to keep our data in silos, when we should be sharing it and using it to aid decision-making across the business and maintain a competitive advantage.

“What I’d like to achieve in this role is to change the way we view data, so we give our people access to intuitive and coherent business analysis, rather than disparate reports they may struggle to turn into meaningful business insights.

“It’s about transforming the way we utilize data across the Firm.”

“Seeing the power of the Firm and how we’ve constantly challenged things and strived for better is inspirational.”

Nick is well prepared for the role having previously chaired a business intelligence hearing committee alongside representatives from each functional area to evaluate the current situation and identify areas for improvement.

His team is made up of around 20 people including six analysts, who will work with others across the business to understand and deliver their data needs.

Nick says: “Our stakeholders are all leaders from across White & Case, who will benefit from more efficient access to the data they need from a single source.

“From a strategic point of view, it’s vital, because data enables leaders to make better, more informed decisions based on facts and insights.

“Embracing better business intelligence across the Firm is a strategically important development in our operations; as machine learning and artificial intelligence continue to become more prominent, having reliable data is an area that will only become more critical.”

Looking back at his career so far, Nick is proud to have witnessed and been a part of the Firm’s evolution over the past 27 years.

“It’s certainly kept me motivated,” he says. “Seeing the power of the Firm and how we’ve constantly challenged things and strived for better is inspirational. It’s what I saw the lawyers doing in London in 1993 and it convinced me to stay then and, since then, White & Case hasn’t disappointed.

“Yes, there have been times when things haven’t worked out as I’d have hoped, but it’s great to be able to see the Firm as it is today and to know I’ve been a part of that journey. I’ve also enjoyed seeing people I was involved in hiring develop their careers and make an impact.

“The thing I have appreciated most at White & Case has been the ongoing opportunities to always improve and evolve.

“It’s great to be able to look back and say that you’ve helped leave the Firm in a better place than when you joined, and that’s something I hope I’ll be able to say.”