Capital Markets Partner Kaya Proudian has spent her entire career at White & Case since joining in 1992.

Her three decades with the Firm have seen her move from New York to London and Singapore.

She says: “I joined the New York office straight out of law school. White & Case was attractive because it was one of the few firms at the time to offer genuine opportunities for cross-border work and international secondments.

“I started as a summer associate and remember being immediately impressed by the open-door culture and global mindset even then. It was supportive and collaborative, but also entrepreneurial and that still applies today.”

Like all new associates, Kaya experienced multiple practice areas in her early career, but was particularly drawn to Capital Markets.

“White & Case was attractive because it was one of the few firms at the time to offer genuine opportunities for cross-border work and international secondments.”

She says: “I really enjoyed the work even though the documents can run for hundreds of pages. It’s academic, because there are rules to be followed and interpreted, but it wasn’t contentious, which suited my personality. No two transactions are the same, so it stays interesting. I was also very fortunate to have excellent mentor partners, both male and female, who supported, guided and encouraged me along the way.”

Then, in 1994, having expressed her interest in working overseas, Kaya was offered a three-year assignment to the Firm’s London office.

The move was a success and, having established herself in London, Kaya ended up staying for 13 years, becoming partner in January 2001.

“It was a great time to be in London because I was able to witness and be part of its transformation from a relatively small office with around 20 lawyers into a fully-fledged transatlantic office at the heart of our international network,” she says.

In 2008, an opportunity for change came along for Kaya, when a position became available in the Firm’s Singapore office.

She says: “Looking back, it was a fairly bold decision to leave an established career to move to the other side of the world, together with my young family (I had four children under the age of four at the time). 

“Many friends and family thought we were crazy, but at the time we didn’t think twice about packing our life up and heading to Singapore for a new adventure for a few years.

“My father was an immigrant to the US from Egypt, so the concept of adapting to a different culture wasn’t new to me and, because most of my work in London at the time was cross-border and involving emerging markets, the transition to Singapore was pretty seamless. Also, it helps that the practice of US securities law is consistent across all jurisdictions.

“That said, a few months into the new position the global financial crisis happened, which made it even more challenging because of all the uncertainty and market volatility. But 13 years later I haven’t looked back or regretted the choices we made.”

Over the years, Kaya has balanced her work on the Capital Markets team with several other leadership roles.

She’s served as Singapore’s office executive partner for several years, was part of the Firm’s Global Pricing Task Force and Pricing Committee and is currently serving on the Global Risk Management Committee.

“Looking back, it was a fairly bold decision to leave an established career to move to the other side of the world, together with my young family.”

Kaya says: “I’m particularly proud of the work the Global Pricing Task Force did back in 2015 to review and assess our Firm’s pricing and inventory management. While the proposals and changes were relatively novel for our Firm and culture at the time, it has become deeply embedded and is now integral to every partner’s approach to managing their matters and business.

“One thing I love about the Firm is that it spreads leadership opportunities widely and you are encouraged to rise to the challenge and allowed to shape your own career path.

“To do that, you have to perform, be willing to step up to the mark, challenge yourself and put yourself out of your comfort zone.”

Kaya’s work has been recognised by Euromoney Women in Business which awarded her the Capital Markets Equity Lawyer Award 2020. She has also been named in their 1,000 Global Women Leaders since it was first launched several years ago.

Most recently, Kaya was named Debt Capital Markets Lawyer of the Year at the Women in Business Law Asia Awards 2021.

She says: “Being at White & Case gives you the platform to be able to continuously learn, achieve and excel, which is one of the reasons I’ve stayed for nearly 30 years.

“I’ve been able to match my ambition of working around the world in multiple offices while collaborating with colleagues across the Firm’s network on cross-border matters.

“From a personal perspective, I’m also grateful to the Firm for supporting me as I’ve juggled raising a family with a successful career.”

Looking back on her time with White & Case so far, Kaya is reluctant to single out any standout projects.

She says: “I’ve worked with so many great clients on so many interesting matters that it’s hard to pick a favourite over the course of 30 years! For me, the highlight is that I’ve constantly been involved in complex projects with clients from many different industry sectors, and across jurisdictions.

“Just as important are the people that I have worked with over the years. I’ve had the pleasure of working with so many fantastic colleagues who have inspired me.

“I think building and retaining close client relationships is about providing consistently excellent service.”

“One of those people who stands out for me was Maureen Donovan. I was fortunate to work with her on a large matter when I was an associate in London even though we were in different practice areas.

“She was one of the first women lawyers in the Firm and a real trailblazer, known for her integrity, intellect and judgement. She was an outstanding role model to all who met her, including me.”

Kaya has worked with many of the Firm’s institutional clients over the past three decades. She says: “Some of the clients I have today are the same clients I worked with 30 years ago. But whether it is our corporate clients or pro bono clients, we always approach it in the same way.

“I think building and retaining close client relationships is about providing consistently excellent service.

“This is about our daily interactions – all those different touch points form the foundations of our client relationships, including being an excellent lawyer, knowing the client and their business and needs, providing creative solutions, being thought leaders, and communicating persuasively and effectively. Our people and teams will always be at the heart of that.

“We are able to do this successfully through our shared vision, which makes us unified and sets us apart.”