Tanya Mayrhofer’s time at the Firm is an excellent example of what can be achieved if you take charge of your career journey.

Raised in a small town in the Siberian wilderness dominated by oil fields, Tanya’s career has taken her from being a junior executive in a commodity trading firm to her current role as senior marketing communications manager.

Over the years, she’s worked in Vienna, London and Moscow and has never been afraid to take calculated risks and go outside her comfort zone.

She says: “I went from Siberia to Vienna and then on to an events promotion job with Euromoney in London, where a chance meeting changed my career path completely.

“I was researching speakers for an event when I met Hugh Verrier, who was executive partner at the Firm’s Moscow office at the time.

“I was so enthralled by Hugh’s vision and what he was trying to do in Russia, and I thought ‘I’d really like to be a part of that’.”

Tanya kept in touch with Hugh and, when the opportunity arose to join the Moscow office’s marketing team, she jumped at the chance.

She says: “I was based in London, so it was a big decision to move to Russia, but it was such a phenomenal opportunity – too good to turn down.

“While it was a big leap to go from events to business development and marketing, every role I’ve done in my career has involved connecting people, so there was a common thread, even though it was a steep learning curve.”

“In the past 12 months, I’ve worked on 11 cutting-edge campaigns on everything from energy transition to international arbitrations.”

Tanya joined the Firm as a business development and marketing coordinator in Moscow in 2004 and, after several years of incredibly hard work, was appointed head of business development and marketing in 2008, before leading the Firm’s communication function for central and eastern Europe.

She says: “It was an extremely exciting time. I loved those roles so much, but I was looking for a new challenge that would allow me to make the most of the skills and strong relationships I’d built up.”

Although there were no opportunities at the time, Tanya reached out to Mikki Mahan, Global Head of Communications, and to colleagues across the Firm to ask them to let her know if anything came up.

She says: “When I heard that the Firm was building its global communications team in 2013, I was absolutely thrilled to be considered for the position of senior marketing communications manager in London and immediately accepted the opportunity.”

Tanya has been doing that role ever since and has never looked back. Her responsibilities are mainly focused on campaigns based on topics relevant to clients. The campaigns cover a broad range of industry topics, helping establish the Firm as a knowledge partner and building our profile with stakeholders and clients.

She says: “It’s been an amazing ride so far and I love that no two days are the same.

“In the past 12 months, I’ve worked on 11 cutting-edge campaigns on everything from energy transition to international arbitrations. The sheer breadth of things we cover gives me such a buzz.”

Tanya also loves the fact that her campaign work plays a role in helping her colleagues connect with clients.

She says: “The campaigns aren’t overtly about selling our services, but they help connect us to clients by showing them we understand the issues that are important to them.

“Everything the communications team does is client-centric and helps to support the Firm’s 2025 Strategy.”

Looking back on her career to date, Tanya is proud of what she’s achieved and the way she’s responded to challenges along the way.

She says: “My career has been a constant evolution and illustrates the opportunities the Firm offers to people who are willing to take calculated risks, go outside their comfort zone and push themselves in ways others may not be willing to.”

“I’ve had challenges along the way, but I’ve always viewed them as opportunities in disguise.

“It’s like a coach would say to an athlete – everyone will take a tumble, but it’s how you get up from it that matters.

“The great thing about the Firm is that, even when you disagree with someone, you know that everyone is coming from the same place, with the same values, motivations and goals.

“That makes it far easier to understand different points of view.”

“You need to have grit, work hard and never stop learning. If you focus on those things, results will come.”

Tanya offers this advice to anyone looking to reach their potential at White & Case: “The first thing I’d say is that you are the driver of your own career.

“The Firm is very supportive, but it’s up to you to take charge and mobilize your network of contacts.

“You need to have grit, work hard and never stop learning. If you focus on those things, results will come.

“Be open to taking considered risks and pushing yourself. You won’t get anywhere by sitting comfortably.”

Appreciating the importance of teamwork and shared values is also important and Tanya sees this united spirit as a secret of the Firm’s success.

She says: “One of the things that impressed me during my first years in Moscow was that, unlike other international firms, we did much more than work on some of the biggest deals in the market.

“We were also passionate about our legacy and, as a result, one of my proudest achievements was the role I played in bringing the Jessup Moot Court event to Russia and the work we did to develop a legal ethics program for law students across the country.

“It’s great to look back and see that you’ve made a lasting difference that has positively impacted so many lives.

“We held a retreat for the communications team in New York just ahead of the pandemic and something Hugh Verrier said really resonated with me.

“He said: ‘When you bring people together who are not only incredibly good at their jobs, but also genuinely nice people, that’s when the magic happens’.

“I’ve seen the evidence of that throughout my career at White & Case. Everybody has been amazing and there’s something magical about it.”