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Melissa Coade
A commercial litigator has been voted by the partnership of her firm as the next chair of the board.
Emma Hodgman (pictured) has been elected to lead the DibbsBarker board, effective from 1 October. She succeeds outgoing chairman Andrew Saxton, who has held the position for the past five years.
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Ms Hodgman holds a masters in management and law and is the first female DibbsBarker partner to take on the role of chair of the board. She is an accredited mediator and member of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA), the Women’s Insolvency Network Australia (WINA) and the Resolution Institute.
The experienced litigation and dispute resolution lawyer was promoted to partner in 2001 and subsequently led DibbsBarker’s disputes group.
Prior to her election as chairwoman, Ms Hodgman served as a member of the board. She described her endorsement from the DibbsBarker partnership as a “tremendous honour”.
“I am delighted to be the first woman to hold the position of chair of the board. I look forward to working closely with the other board members and playing a key role on the firm’s leadership team as we grow in the months and years to come,” she said.
In addition to her duties to the board, Ms Hodgman will continue her practice.
Outgoing chairman Andrew Saxton commended his successor, lauding Ms Hodgman’s commercial acumen.
“She is an outstanding partner of this firm with strong commercial acumen, making her an excellent choice to lead the board as chair. I have no doubt she will excel in her new role,” Mr Saxton said.
DibbsBarker managing partner Stephen Purcell added his congratulations to Ms Hodgman and two other partners, Paul Schmidt-Uili and Peter Luke, who were recently appointed to the board.
“On behalf of the partnership, I extend great thanks to our outgoing board members and my warmest congratulations to those who have been newly appointed.
“This is a very exciting time for the firm. I’m thrilled to have a strong board in place that will, under Emma’s leadership, help to drive the firm’s strategy forward.”
Mr Purcell also indicated that a new DibbsBarker office in Melbourne is set to open by the end of the year.
Melbourne will also host the Lawyers Weekly Women in Law awards later this month. The event will celebrate the achievements of outstanding female practitioners and their contribution to the profession. For more information see here.
