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National insurance firm Gilchrist Connell has bolstered its ranks with the appointment of six new principals, including five who were elevated in one of the firm’s largest-ever promotion rounds.
In what has been described by its CEO as a “genuinely proud moment for the firm”, Gilchrist Connell has promoted five of its senior lawyers to the rank of principal lawyers, effective 1 July 2026.
In Gilchrist Connell’s Sydney office, the new principals are employment and workplace relations lawyer Adriana Reina, building and construction expert Julian Peake, and personal injury and property damage claims specialist Christopher Harrison.
Perth-based professional indemnity and finance lawyer Jade Wishart was made principal, as was Melbourne’s employment, industrial relations, and work health and safety expert Richard Scougall.
“Adriana, Julian, Christopher, Jade, and Richard have each made an outstanding contribution – not just through their technical expertise, but through the way they lead,” chief executive Belinda Cohen said.
“They’re people that others turn to, and they bring care and commerciality to their work that our clients and colleagues feel every day. We’re thrilled to see them step into these roles.”
Gilchrist Connell also hired principal Leah Watt, who has almost two decades of experience in advising on financial services regulation, funds management, and governance across Australia and the UK.
Watt’s extensive experience spans regulatory reform, product governance and disclosure, AML and CTF frameworks, privacy and data obligations, incident and breach management, regulatory response, and enterprise governance and risk.
“Leah’s depth of regulatory, governance, and operational resilience expertise, combined with strong front-end corporate capability, enables us to provide more integrated, practical advice to clients operating in increasingly complex risk environments,” Cohen said.
