15
WOMAN PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR
WINNER NIKKI POOLE, HEDGES LAW
Left: Nikki Poole receives her award from Andy Simpson of Barclays
Above: Finalists from back left – Jagdeep Rai (corporate director, Barclays); Wendy Hart (partner, Grant Thornton); Emma Gibson (partner, Shoosmiths); and Emma Lane (relationship director, Lloyds) with winner Nikki Poole (front) and Andy Simpson
Nikki Poole, managing director of Hedges Law was the inaugural winner of the title of Woman Professional of the Year.
Describing herself as always a glass-half-full person, she believes there is no such word as can’t and says she is never defeatist.
Having said that, when she was shortlisted for the award, Poole says she had a reality check when she saw some of the big corporate names she was up against in the category and was absolutely thrilled to have won the award, which was presented by Andy Simpson, head of Thames Valley and Oxford, Barclays.
“I admit that I do feel really proud and if I can inspire other women who might look at this career path and think they would never be able to own or run a law firm, then that’s brilliant,“ she said.
Part of the reason for Poole’s passion and determination to succeed is the fact that in 2005, she was told she had just a week to live after falling victim to a mystery illness. Planning her own funeral and faced with the prospect of saying goodbye to her two young sons, she was saved when a junior doctor had what she calls a “eureka“ moment and diagnosed visceral leishmaniasis, a deadly
parasitic disease which she had contracted from a sandfly bite during a holiday in Greece.
Within two weeks, she was recovering at home, but the brush with death had a profound effect.
“A lot of people say I am very driven and having experienced that certainly changes your perspective on life,“ she said. “I remember thinking that if I ever got out of it alive, I would never stress about things like work again. Of course that hasn’t exactly been the case but it definitely makes me always look on the positive side and I just don’t sweat the small stuff.“
Having studied English and French law, Poole spent nine years at Morgan Cole before joining Oxfordshire law firm Hedges as a locum 10 years ago. In February 2011 she became managing director and sole shareholder, and set about changing the face of the business, which has been in the market for over 200 years.
Six months ago, Poole took the decision to open a “boutique“ office in the centre of Oxford, a move which raised eyebrows in the legal community but has proved an outstanding success. It’s something she puts down to a “small big firm“ mentality as opposed to a “big small firm“, combined with
having a clear vision for the future.
Part of that vision is to hire people by attitude rather than ability, believing that while skills can be taught, empathy and passion are ingrained in an individual’s personality.
“I like to surround myself with really good, positive people who want to help clients and have really great relationships with them. Our goal is to take care of the law so that our clients can get on and live their lives. It’s about making what they are going through just that little bit more bearable,“ she said.
There’s little doubt that Poole spends time making life more bearable for others. Having recovered from her illness she took up marathon running and has completed numerous events including the London, Paris and New York marathons and has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, raising thousands of pounds for charity.
In 2014 she will be pounding the streets of London again in the marathon, and next month she’ll be running the Oxford Half with a team from Hedges raising money for Seesaw, the Oxfordshire charity for bereaved children which Hedges works for on a pro-bono basis.
Business THE M A GA ZINE TM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72