Brad Vann

• Demonstrated ability to build consensus and achieve alignment with partners across a large professional practice with key national objectives and practice standards; also to build a national brand integrating high practice standards and broad capabilities internally and externally.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex privatisation projects (and public/private joint ventures) involving multiple stakeholders, contractual complexity, financing and government relations. Concurrent leadership of substantial numbers of partners and staff.
• Experience in stepping into wider community leadership challenges building coalitions, guiding research and then the articulation of a blueprint for action to win political support at multiple levels.
• Extensive experience building respected effective relationships across government departments and statutory bodies and with financiers and with the infrastructure organisations with whom they engage. Significant commercial success winning trusted Adviser status and building firm-wide capability amongst the staff and partners involved.
• Strong experience in crisis management involving stepping up to lead an intense focus on internal practice management and extensive engagement with external stakeholders resolving issues which impact on the standing of a major legal firm.
• Ability to conceptualise and negotiate framework business relationships and commercial undertakings across a variety of countries in Asia, with a strong government relations overlay and high needs for flexibility and diplomacy.

• Provide confidential management and strategic advice on a retainer basis
• Mentor senior people in challenging projects

Career Highlights

• Excellent academic credentials following education at Harvard, Oxford, Melbourne Business School and Queensland, covering both technical legal skills and management skills.
• Long term membership of CPA (Certified Practicing Accountants) Australia (40 years).
• Leading legal practitioner for almost 35 years as a Partner at Clayton Utz (one of Australia’s largest law firms) particularly in infrastructure where he was a senior leader in one of the most successful practices in the nation.
• Extensive Victorian, national and Asian experience.
• Long term involvement in management of a top tier law firm for nine years including the merger of state-based practices, rebranding, and enhancing the overall quality and composition of the partnership.
• Over 20 years’ experience working with boards and committees on complex issues and developing robust strategies through consensual processes.
• Extensive relationships across the infrastructure sector including with government, major contractors, designers, operators, lawyers, financiers and investors.
• Significant contributor to policy and thought leadership and one of the key players in establishing infrastructure’s current prominence in the national debate.

Career Summary

Clayton Utz

• Strategic Adviser, National (2015 to 2020)
• Partner, Melbourne (1987 to 2015)
• Managing Partner, Melbourne (2004 to 2010)
• National Managing Partner, Corporate (2000 to 2003)
• Partner, Brisbane (1981 to 1987)

Achievements

• Resourced and managed a complex partial privatization of a highly public and politically charged privatization transaction (Loy Yang B power station). Much of the pioneering work done underpinned subsequent projects and opportunities in Australia for the next 20 years (1992).
• Played a key role leading the implementation of the first public private infrastructure development in the world for an electronic tollway (Melbourne CityLink). Oversaw the development of contractual terms on behalf of the State Government, managed significant complexity and controversy, and led the resolution of significant litigation initiated by contractors and associated risks. This was a globally significant project undertaken in contentious circumstances and challenging economic conditions (1995-2015).
• Conceptualized and negotiated framework business relationships and commercial undertakings for infrastructure projects across a variety of countries in the Asia Pacific region, with a strong government relations overlay, and high needs for flexibility and diplomacy (1996-2011).
• Infrastructure projects over the years include most major PPP roads in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, major PPP hospitals and prisons in South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia, and technological projects in New South Wales and Victoria (rolling stock, desalination plant, power stations, public transport ticketing, high level security biological research facility, and traffic camera and enforcement processing facilities).
• Major contributor to the Australian infrastructure debate and has been involved in a number of significant research publications for the Committee for Economic Development of Australia and the Committee for Melbourne. He was also the principal author of the National PPP Guidelines for Infrastructure Australia and supported Sir Rod Eddington in his formative 2008 report which identified significant improvements to transport links through Melbourne’s critical east-west activity corridor.

Education & Memberships

Education

• Bachelor of Commerce (Queensland University) 1976
• Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) (Queensland University) 1978
• Bachelor of Civil Law (Oxford University) 1980
• Melbourne Business School – Leading in Business 1998
• Harvard Business School, Executive Education – Leadership in Professional Service Firms 2000

Memberships
Admitted to practice in:

• Queensland (1978)
• Victoria (1987)
• New South Wales (1987)
• Western Australia (2000)

Affiliations

• FCPA, CPA Australia
• Fellow, Institute of Public Administration Australia (Vic)
• Member, Law Institute of Victoria
• Formerly Associate of UoM Commercial Ltd, University of Melbourne
• Formerly Member of CEDA’s Vic/Tas State Advisory Council

Professional Profiles

LinkedIn

Bradley Vann
Em: bvann@bigpond.net.au
Ph: +61 409 982 283