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Memories and music with Anushka Herath
Anushka is Associate General Counsel at HSBC Innovation Banking. She shares her memories of the decade she spent with Norton Rose Fulbright and reveals how a renewed love of music is the ultimate stress-reliever.
When did you work at Norton Rose Fulbright and in what team?
I joined the firm as a trainee in 2007, qualifying into the Financial Services team in 2009 where I worked with Jonathan Herbst and Peter Snowdon. I left in 2018 to join Silicon Valley Bank after my second period of maternity leave.
What are your favourite memories from your time with the firm?
I credit a lot of what makes me the lawyer I am today to what I learnt at Norton Rose Fulbright. In the decade I spent there, I have many memories of both the highs (and some lows) but it was the people and the quality of the work that kept me there so long. There was a good support network and I made lifelong friends. One of my closest friends, Zayba Drabu, is now a partner at the firm and I have enjoyed watching her progression from trainee to partner. I am also delighted to see associates in my old team, Matt Gregory and Albert Weatherill, make it to partnership in the last year.
I was lucky enough to do one of my trainee rotations in the Paris office and it was just the best four months. I stayed in a flat in Sevres-Babylon which had a view of the Eiffel Tower – a great talking point when friends and family came to visit. I worked with Christine Ezcutari in the shipping finance and it was just a wonderful experience overall.
I joined the Financial Services team post-financial crisis when there was an abundance of regulation work and we were a small but successful team. The work was truly fascinating and I learnt so much not just about the technical side but also how to advise clients and to be pragmatic and commercial from observing the other lawyers in my team.
Was there anyone who particularly inspired you/helped you in your career?
Both Peter Snowdon and Jonathan Herbst were brilliant mentors. Peter is a kind and knowledgeable person and a joy to work with and I have great respect for him.
Where has your career taken you since leaving Norton Rose Fulbright?
A couple of years after joining the Financial Services team, we started working with Silicon Valley Bank advising them on setting up their London branch. In 2016 I went on secondment to the Bank and I really enjoyed it. It was a good team of people and interesting work. I had been at Norton Rose Fulbright for over a decade and decided it was time for a new challenge so I made the move to work for the Bank.
As you may know, earlier this year there was a crisis at Silicon Valley Bank and it was acquired by the HSBC Group. The whole experience was unprecedented and I learnt a lot. The people and the organisation have shown resilience and agility in adapting and HSBC have been enormously supportive in minimising disruption and in their commitment to allow us to continue to grow and develop as HSBC Innovation Banking.
What do you enjoy and what are the challenges in your role?
At Norton Rose Fulbright, I was purely a regulatory lawyer which is technically detailed and although I enjoyed this side of the work, the sheer growth of HSBC Innovation Banking has increased the breadth of work I do. We are always pushing to achieve greater things and I now advise not only on regulatory work but also on HR and privacy issues. Last year we built and launched our UK subsidiary so there have been numerous opportunities to learn and do more which I find very fulfilling.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given in your career?
It is quite difficult to pin down just one thing! Peter gave me lots of good advice over the years but one thing I learnt from him was to properly understand your client, their issues, and the direction they want to move in. If you do that then you move beyond giving technical legal advice to building a solid relationship between lawyer and client.
What do you do to relax when you are not working?
Like most lawyers, I have a busy life and with two children, school and extra-curricular activities take up a lot of my time. The one thing my husband and I make time for though is music. It is a shared passion - I sing in a choir and play the piano. Whilst I was at NRF, Music in Offices was set up by Tessa Marchington. The accessibility of piano lessons and Tessa’s wonderful teaching really revived my love of playing. If I had to work late, I would often go to the music room and play the piano for 30 mins to relieve the stress. I would highly recommend it to anyone.