Dr Miranda Brawn | Board MemberDirector at Multi-Sector Organisations

  

Coming from a banking and finance background, Miranda Brawn graduated from The University of Law in 2011, qualifying as a barrister. She has had exceptional successes in her career, and is now making strides in increasing diversity, equity, inclusion and sustainability across various sectors. We caught up with Miranda to find out more about her whirlwind career and what the future holds.

I chose to study law because I wanted to gain greater knowledge and skills within the banking and finance sector. My career ambitions at school were to become a lawyer, writer and bank manager. I have managed to achieve all three of these roles, and much more, as part of my portfolio career.

My current roles include board advisory and consultancy work for public, private and third sector organisations while being the Founder, President and CEO of The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation . The Foundation is a registered charity that I set up in January 2016 to help diverse future leaders. I am also an international public speaker which has taken me around the world, giving keynote talks to students and leaders. I am also a Senior Visiting Fellow at Oxford University working on ‘The Brawn Review’ which is independent research report on boardroom sustainability, inclusion and corporate governance.

I am most proud of being in a position to help others become a success through my Foundation and personal coaching, especially the next generation of leaders. My work and Foundation have won numerous awards including accolades from the former Prime Minister Theresa May, as well as personal praise from King Charles III, for making history by launching the first diversity lecture aimed at school children in 2016. In the same year, I was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Brighton for my contribution and services to business, financial services, law, diversity and the next generation.

To be a successful lawyer at within the finance industry, you need the ability to build and maintain strong relationships with others. There is a lot of collaborative work required to meet deadlines and this needs to be complemented with being able to draft in a timely manner, with great attention to detail. Clients want to receive prompt and pragmatic advice, delivered in a commercially focused manner, so commercial awareness is definitely key. Keeping up to date with the financial markets and regulations are vital for understanding how to anticipate changes. I would also advise networking as much as possible and trying to vary your work experience to stand out from the crowd.

I see great opportunities for the next generation coming in the form of apprenticeship schemes. It is important to think differently and be innovative in your pursuit to succeed. The legal sector is changing and there are more and more companies outside of the traditional law firms and chambers looking for legal professionals. Start-ups and tech firms, for example, require lawyers. My recommendation is to do your research and get some experience in different areas to see where you will actually enjoy working in the legal sector, then stretch beyond the conventional route. You may just surprise yourself.

Looking to the future, I wish to simply keep pushing for true equality, justice, diversity, inclusion and sustainability in the workplace. I think that there are still challenges for students and lawyers from diverse backgrounds due to a lack of diversity, equality and inclusion, but this is gradually improving. Everyone can play their part to help speed it up though.

 

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