Kelly Crawford, Arup

Arup Australasia region counsel (acting)

Kelly Crawford supports Arup to navigate the unprecedented legal challenges bought by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading her team with determination, resilience, and empathy in a time when agility and responsiveness are critical.

Crawford has launched a number of process, technological, and collaborative initiatives to empower her team to remain relevant to and integrated with its business as well as to better meet the dynamic needs of the business across a diverse geography. The most recent is a fully automated electronic contract review system that gathers all necessary information required by the legal team for review of all forms of contract and all stages of procurement. She also led the team in developing guidance notes (for bidding and contract management) for major contracts and clients.     

Crawford has identified and implemented initiatives to align the legal strategy with the global and regional strategies. This includes the Business Partner program, which designates a senior legal advisor to each sector leader in the business, allowing for more proactive collaboration and provides the legal team with the necessary exposure at the grassroots to troubleshoot where really needed and extend internal networks for better reach into the business.  She has also embedded lawyers into more complex projects and introduced project management processes that proactively minimise claims. Furthermore, Crawford has formed a working group with the commercial leaders regionally to identify risks and opportunities to the business. This group has quickly and effectively anticipated needs and responded to the business during the uncertainty of COVID-19, such as through contract management check lists, statutory updates, and project management assistance.