The director of Herbert Smith Freehills’ alternative legal services (ALT) business in Australia has won a coveted Harvard Business School scholarship to study disruptive innovation.

“Amazing opportunity”

Hilary Goodier was one of only two women to be awarded the Chief Executive Women’s Harvard Disruptive Innovation Scholarship. The other recipient is Sharmila Tsourdalakis, executive general manager, banking & wealth technology at Suncorp Group. Ms Goodier, who also leads ALT’s global technology practice, said she was honoured and excited to be heading to the epicentre of learning and innovation. “We are doing some really exciting things at Herbert Smith Freehills and we are constantly exploring ways to innovate our service offerings,” she said. “Attending Harvard as a CEW Scholar and learning from leading disruptors across a diverse range of industries is an amazing opportunity and is going to really test my thinking and help me push the boundaries of law and innovation.” Ms Goodier explained, “The legal industry is undergoing immense change; our clients want to access the best legal services in the market, and we’re providing that, but changing the way we deliver it so it’s more efficient and cost effective” She concluded, “Of course, the constantly-changing legal landscape and changing client expectations mean we need to stay ahead of the curve. This program will help me to tackle that challenge.”

Advancing women’s careers

The Disruptive Innovation program allows innovators to examine the strategies employed by some of the world’s most successful disruptors, and analyse how industries, technologies and competitive forces affect their organisations. Chief Executive Women is an organisation representing Australia’s most senior women leaders from the corporate, public service, academic and not-for-profit sectors. Through targeted programs and scholarships for talented women, CEW works to remove the barriers to progression and ensure equal opportunity for prosperity. CEW Scholarships Committee Chair, Colleen Harris, said mastering innovation is a critical skill for leaders in the 21st century, “This scholarship will help Hilary take her knowledge of disruptive innovation to a whole new level.” Ms Harris added, “Acquiring the right skills at the right time can make all the difference in the careers of talented executive women.”