Laura Uberoi Partner, Addleshaw Goddard LLP
Laura Uberoi
Partner, Addleshaw Goddard LLP
Tell us about your career journey so far – was there a defining moment or decision that set you on this path?
I was adopted as a baby and always thought that lawyers were cape-wearing superheroes who made families like mine. I began working on the worst cases I could think of, spending time working on death row in Texas, USA, and thereafter, war crimes in The Hague. I returned to the UK to start my career as a cape-wearing family lawyer but was quickly pulled into the world of private wealth finance. I spend my days making introductions between people in my network who can do business together, and then get to assist with the legals behind it. I knew I was where I wanted to be when one of my first clients said that I “wasn’t really like a lawyer” because I spent my days introducing them to opportunities, and helped with more than just legal counsel.
Last month, my six-year-old told me, in utter disbelief, that she’d just discovered that ‘some men can be bosses, too’
Reflecting on your career to date, which success has meant the most to you, personally or professionally?
I was elected as the youngest ever president of Westminster & Holborn Law Society when I was heavily pregnant. It made quite a splash, with European colleagues referring to me as “le president avec la bebe”. Personally, it meant the world to me because I was giving my daughter a legacy before she was even born – she came to meetings I was chairing when she was a newborn and enjoyed being passed around the table! I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but this really helped to normalise it, and very quickly lots more women were stepping forward for such roles. We even got a designated feeding room.
What unique strengths or opportunities do you think women bring to business?
The economy cannot be successful unless the players are representative of wider society. On a basic level, women bring their unique experience and understanding of just being a woman (i.e. 51 per cent of the population!). I am ever the optimist, though, and believe that whilst women remain under-represented in almost all walks of business life, it means that there are so many unexplored opportunities for the taking. I’m not one for stereotypes – the statistics say it all: whilst female founders, for example, receive considerably less funding and support, they are far more likely to have successful businesses, in terms of returns and longevity.
Who are the women who have influenced your thinking or supported your growth?
It is really important to not expect any of us to fly the flag for an entire gender. I’m naturally curious and deliberately seek out women who are not like me. An early boss told me that you should always have at least four mentors (who will change throughout your life) – one inside your team, one in another team in your organisation, one doing your job at another organisation and one wholly outside of your job and organisation. The idea is that you will have many perspectives as you grow. I’ve been fortunate to find exceptional women everywhere I’ve worked; I moved to my current role to be closer to a senior leadership team of fantastic women.
Could you share a setback or challenge that turned out to be unexpectedly valuable?
I am always asking people I come across for a quick coffee as an opportunity to quiz them on their successes. I was in a large meeting with one woman who was incredibly successful, so I plucked up the courage to ask for a coffee and dutifully went to her office. Very quickly I realised that we were not the right ‘personality fi t’ and she made comments such as: “I don’t think you’ve really appreciated what it is that I do” and “well you asked for this meeting, so what do you want?”. I wanted the ground to swallow me up and it took me a long time to overcome the horror that someone could think that I hadn’t done all of my research. However, at a pivotal time in my career when I was stepping into more senior shoes, it taught me that with the best preparation and intentions, sometimes relationships won’t land – that meeting wasn’t the end of the world (although it felt like it!) and it actually took the pressure off all the meetings that I have every day now.
What have you learned about how to achieve balance between work and home?
The honest answer is that I have no idea how to achieve balance, but we’re all surviving! I believe in bringing my ‘true self’ to work and that means making small talk about my family and being truthful about the juggle. Some of my best client relationships are with people doing the same – we share war stories with each other whilst also making great things happen in the world of business. Last month, my six-year-old told me, in utter disbelief, that she’d just discovered that “some men can be bosses, too” – because Mummy is a boss at work, and her headmistress is the boss at school, but [friend] at school said that “her Daddy was a boss at his work”. It’s snippets like this that remind us that through all of our struggles, the next generations are coming into a much better world.
What do you wish you’d known when you started out?
I am a great people-pleaser, and would consider it a real setback if I didn’t seem to ‘gel’ with someone, but I have come to realise that it is okay to not be a natural personality fi t to everybody you meet; you are never going to get along with everyone (nor do you have time to!) and accepting that relieves such a mental burden.
Looking ahead, what does the next chapter hold for you?
More of the same – wonderful clients hailing from all parts of the world as the global economy shifts in all sorts of ways. And endless wild adventures with the family that I will never be prepared for!
