9-10 June 2027 | Sydney | Cockle Bay, ICC
THE FUTURE OF LEGAL LEADERSHIP STARTS HERE
Strategy | Influence | Accountability
AUSTRALIA’S ESSENTIAL EVENT FOR
GENERAL COUNSEL AND IN-HOUSE LEGAL LEADERS
General Counsel now sit closer to commercial strategy, board decisions and enterprise risk than ever. As scrutiny and director liability grow, their advice shapes the whole organisation.
Now in its third year, General Counsel Summit convenes Australia’s senior in-house legal leaders for two days on the issues that matter most: proving legal’s value, running a high-performing function under pressure and adopting AI without losing control. The programme covers enterprise value, operating models, AI and legal technology, regulation and risk, and board advice.
General Counsel Summit is independently produced and closed to the media. Attendance is assessed for seniority, so the conversation remains candid and among peers.
Why Attend
- 1Unrivalled Expertise
- 2High-Calibre Content
- 3Invaluable Networking Opportunities
First Wave of 2027 Speakers
Greg Boss
Executive Vice President, Legal & Group General Counsel
Samantha Wellington
VP, Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel & Secretary
Samantha Wellington is eBay’s Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel and Secretary, responsible for oversight of all aspects of eBay’s global legal department, including government relations and
public policy.
Samantha is passionate about facilitating opportunities for small businesses to grow and thrive, and she brings a distinguished career in legal and business affairs – most recently serving as Executive Vice President of Business Affairs, Chief Legal Officer, and Secretary for TriNet. In this role, Samantha led a team of professionals across legal, compliance, government relations, risk, customer service, sales, operations, product management, engineering, and technology. Her leadership focused on spearheading initiatives that addressed the evolving workplace dynamics for TriNet’s customers and facilitating access to capital for small business owners, while ensuring that the customer was in the center of every decision. Prior to TriNet, she spent 12 years at Oracle, where she held a number of senior legal positions.
Samantha holds Bachelor’s Degrees in Creative Arts and Laws from Wollongong University, as well as a Master of Laws in Communication and Technology Law from the University of New South Wales. She has
served as a board member for the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations and BSA, The Software Alliance. She is admitted to practice law in both California, USA, and New South Wales, Australia.
Phil McKeiver
Chief General Counsel
Betty Ivanoff
Chief Legal Officer
Betty is a highly experienced legal, governance, and compliance executive with over 25 years’ leadership across complex, regulated, and consumer-facing sectors including gaming, beverages, agribusiness, telco and infrastructure. Having held executive legal roles in ASX-listed companies such as The Star Entertainment Group, Crown Resorts, Coca-Cola Amatil, GrainCorp and Optus, Betty has consistently led legal and regulatory strategy during periods of intense transformation, reputational crises, regulatory scrutiny, and corporate reform.
Betty’s expertise spans complex regulatory environments and multi-jurisdictional legal frameworks and extends to leading the governance and company secretariat teams in various sectors.
Betty holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Technology Sydney and executive education from Oxford Saïd Business School and Stanford, is admitted as a legal practitioner of the Supreme Court of NSW, and an experienced board chair and director.
Johanna O’Rourke
Group General Counsel & Company Secretary
Sarah Court
Chair
More to be announced
Speakers
Edition
Content by leaders, for leaders
Our cutting-edge content is carefully researched and curated, leveraging the expertise and insights of Connect Media’s vast network of industry specialists. Timely and uniquely tailored, our programmes ignite innovation, address the sector’s most pressing challenges, and reveal the skills and tools needed to achieve future-focused business excellence.
Agenda
The Enterprise GC: Demonstrating Value and Shaping Decisions
General Counsel are expected to contribute earlier to commercial and strategic decisions while preserving the independence of the legal function. Influence at this level depends on clear decision rights, business judgement and evidence that demonstrates how legal improves decisions, protects value and enables performance.
- Connect legal priorities and advice with enterprise strategy, commercial objectives and the decisions that matter most.
- Use measures that show how legal improves decision quality, reduces risk and protects or enables value.
- Strengthen influence with executives and the board without weakening legal independence or risk discipline.
Leading the Legal Function Under Pressure: Capability, Culture and Productivity
Legal teams face rising demand, constrained resources and pressure to improve service without weakening judgement or control. A high-performing function makes deliberate choices about demand, work allocation, capability, technology and external spend, then measures whether those choices improve business outcomes.
- Prioritise demand and redesign how work is allocated, delivered, automated, outsourced or stopped.
- Build the commercial, leadership and technology capabilities required by the modern legal function.
- Use service, spend and performance measures to improve the operating model and external counsel strategy.
AI and the Legal Function: Scaling Value Without Losing Control
AI and legal technology are moving from experimentation towards operational use. Capturing durable value requires redesigned workflows, clear measures and accountable human oversight, with safeguards for confidentiality, privilege, data security and the accuracy of legal output.
- Select high-value use cases and redesign workflows so technology improves productivity, service quality and access to legal support.
- Measure adoption, quality, cost and business impact to decide what to scale, change or stop.
- Establish governance and human oversight that protect confidentiality, privilege, security and professional accountability.
Enterprise Risk and Regulation: Building an Accountable Response
Regulatory change across cyber, privacy, AI, climate disclosure, AML/CTF and sustainability claims is creating interconnected obligations across the enterprise. General Counsel must turn changing requirements into clear ownership, effective controls and coordinated action before scrutiny, an investigation or an incident tests the organisation.
- Prioritise the regulatory developments and enterprise risks most material to the organisation.
- Translate obligations into clear ownership, controls, escalation paths and evidence of implementation.
- Coordinate legal, risk, compliance and business responses to incidents, investigations and regulatory scrutiny.
Advising the Board: Judgement, Challenge and Confidence at the Top
Boards rely on General Counsel to convert legal and regulatory complexity into clear choices, surface material trade-offs and challenge constructively. That role becomes more demanding as director and officer exposure, AI, cyber and disclosure obligations require stronger governance, better information and clear boundaries between the board, executive and legal function.
- Frame legal and regulatory issues as decision-ready advice for the board.
- Clarify responsibilities and escalation across the board, executive, General Counsel and external advisers.
- Strengthen board reporting, constructive challenge and governance around material enterprise risks.
Event Pricing
1-2 Delegates
EARLY BIRD
3-4 Delegates
(10% Off)
EARLY BIRD
5+ Delegates
(15% Off)
EARLY BIRD
What’s included in my delegate pass
Access to Full Event Program
Exclusive Networking Opportunities
Executive Insights & Event Content
Delegate registration is strictly for in-house legal professionals. Service providers, vendors and consultants within the legal industry are not permitted to register as delegates. If you are a service provider, vendor or consultant, please reach out to jackm@connectmedia.com to discuss your involvement.
Registrations will be reviewed for the correct rate, Connect Media reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone not paying the correct rate. Furthermore, we will not be responsible for travel costs if you do not pay the correct rate.
Become A Partner
Put your brand in front of the people leading Australia’s in-house legal teams. General Counsel Summit gives partners a curated audience of senior in-house legal leaders and decision-makers, with less noise, a stronger share of voice and conversations that lead somewhere.
Partnerships span the exhibition, thought leadership, roundtables, networking and content, before, during and after the event.
Why partner
- Meet the decision-makers behind legal strategy, risk, compliance, governance and legal technology
- Position your business inside the leadership conversation
- Turn conversations into qualified sales opportunities
- Extend the relationship through roundtables, custom events and B2B marketing services
PARTNERSHIP
OPPORTUNITIES
Jack Martin
Growth Director
T: +61 451 548 447
E: jackm@connectmedia.com
GENERAL
ENQUIRIES
T: +61 2 8004 8590
E: team@connectmedia.com
Venue & Accommodation
ICC Sydney
Cockle Bay Room: 14 Darling Drive, Sydney NSW 2000
For delegates requiring accommodation during the General Counsel Summit 2027, accommodation is available at Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour and ibis Sydney Darling Harbour, conveniently located near the ICC Sydney.
No booking code is required. Simply use the dedicated booking link below to view available accommodation options and book directly.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What does my delegate pass include?
A delegate pass includes access to all event sessions, scheduled refreshment breaks and networking functions, along with any speaker presentations approved for distribution. Each pass is valid for one person and cannot be shared. Connect Media reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone who is not registered.
Are group booking discounts available?
Yes. Discounts are available for groups of three or more. Current rates are listed on the registration page. For help with a group booking, email team@connectmedia.com.
Can I transfer my pass?
Passes cannot be shared, but you may transfer your registration to a substitute attendee at any time before the event. Please send transfer requests in writing to team@connectmedia.com.
How will I receive my delegate pass?
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email. We will send your QR e-ticket the day before the event. Please have it ready on your device when you arrive.
Is media registration available?
No. This is a closed and confidential event, and media registration is not available.
What is the cancellation policy?
Written cancellation requests received within 10 days of registration are eligible for a full refund, less a $250 GST-inclusive processing fee. No refunds are available for cancellations submitted more than 10 days after registration.
If Connect Media reschedules the event, your pass will be transferred automatically to the new date. If Connect Media is unable to deliver the event within 12 months of the original event date, you will be entitled to a full refund.
What is a service provider?
A service provider is an individual or organisation that supplies products or services to the event’s primary delegate audience.
Will a delegate list be available?
No. Delegate lists are not available to general attendees.
Are third-party attendee lists legitimate?
No. Connect Media does not sell or distribute attendee lists. Any third party offering access to event attendee data is not associated with us, and any information it provides is unauthorised and unverified. If you receive a suspicious offer, please contact us directly.
For any other questions, call +61 2 8004 8590 or email team@connectmedia.com.
Terms and Conditions
Delegate Pass:
Delegate Pass includes access to all sessions, refreshment breaks, networking lunches, networking drinks reception, and access to approved speaker presentations/on demand content. Please note: Sharing of speaker presentation’s is subject to approval from the guest speaker. One delegate ticket is entry for one person only, passes cannot be shared. Organiser’s reserve the right to deny entry to anyone not registered.
Digital Pass (only applicable for digital events):
A digital pass is valid for the use of 1 user and provides access to live content, inclusive of all keynotes, and sessions. The pass also includes access to approved speaker presentations/on demand content; this will be available to you via email in the week following the event. Please note: Sharing of speaker presentation’s is subject to approval from the guest speaker. Access must not be shared by multiple user’s or redistributed in any way. Organiser’s reserve the right to deny access to anyone who is found violating the above terms.
Payment & Discounts:
Only one promotional discount code can be applied per registrant. All prices and promotions are valid at the time of purchase only and may not be redeemed after the point of purchase.
Registrations will be reviewed for the correct rate, Connect Media reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone not paying the correct rate. Furthermore, we will not be responsible for travel costs if you do not pay the correct rate.
Organiser’s Rights:
Connect Media and Communications Group Pty Ltd endeavours to ensure the conference programme and speaker line-up is correct at the time of the event. All advertised details are correct at time of publishing. Due to unforeseen circumstances Connect Media and Communications Group Pty Ltd reserves the right to alter the programme prior to the event without notice. We also reserve the right to cancel or postpone the event. Where Connect Media is unable to run the event in the next 12 months (from the date of the event), you will be entitled to a full refund. In the unlikely event that it is cancelled or postponed, no compensation will be provided for cancelled/amended travel arrangements.
Connect Media and Communications Group Pty Ltd reserves the right to deny access to any individual that engages in or is alleged to engage in practices that are considered unprofessional and inappropriate for a business conference. We reserve the right to deny access to delegates that may affect the client / vendor ratio of attendance in favour of the interests of sponsors and commercial partners of the event.
In registering for this event, delegates grant permission to Connect Media and Communications Group Pty Ltd to take and to have full and free use of video/photographs containing their image/likeness for promotional use. Should a delegate not agree to the above image release, they must advise team@connectmedia.com.
Cancellation Policy:
A substitute delegate is welcome at any time provided the request is made in writing. A full refund less a $250 (GST Inclusive) processing fee is applicable on cancellation requests made in writing within 10 days of registration. No refunds are available for cancellations made more than 10 days after registration. Where Connect Media is required to reschedule the event in the interest of the event partner’s and guests, your pass will be automatically transferred to the rescheduled dates. Should you be provided with a credit note at the discretion of the event organisers, this credit is valid for the specified amount of passes, and not the monetary value. Should Connect Media be unable to offer, deliver or fulfil any engagement within 12 months, you will be entitled to a full refund.
Event Delivery:
In case of a change in government restrictions and advice, Connect Media reserves the right to make the decision to deliver the event completely digital, or completely in person. Should you hold a different pass, you are entitled to move your registration to digital/in person, or receive a credit for the following edition of the event.
Privacy Disclosure:
We take your privacy seriously. Information collected on this registration will be held in the strictest of confidence on a secure database. This information may be used in order to contact you regarding future events, product development and services offered. If you do not wish to be contacted please email team@connectmedia.com. To view our full privacy policy please visit: https://connectmedia.com/privacy-policy/.