Veronica Siow
Name: Veronica Siow
Qualifications: BCom, LLB(Hons)
Title: Partner
Organisation: Allens
State: NSW
Immediation Practice Area: Mediation, Expert Determination
Profile
I am a Partner at Allens in the employment, safety and industrial relations law. I partnerclosely with our clients' leadership teams, inhouse legal, Human Resources and safety teams on matters relating to workforce issues that have reputational or operational implications.
I have significant experience in providing strategic advice to employers in the private and public sector on major workplace issues including on major industrial instrument compliance reviews, workforce restructures, major workplace investigations and compliance reviews, and employee claims. I act as a sounding board for clients providing advice over the phone on day-to-day management of workforce issues including in relation to recruitment, employment contracts and policies, performance management, disciplinary and grievance procedures, bullying, sexual harassment, management of long-term absences, and termination of employment
I regularly provide employment and IR advice on the firm's significant transactions and I was the lead employment and industrial relations advisor on the NSW Government's long-term leases of its electricity network assets (AU$10.2 billion TransGrid, AU$16.2 billion Ausgrid transactions and AU$7.6 billion Endeavour Energy).
Most recently, my experience includes:
● advising clients on senior executive matters (including remuneration and incentive structures, executive service agreements, termination benefits (and related issues under the Corporations Act and ASX listing rules) and post-employment restraints);
● advising on workforce change management, including restructuring of workforces, notification and consultation obligations, redundancies and redeployment,
● acting for employers in unfair dismissal, adverse action, discrimination, stop-bullying applications and breach of contract claims (including claims by or involving senior executives), and in prosecutions by SafeWork authorities;
● conducting major compliance reviews against modern awards and enterprise agreements;
● conducting workplace investigations into misconduct allegations and complaints (including those involving bullying, sexual harassment, victimisation and fraud);
● conducting training and risk management workshops for clients in relation to obligations under the Fair Work Act, workplace discrimination, harassment, bullying, diversity, work health and safety (including on officers' due diligence obligations under WHS law), social media in the workplace.
I am a member of the Australian Institute of Management and a member of Allens' Inclusion and Diversity Council.
Personal Comment
What I love most about my role is the opportunity to work in partnership with my clients to support them with their workforce issues, throughout the employment life cycle.
Immediation Area(s) of Expertise
Employment, industrial relations and discrimination (Awards, Discrimination, Employment, Equal opportunity, Industrial action, Occupational Health and Safety)