Martin Commons Email & Phone Number

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Providing contract consulting services to a number of multinational listed company clients, primarily active in the resources sector. Projects include advising a corporate affairs team on the design and implementation of an issues management system, and helping a resources company with operations on three continents to transform its approach to the management of supplier risks and compliance with responsible supply chain commitments.

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Based in BHP’s Melbourne head office, running a globally dispersed team, I was in charge of prioritising and making sense of key policy, ESG and sustainability issues for the company, leading the development of company positions and building these into corporate planning and engagement (e.g. government submissions, external communications). I was also the primary Australia-based advisor on a wide range of geopolitical, regulatory and policy matters and was accountable for key elements of engagement with government, civil society and commercial stakeholders in Australia and overseas.

Melbourne, Australia

As Chief of Staff I took on a new role working closely with BHP’s Chief External Affairs Officer (CEAO), a member of the company’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT). External Affairs was a new global function, bringing together over 500 professionals active in disciplines including law, corporate affairs, sustainability, health and safety and governance. The core of this role was acting as a trusted advisor to the CEAO, managing his work programme, briefings and correspondence. I also led the production of CEAO speeches and internal communications. More broadly I was accountable for setting up and then running the Function’s 12-strong leadership team, as well as managing the production of c.100 board and ELT papers annually from across the Function and leading aspects of the function’s planning, reporting and budgeting processes.

Singapore

As Senior Competition Counsel I was one of two in-house advisors to the company on global competition law and a variety of other regulation (e.g. market abuse, state and commercial secrets, foreign investment rules). Internal clients ranged from front line traders to the CEO, and included advising from the earliest stages on the regulatory implications of potential BHP, competitor and joint venture M&A transactions. I also developed and delivered on engagement plans with regulators in key jurisdictions, including face to face visits. I also co-led the development of compliance training tools for several thousand employees.

Pudong, Shanghai, China

I moved to Shanghai for a short initial secondment that became a 3 year posting to Shanghai and Beijing, following the introduction of competition laws across Asia and increasing demand for global competition law advice from Asia-based clients. I successfully led Baker McKenzie’s then-new Greater China competition and regulatory law practice. I also built good working relationships with relevant regulators, including delivering capacity building training workshops to officials. I also helped lawyers in other Asian jurisdictions (e.g. Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Vietnam) advise on competition law compliance and groundbreaking regulatory investigations.

London, Greater London, United Kingdom

I built a successful career as a specialist European Union, competition and regulatory lawyer serving a largely multinational client base across sectors ranging from technology and resources to broadcasting and fashion. The role included a year spent in Brussels (2004-5), seven months on secondment to a FTSE100 listed mining company as their sole in-house competition lawyer and four months on secondment to a leading global oil and gas company as a guest auditor assessing the effectiveness of their competition law compliance programme and policies.

London, Greater London, United Kingdom

Completed Training Contract at Baker McKenzie's London office, including a secondment to the Firm’s Washington, DC office during 2001-2.

I completed a six month internship, working within the Secretariat General across a range of policy areas, dealing in particular with the passage of EU legislation through the European Parliament and European Council.

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, Modern History

Activities and Societies: Pembroke College JCR Treasurer

Postgraduate Diploma, Eu Competition Law

Postgraduate Diplomas In Legal Practice, Law