Exceptional Female Role Models – Kathryn Roberts

Kath Roberts is the Chair of Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP - a role which spans its offices in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Asia; and Co-Chair of Eversheds Sutherland's Global Board - which also includes the US arm of the business.

Eversheds Sutherland is a Top 10 global law practice, providing legal advice and solutions to an international client base which includes some of the world’s largest multinationals. The firm is made up of 6,000+ people and has 70+ offices in 30+ jurisdictions.

Prior to taking on this role, Kath was Senior Office Partner of Eversheds Sutherland's Cardiff office and was on the firm’s Real Estate Executive, with specific responsibility for People and Technology. She is Client Partner for one of the firm’s largest financial services clients, a Trustee of the Eversheds Sutherland Charitable Trust and sits on the firm's Inclusion Council.

Having served on the CBI Wales Council for several years Kath was CBI Wales Chair during 2021 and 2022. She is a Board member of the Maggie’s Cancer Centre in Cardiff and has also been made an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff Metropolitan University for her contribution to the legal and business sector and work on diversity, and last year won the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Wales Legal Awards.

Kath is a founding member of Monumental Welsh Women - Hidden Heroines, Welsh Women, whose?mission is to erect five?statues honouring five?Welsh women?in five?different?locations around?Wales?in five?years. Prior to this there was no public art in Wales representing a real Welsh woman.

Can we start by understanding a little more about your personal background story?

I was born and raised in a beautiful market town in West Wales called Llandeilo. My Dad had several jobs, including owning the local ironmonger shop, and my Mum worked as a carer in the local care home.

I was a good student at school and did well, though I did need to work for that. My favourite secondary school teacher, who very sadly recently passed away, was a wonderfully charismatic and inspirational man called Martyn Harries. Mr Harries, my history teacher, challenged and encouraged me as a student and helped me to believe I could belong in university and that it wasn’t too much of a stretch for me to study law. He also arranged work experience for me with his friend in a legal practice in Carmarthen – I am very indebted to him.

I’m the youngest of two daughters and we were the first generation in our family to attend university, following our schooling in the local comprehensive.

I left Wales in 1986 for university in London, a city which I still love spending time in. University, Law School, working abroad (as a cook in a fraternity house in the University of Toronto and a waitress in Paris), training and qualifying as a solicitor followed before the hiraeth (Welsh for longing for one’s home) set in.

I returned to Wales (Cardiff) and joined Eversheds (as it was then) in 1995 and since then have shared with the firm the most amazing journey, from local commercial firm to leading global law firm. I couldn’t have been prouder to take on the role as the firm’s international chair in 2022.

?

What are the most valuable skills you wish you had learned earlier in life?

Be the person who gives it a go.

Look for opportunities to put your hand up. What projects or initiatives can you get involved with? Where can you lead something? Where can you add value or volunteer?

For most people things aren’t just naturally given to them, I believe in hard work and people trying their best. Think about broadening your experience and skillset. Be brave enough to put yourself out there.

Most jobs are about people, so what tends to make you successful is your ability to engage with others.

This covers all aspects of how you work alongside someone, work for someone, manage someone, nurture someone. How you communicate, how you inspire. Don’t underestimate these skills.

Try to keep your demons at bay.

I am blessed to have two daughters, but I remember when they were young how I sometimes struggled to balance being a Mum with holding down my career. At times it felt like I was compromising too much on both fronts.

Now I’ve learned to look back and see that I was just trying to do my best, to look after my family and to help to ensure they had financial stability, and that actually any feelings of guilt were pointless and a drain.

?

What is the best advice you’ve been given or regularly give to others?

Don’t ask - don’t get.

I don’t mean you should demand to have something that you don’t deserve – that will just irate the people around you. But I do mean thinking hard about what you want and putting yourself in the best position to achieve it.

Don’t assume that everyone else knows where you’re trying to get to. Share your aspirations and goals with the right people, get their advice and ask for their support. Most people are very generous and will want to help you, but first they need to know where you’re hoping to get to.

Build your network to help you get there.

Networks are all around you – from school friends to university to colleagues and clients. My advice is don’t be too blinkered or closed, grow and evolve alongside people from all different backgrounds.

Not every relationship benefits you directly at work, but it’s still really valuable when people help you grow as a person. I feel we all have a tendency to become consumed with our work and can even start to believe that the whole world begins and ends in our workplace. But I believe the more exposure you have to different types of people the better perspective and relatability you will have.

?

What are the biggest life lessons you have learned?

Always try to be straightforward, thoughtful and humane in your dealings with others. Decency is very underrated and I think if you demonstrate these qualities most people will appreciate that your actions come from a good place. Life is tough and ambition is healthy, but not at the cost of others.

Always try to be authentic – be true to yourself and true to others. Of course, we should learn, evolve and absorb the best aspects of everything we encounter in life, but try not to lose yourself along the way. Find something you love doing, because your chances of excelling will be way greater.

??

What is your process for overcoming mistakes or challenges?

Everybody has made mistakes and we all continue to make mistakes. My number one rule is always that you need to share any mistake or challenge with an appropriate person as soon as possible.

When I think about mental health challenges we face, the root can often be caused by someone keeping a problem to themselves that then balloons and gets out of control - it can then grow to a scale where you then don’t feel comfortable sharing.

For me this is a travesty, because at the beginning it was a relatively small problem, but it became the big problem we feared because it was bottled up.?

Try to share things that are troubling you as early as possible. For mistakes at work this will be your manager, for other challenges you might talk to your support network or you might seek professional help. But please share.

Life is complicated and sometimes tough, experience has certainly helped equip me to cope better with challenges. But I try to surround myself with the best people to help me, whether that’s family, friends or colleagues.

I learn from my mistakes (and of course there have been many), but I also try not to dwell too heavily on the past and to be open to change. The pace of change – geopolitical, environmental, technological – can feel overwhelming, but try to move with it - if you don’t bend, you’ll break.

??

How important have role models and mentors been in your journey?

Role models and mentors have come in different guises. Over the years I’ve worked with some amazing colleagues who’ve provided me with live masterclasses on winning work, taking care of clients and inspiring people.

What I’ve learned is that rarely do you find the ‘complete package’ in just one person, so it’s fine to be selective and cherry-pick the best bits that other people do brilliantly, and then shamelessly try to emulate that stuff.

When you see elements of other people that are startling and amazing to you, reach out to them and explain the skill you are hoping to develop to super-boost yourself. I think most people will feel very complimented that you have selected them as talented in this specific area and will be happy to have either a one-off coffee chat with you or potentially a more regular commitment to help you wherever they have the capacity.

I have a wonderful and eclectic circle of friends, most of whom aren’t lawyers, and they help to give me perspective – lose that and you’re done for.

I also draw inspiration from the past (thank you again Mr Harries), in particular from people who have broken down social barriers. A few years ago, frustrated by the fact that there wasn’t a single piece of public art in Wales representing a real Welsh woman, I got together with a group of friends to found Monumental Welsh Women - Hidden Heroines, Welsh Women.

I’m so proud of the fact that we’ve already overseen the erection of three statues to: Betty Campbell, Elaine Morgan and Sarah Jane Rees (Cranogwen) - with statues of Lady Rhondda and Elizabeth Andrew to follow soon.

All five of these women are worthy of their own Netflix miniseries, they all played a unique and powerful part in the journey towards gender parity and are truly role models to me.

?

What causes are you particularly passionate about at present?

Obviously I’m very excited about the work we are doing with Monumental Welsh Women - Hidden Heroines, Welsh Women. This has been a fantastic journey with a group of mates from all walks of life who got together one night and had a bit of a moan about the lack of public art in Wales that celebrated Welsh women. It’s been a lot of hard work: raising the funds, commissioning the sculptors, selecting the most appropriate locations, launching them - but it’s been worth it.

Within the firm we have a very strong mentoring scheme and I am an active participant in this. We have over 6,000 people in our business, so there are constant opportunities to offer support and advice, which I really enjoy doing.

I’m also really proud of a project within our firm called Unlocked. We still have some way to go to achieve full social mobility, and the legal sector is no exception, but it so critical that we do.

This programme is aimed at students who have academic potential and an interest in law, but who may believe that a legal career is out of their reach. We are trying to make sure it isn't by having a scheme that engages specifically with students who are eligible for free school meals or have little or no family history of higher education. We are now seeing some of these students complete their training contracts and qualify with us.

Everyone should have the opportunity to achieve their full potential, regardless of their background, age, race or gender, because that’s fair and just, but also because the world (including the workplace and leadership teams) is much better for it.