Jones Day partner becomes Westpac general counsel

Shannon Finch has joined Westpac as the group general counsel.

Finch spent the bulk of her career - nearly 25 years - with King & Wood Mallesons in London, Canberra, and Sydney. She held several roles during that time, including lawyer, partner, and partner in charge of the Sydney office.

She started her legal career with the Commonwealth Attorney General's Department.

Finch has been a partner with Jones Day for the last two years, looking after M&A, financial markets, and private equity issues.

Outside of her professional experience, Finch has held several directorships including as chair of the Law Council of Australia's corporations committee and a director for ParaQuad and Muscular Dystrophy NSW.

"We are very pleased to have attracted one of Australia's leading corporate lawyers to lead the bank's legal function," said Westpac Group CEO Peter King. Finch will sit on the executive team and will report to King.

She replaces Rebecca Lim, who announced her plans to depart earlier in the year following a 20-year career with the bank.