Meet Becky Mates

Career pathways

Commencing at Lander & Rogers in 2016 as Marketing and Event Advisor, Becky’s strong work ethic, strategic thinking, and organising abilities took her from managing national events to leading the firm’s brand refresh and the launch of Lander & Rogers’ new website.

“When the opportunity arose to lead the brand refresh project, I jumped at it. The project was so much more than just a fresh aesthetic for the brand — it was about telling our story through the lens of our people, clients and community.”

For a firm that prides itself on its culture and connection to people, it was critical the project hit the mark. According to Becky, running events in a law firm was a good stepping stone to brand management. “It gave me insight into what clients want and expect — insights that are crucial to the way we position our brand today.”

Becky likens the rush associated with deploying a new brand and website to the thrill she gets from two of her favourite hobbies, skiing and mountain biking. “It’s a strange comparison but there are many similarities — upfront research and planning are critical, and it’s important to take people on the journey, and to have fun along the away.”

According to Becky, her role provides a great deal of autonomy, while also being responsive to the needs of the firm’s diverse practice groups. “My role involves a wide variety of functional areas from overseeing market research, developing strategies and project management to campaigns, design and more, so there’s never a dull moment.”

“The firm was supportive of my career development and sponsored opportunities aligned to my role and goals.”

Growth and development

In supporting Becky’s natural abilities and thirst for knowledge, she undertook a mini MBA in Brand Management through a leading provider, followed by a course in change management through internationally renowned learning institution INSEAD. “The firm was supportive of my career development and sponsored opportunities aligned to my role and goals. Both courses gave me detailed technical training and frameworks, but equally as important, they instilled me with the confidence to lead with greater certainty.”

Work-life balance

With a natural orientation to people, Becky enjoys the opportunity to work with many different people across the firm. “The culture here is really down to earth and non-hierarchical, and people are supportive of each other’s work. It’s certainly helpful to have strong relationships and access to key stakeholders when seeking to influence change.”

Becky says the firm also respects work-life balance, which she considers highly important. “We’re a busy firm, which must be balanced with rest and recuperation from time to time. The firm encourages people to switch off and enjoy activities outside of work.”

In fact, the firm offers an annual wellness day during the year for just that, and has a fully hybrid working policy to support people to structure their workday and week around both their professional and personal responsibilities.

While Becky prefers to work from the Sydney office, she does enjoy the opportunity to work from home from time to time. “The flexibility to choose is so helpful and makes managing work-life balance much easier.”