Simon Taskunas—profile of new partner in Freehills’ Projects practice
22 January 2008Developing his career working in Freehills’ Singapore office has provided Simon Taskunas with the opportunity to increase his international experience in a number of areas. Becoming a new partner in the firm’s Projects practice is now an additional area of focus and development for him.
Simon started out with Freehills in 1999, joining the Perth office as a solicitor after previously working in Tasmania and the UK. After 18 months he headed to the Singapore office for a two year secondment where he was exposed at a greater level to how the business was run, giving him a better understanding of how the firm operated as a whole. Following three and a half years back in Perth, Simon then jumped at Gavin Bell’s invitation to relocate back to Singapore which he did with his then pregnant wife, Stephanie, in July 2006. Stephanie has since given birth to their first child, James, who is now one.
‘The opportunity to be involved in playing a leading role in growing Freehills’ business offshore, and the type of work available in Singapore, appealed to me. The work in Asia certainly has more of an international flavour and can be challenging, as can be working and living not just in Singapore but in the surrounding countries,’ says Simon.
Simon originally trained as a real estate/property lawyer and combined this with some financing work while in Perth. As his career has progressed, he has focused on what is described in the Singapore legal market as corporate real estate—this encompasses acquisition, divestment, development and investment work for multinational real estate corporations. While in Singapore, Simon has also had the opportunity to broaden his skill-set by working on cross-border M&A transactions and infrastructure projects. He has also been exposed to international property funds management work.
‘Having a particular area of specialisation as well as general corporate/commercial experience means that you are exposed to diverse and complex project work. Because Singapore is intent upon maintaining its position as the financial hub of South East Asia and preferred entry route in the region for foreign investors, we are constantly seeing interesting changes, transactions and opportunities,’ says Simon.
According to Simon, working in Singapore requires certain additional skills. Because the Singapore office is Freehills’ regional office in Asia, a good deal of the work that the office undertakes is in nearby countries such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
‘Working in other countries and cultures requires a lawyer to be adaptable, a good communicator and sensitive to local cultures—the way business is transacted in Asia varies according to the country that you are in. Each country is unique, and it’s a mistake to think that all of Asia is the same,’ Simon explains.
‘When doing business in Australia, clients and prospects tend to be more up-front about talking about the terms of the deal. They’re generally very focused on getting the deal done. In Asia, particularly when trying to source deals from Asian prospects, a lot more time needs to be spent on firstly developing the relationship. So time is spent developing relationships both with clients and intermediaries such as regulators, banks and accounting firms who can assist with sourcing and executing deals in the region,’ he adds.
Simon thinks that being a self-starter in developing your own network, having good business development skills and being ‘alive to opportunities’ to grow Freehills’ business overall through cross-referrals are skills that are also needed when working in the Singapore office.
Finally, he says a good sense of humour and patience also help in situations when things may not run as smoothly due to a language or cultural misunderstanding.
‘I’ve lived in Singapore long enough to know that you never come between a Singaporean and his or her lunch. Working through one’s lunch hour is generally frowned upon. Rightly so,’ he says.
When asked about the highlight of his career to date, without hesitation Simon says it is his admission to the Freehills partnership.
‘Being recognised by the entire partnership in this way is fantastic,’ he says. ‘I’m really happy about it and was able to take a couple of weeks off over Christmas to celebrate with my family, friends and colleagues back in Perth.’
For Simon, his work in Singapore will be a case of ‘business as usual’ in terms of dealing with clients and building his practice, however he acknowledges the distinction of being able to make decisions on the spot. He says that this has given him a renewed level of confidence.
Simon says his primary source of inspiration on a day-to-day basis comes from the people around him—his wife and son, his family and close friends. Professionally, Simon points to some mentors he has had throughout his career (both inside and outside the firm) and the development they provided to his career and practice.
In his downtime Simon likes spending time with his family and friends, and watching the Australia Network television channel to catch up on news back home, and the rugby and cricket scores. He plays the occasional social game of cricket at the Singapore Cricket Club on a Saturday afternoon. Simon recently played for the Australian Chamber of Commerce Singapore side alongside his Singapore office colleagues John Dick and George Cooper in the annual cricket match against the Australia and New Zealand Association of Singapore.
‘If John hadn’t grassed a chance off my bowling early on, we might have won the game,’ Simon speculates.
Travelling has also been on the agenda, with weekend family trips to nearby Kota Kinabula in Sabah, Phuket, and Hong Kong.
Simon’s professional biography is available by clicking here.
For more information please contact
Public Affairs Manager
arriarne.kemp-bishop@freehills.com
+61 3 9288 1119+61 414 311 331
Assistant Public Affairs Manager
jeremy.hyman@freehills.com+61 2 9322 4957+61 448 390 798
