Kate Stonestreet

Having joined a legal publishing company in Hong Kong following graduation, I was approached to establish the Business Development department at law firm Baker McKenzie, initially covering Hong Kong/China and Vietnam. This expanded into an Asia Pacific regional role before I completed by MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario (Hong Kong Campus). I was then appointed as the COO for the HK/China offices and remained in role until my return to the UK in 2004 at which time I assumed the role of Regional COO for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Having been in that regional role for almost 10 years, I moved into a Global Operations role responsible for a transformation project to modernise and tech enable business services across the firm (including components of captive offshoring and outsourcing). In 2021, I was appointed as the Global COO working with the Board and with operational responsibility for all functional areas across the Firm. I have been with Baker McKenzie for almost 30 years. Baker McKenzie has over 13,000 employees operating in 77 offices (44 countries) around the world.

What was it about Northumbria that made you decide to study here?

The course was attractive to me.

What was it like studying at Northumbria? 

I very much enjoyed my time at Newcastle Polytechnic, now the University of Northumbria and am proud of the foundations I developed during my time there and the opportunities I have been able to take advantage of as a result of my education.

 What was the best thing about your course?

The opportunity to learn, meet new people and stretch my mind independently.

What advice would you give somebody who is considering studying at Northumbria?

Its a great city and University. A diverse community drawn from all sections of society - this makes for a much richer and culturally more expansive experience.

Profile reviewed October 2024.