Katrina Johnson works in the frenetic world of flying cars and self-driving trucks – along with data breaches and other controversies.As head of Uber’s Asia Pacific legal team, her kingdom covers Australia and New Zealand, India, southeast Asia and north Asia for the $68 billion company.
Why a background in litigation is useful for commercial work
After completing a BA and LLB (Hons) in law and neuropsychology at Macquarie University in 1998, Johnson first worked as a litigator and commercial lawyer. She moved in house in 2003, when she took up a roll as general counsel with eBay.
“Having a litigation background made me a better commercial lawyer. It allows me to see the whole picture or how things may play out down the track. Seeing what can go wrong or what gets tested in court makes you more prepared to help prevent it in the first place,” Johnson says.