Shannon Finch

Shannon joined Westpac in November 2021 as a group executive and leads Westpac’s legal function globally. She is the executive sponsor of the RESPECT Employee Advocacy Group, focused on domestic and family violence related issues, executive sponsor for Westpac’s Walk for a Cure initiative, and an executive mentor for the Generation Valuable program.



Shannon’s legal career commenced at the Commonwealth Attorney General’s Department in Canberra. She then joined Mallesons Stephen Jaques (now King & Wood Mallesons) where she practiced in litigation, mergers & acquisitions and capital markets for 25 years, in Canberra, London and Sydney, including as head of the Sydney office. On retirement from KWM, Shannon joined global corporate law firm Jones Day as a senior partner in the mergers & acquisitions, private equity, and financial markets practice areas, based in Sydney.



Shannon is an executive member of the Business Law Executive Section of the Law Council of Australia (LCA). She chaired the Corporations Committee of the LCA until 2021 and was a member of the Advisory Committee to the Australian Law Reform Commission’s Review of the Legislative Framework for Corporations and Financial Services Regulation. Shannon has experience as a non-executive director, including as Deputy Chair of Forward Ability Support, and is a member of the AICD Law Committee, a member of Chief Executive Women Australia, a member of the Australian Corporate Counsel – GC100 and a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia. Shannon has been widely recognised by industry awards, including the Australasian Lawyers (Most Influential Lawyers – Changemaker & Corporate Lawyer of the Year awards), the Legal 500 GC Powerlist and Best Lawyers Australia.