Four brilliant legal minds join SHIFT Advisory

Four brilliant legal minds join SHIFT Advisory

SHIFT Advisory is excited to welcome four brilliant legal experts to the team across the Motu – in Wellington, Auckland, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay: Meredith Ussher, Charlotte Holden, Charly Thorpe and Gráinne O’Callaghan-King.

Meredith brings extensive in-house experience, having led large legal, risk, assurance, and compliance teams in both the public and private sectors. She is deeply committed to building inclusive, connected, high-performing teams, and is passionate about delivering flexible, fit-for-purpose legal solutions that are results-driven and commercially focused.

Charlotte joins SHIFT with global experience spanning the UK, Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand. She has worked in top law firms and in-house roles for blue-chip companies, specialising in commercial and corporate advisory, technology, media, IP, M&A, regulatory compliance and governance.

On joining SHIFT, Meredith says:
“I joined SHIFT because I think it is a wonderful opportunity to add value to a variety of organisations and diversify my experience while continuing to learn and grow in different environments”

Charlotte adds:
“I’ve always been a fan of the flexible secondment model that SHIFT offers. SHIFT can bring deep expertise to a range of clients and the variety of work available through SHIFT for practising lawyers is really compelling.”

Joining them is Charly Thorp, a senior commercial lawyer with deep experience across private practice and in-house roles.  She brings strong expertise in supporting entrepreneurs, high-growth businesses, and technology-led organisations, with a practical, solutions-focused approach to legal problem solving and commercial decision-making.

Charly says ‘I am excited to join the SHIFT team as it offers flexibility in how I work, while also providing the opportunity to partner with a wide range of New Zealand businesses. I am looking forward to contributing my expertise and continuing to learn from a diverse mix of companies and people.’

Also joining SHIFT is Gráinne O’Callaghan-King, who brings experience supporting high-growth and internationally focused businesses.

Grainne says joining the SHIFT team feels like a natural fit:
“This will give me the freedom to shape how I work, combined with the chance to collaborate with businesses right across New Zealand – something I find genuinely motivating. I’m eager to bring my skills to the table while soaking up new perspectives from such a varied mix of clients and colleagues.”

SHIFT Advisory connects organisations with senior, experienced legal experts on flexible terms and secondments, providing high-quality, tailored legal expertise for clients, when and where it’s needed. We are so excited to have Meredith, Charlotte, Charly and Grainne join our team, strengthening our ability to deliver high-quality, tailored legal advice to clients, while supporting legal experts to work in ways that fit their lives and ambitions.