Caroline Ferguson – SHIFT’s COO

Meet Caroline Ferguson – SHIFT’s COO.

Innovation expert, systems guru, technology pro, and champion of diversity, equity and inclusion, we caught up with Caroline from her home office in Three Kings, with three year old Isla in tow.

“It’s a big change from my previous job but I’m really loving it.  I’m so excited about SHIFT that I’m finding myself on weekends thinking of ideas, and quite happy to sneak some work in!

And what an incredible team! I love the professionalism, but also the dynamic nature of the business, and how we’re constantly collaborating. I’ve admired Prue from afar for a few years now. I love the different perspective she brings to law, the DEI lens, and how curious she is about all aspects of the legal ecosystem, and the opportunities.”

Caroline comes to SHIFT after eight years at Simpson Grierson, five of those as Business Transformation and Innovation Director.

“I’m really excited about bringing my project design skills around internal systems and how we can streamline and be more efficient. I’m also really excited about helping build and support the community – clients and consultants. 

At Simpson Grierson I was involved in the women and allies and neurodiversity action groups, and I also ran the parents and caregivers network. To be able to come into an organisation where DEI is at the heart of what we do is pretty special.”

Caroline was born and raised in Auckland. In fact, the first 26 years of her life revolved around a 4km radius.

“As soon as I finished school I went straight into law at Auckland University. I was initially enrolled in a communications degree but in my heart I knew it was always going to be law. Saying that, I went through most of my degree hating it and it wasn’t until my last year that I started to enjoy it more.”

Despite declaring that she would not work for a big law firm, Caroline’s first job was at one of New Zealand’s biggest. And she surprised herself.

“I joined Bell Gully as a finance lawyer, and loved it. I loved how quickly I could be client facing, I loved how I could be running transactions from beginning to end, and I did some really exciting work with Air New Zealand. I’m so grateful for those first couple of years because it really set me up in good stead to be able to go to London and get a really good job.”

That job was at global law firm Allen and Overy.

“They were a very innovative firm, all about ‘where is the world going?’, and essentially disrupted their own business model, initially by setting up what was called a Business Improvement Unit to explore opportunities. As soon as I saw they were setting up the team and were open to lawyers joining, I jumped at the chance to be a part of it and joined as the lawyer rep.”

Caroline led and contributed to a variety of projects including the implementation of new business models and processes, the development of technology solutions to enhance efficiency, and the coordination of training programs to strengthen digital capabilities. 

And so began a pivot away from the practice of law, to the business.

“I realised I was more interested in the Harvard Business Review, than I was in the credit agreements that I was drafting and reviewing. I just loved the business of law.

When I came back to New Zealand I didn’t know if I was going to be able to continue working in legal innovation and technology because obviously it’s a much smaller market here. So I was really lucky that Simpson Grierson had a forward looking approach and created an opportunity for me.”

Recently, Caroline completed the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Professional training through the International Association of Privacy Professionals. She is a member of the AI Forum’s AI Governance Working Group and has participated in numerous trials of AI tools.

“The first AI trial I was involved in was in 2018 and 2019 and involved machine learning. At the time we had to get external consultants from the UK to help us train the technology, it was very time intensive and from a cost benefit analysis, didn’t make sense to take forward.

Spring forward to now and the technology doesn’t always need to be trained – it knows what to do! So there’s been a huge leap forward with how powerful the tech is and there are live examples of where we can see it being much quicker to complete various legal tasks.

The current AI wave is really relevant to legal because it’s all around large language models and language is at the heart of legal. Whether it’s a contract or piece of legislation or an opinion, every road in legal leads to language.”

Caroline says there is a long list of risks and ethical considerations to be aware of and in what is a very fast evolving space, now is the time for careful navigation.

But she says giving things a go is also important.

“The key thing we as individuals and organisations can be doing right now is constantly developing our AI literacy. This wave is not going to stop. We need to be taking steps, even if tiny ones, to understand what AI is, the various types – like machine learning and natural language processing, how it works, the ethical and social implications – for example, privacy and bias, and developing the practical skills to effectively use it. It can be overwhelming so it’s key to start small and stay curious.”

Caroline is an active participant in legal and technology communities locally and globally. She is a mentor for TechWomen and frequently presents at events on topics such as DEI and innovation.

In her personal time, Caroline enjoys exploring the outdoors with her partner, Ryan, and their two young children, whether at the beach or up a mountain. 

“Finn is 5 and just started school. That was a big but beautiful transition from daycare. And Isla is 3. They’re such fun ages. I love 3 and 5, I really do. I mean there have been some really hard times, like when my partner Ryan who is in the Navy was away for five months when the kids were 1 and 3, and I was working full time, but that helps me better appreciate it now when it’s much easier to get out the door each week day morning!”

A yoga enthusiast and avid cyclist, Caroline has completed multiple stages of the Tour de France and dreams of more road cycling adventures in Aotearoa and around the globe.

“It’s more spin classes at the moment! But when I lived in London I did a lot and was lucky enough to do L’Etape and ride some of the biggest mountains on the tour. It was a pretty special time.”

As was carrying the Olympic flame through Auckland as part of the relay for the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

“I was nominated anonymously and although I had some idea of who it might have been, I never said anything at the time. So I emailed this person recently and said, “Sorry this has taken 24 years to do but were you the person who nominated me to carry the torch?” And she said yes! She was a couple of years younger than me at school and said it was for being a positive role model which was special to hear.”

Prue says Caroline has brought a bright burst of bubbly positive energy to the office. Caroline says she’s often asked where this comes from.

“I’ve always had a big smile, it’s just a part of who I am I guess!”