Pippa Austin
Profile
Pippa qualified in Sydney, Australia in 2014 and joined Kennedys Legal Solutions in June 2020. Pippa is an experienced insurance specialist across a range of product lines including Directors & Officers, Financial Institutions, Professional Indemnity and Cyber.
Pippa regularly provides policy coverage advice and acts as coverage counsel under instruction from insurers in the Southeast Asian, Australian and London markets. She acts as breach coach and privacy counsel following cyber incidents.
Pippa's experience includes disputes involving directors and officers of clubs, associations and societies, as well as professional negligence and workplace/industrial matters, both litigated and non-litigated. Pippa is experienced in international arbitrations as well as arbitrations administered by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.
Work highlights
- Acting for insurers in relation to a large claim made by an international hotel chain for its loss of profits due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Advising in relation to coverage in respect of multiple claims made the directors and officers of a bank following a large-scale fraud
- Acting as cyber breach coach in relation to an international logistics company based in India in responding to a ransomware attack and the subsequent notification to regulators and data subjects.
- Acting as cyber breach coach for a large telecommunications company in Singapore, including notifications to the regulator and affected persons.
- Acting for a Singapore real estate listing company in relation to third party claims made in Australia by customers following a cyber incident.
- Acted for an insurer client in respective of coverage sought by six former directors of a sporting Club, as well as the Club itself. The nature of the allegations and proceedings meant that a number of coverage issues fell for consideration, as well as a great degree of co-ordination of the various defence counsel appointed to act on behalf of individual directors.
- Acted for both a cultural Club and a number of its directors in proceedings commenced by some members and former members in an oppression suit that alleged misconduct by the Board. We were successful and received a significant cost order in our favour.
- Part of the defence team acting on behalf of a prominent engineering company in NSW Supreme Court proceedings commenced by a large property development group and its related entities, with a subsequent cross-claim against Pippa's client. Pippa's client was retained by the development group to provide structural engineering services for the construction of a large development in the Sydney CBD.
- Acted for London insurers as coverage counsel in relation to a structural engineer whose designs were the subject of disciplinary and criminal proceedings. As a result of the site collapse that allegedly resulted from Pippa's client’s deficient designs, two sets of civil proceedings were also commenced.