Ben McLaren

As Chief Operating Officer, Ben is primarily responsible for the strategic, financial and operational management at Russell McVeagh and leads the strategy, finance, operations, risk and compliance and knowledge management teams.

As part of the Management Team, Ben oversees the preparation of the financial reporting and provides strategic recommendations to the CEO and Board on long-term business initiatives and financial planning.

An accomplished finance practitioner, Ben joined the firm in October 2019 from Generator New Zealand where he was CFO and put in place a number of core processes and strategic plans, contributing to a significant growth phase for the company and acquisition by Precinct Properties.

Ben has significant experience working within the legal profession, most recently with Mills Oakley in Australia as CFO, where he held accountability for finance, IT and operations. With a grounding in audit and assurance, Ben has strong technical skills and an appreciation of compliance and risk management as a priority.

Ben is a Chartered Accountant with previous experience in the legal profession, having worked for Mills Oakley in Australia for over five years. As CFO, Ben was part of the management team that saw the firm accelerate its performance and reputation from a mid-tier firm to a top 10 Australian law firm.

With familiarity of tools and systems specific to the legal sector, including how to harness AI, Ben also has expertise in pricing strategy and establishing robust financial control and compliance practices. As part of law firm management teams Ben has held responsibility for key external relationships, including banking, audit, insurance and regulatory bodies.

Experienced at ideating and managing profit distribution models and fee structures, in previous roles Ben has focused on delivering operational efficiencies through process improvement, technology, and project management practices to drive growth and improve client experience.

Before his time at Mills Oakley, Ben held the role of Finance Manager at Australian law firm, Gadens, and his early career was spent at Deloitte, specialising in financial services audit.

Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance), Victoria University of Wellington

Graduate Diploma of Chartered Accounting, CAANZ