Fiona Parry has spent over 30 years in the legal profession, but it’s the last few that tell the most compelling story. As Head of the Business Services Group at Hill Dickinson, she leads a division that turned over nearly £100 million last year, grew 18% in the most recent financial year (after 22% the year before), and spans more than 400 people across corporate, commercial real estate, employment, private wealth, CDR, restructuring and pensions.
In this episode of Spotlight, Fiona talks about what drew her from a successful litigation career into a broad strategic leadership role — and what she had to give up to do it properly. She’s candid about the hardest parts of leadership (difficult conversations), what energises her most (watching every team in the group grow), and why she believes people skills matter more than any specific management training.
The conversation also tackles women in leadership head-on. Fiona shares her own experience of moving between three, four and five-day working weeks at different stages of her career, and makes a sharp observation about imposter syndrome in promotion panels, noting that female candidates often undersell themselves despite being stronger on paper than their male counterparts.
There’s a fascinating section on Hill Dickinson’s brand transformation too, including the Everton stadium naming, a full rebrand, and the tangible impact both have had on the quality and volume of talent approaching the firm. Fiona is clear that cultural fit remains a non-negotiable in lateral hiring — no matter how strong the business case, if the person isn’t the right fit, it won’t happen.
