Proximity welcomes Felicity Cooper and Elise Poiner as Expert Advisor
Government consultancy firm Proximity has appointed Felicity Cooper and Elise Poiner as Expert Advisor.
A senior government lawyer and advisor, Felicity Cooper brings around 20 years of experience working with and for the public sector. She joins from KPMG, where she led the KPMG Law’s Government and Regulatory practice. During her 11-year tenure with the Big Four firm, she led notable projects including providing legislative assurance on all aspects of Services Australia’s implementation of Covid-19 response measures.
More recently, she supported the Commonwealth’s development of legislation to establish a complex new regulatory framework in the Defence and National Security space and advised the Victorian Government on regulatory improvement initiatives.
Cooper also led and supported a raft of diverse and complex impact assessments, procurement and contract management activities, legislation projects, and reform and process improvements across a range of government agencies.
On her move to Proximity, Cooper said: “I am thrilled to join Proximity at such an exciting time for the business. This role enables me to continue doing what I love and that’s working with government to overcome challenges and helping it to achieve measurable outcomes that impact everyday Australians.”
“With a young family, I sought an employer that would provide flexibility while ensuring opportunities to work on meaningful and strategically significant projects. Proximity understands people have a life outside of work and is accommodating and supportive of its staff in every aspect of their lives, further assuring me that I have made the right decision,” Cooper added.
Cooper’s hire came hot on the heels of Elise Poiner, who joined in the summer and is similarly based in Canberra. Poiner has 20 years of experience in commercial, technology and legal roles, gained across 12 years in the public sector, where she held senior roles leading in-house legal, compliance and procurement functions.
Earlier, Poiner spent several years in the financial services industry and worked at law firm Hemming + Hart (which merged into Colin Biggers & Paisley).
“Proximity’s vision and approach resonated with me immediately,” said Poiner. “Having led significant procurement and sourcing initiatives, and supported large-scale projects as head of legal, compliance and procurement functions, Proximity was a natural next step for me. The multidisciplinary nature of the business means I can continue to work on big projects using my legal and commercial expertise and continue to refine and broaden my capabilities.”
Multifaceted needs of the government
Zoe Lynam, the CEO of Proximity, said the arrival of the senior hires with multidisciplinary skillsets will be instrumental in ensuring Proximity continues to address the multifaceted needs of the government.
“We know our clients want to work alongside intelligent trusted professionals who have a breadth of knowledge and a wide-ranging skillset. Their specialist experience, coupled with the unrivalled skills of our broader legal, commercial and consulting practices, will help our clients navigate their greatest challenges.”
Proximity has than more than 120 employees in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. The consulting firm works on projects that span the breadth of the Commonwealth including the Department of Defence, Industry Science and Resources, Home Affairs, Veterans’ Affairs, Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Department of Health, National Disability Insurance Agency, and Services Australia.