Blaze Business & Legal

My firm, Blaze Business & Legal, is an innovative boutique management consultancy and law firm in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

I have 23+ years of experience as a strategic management consultant/business adviser, and senior lawyer specialising in construction law, contracting, major projects, risk, compliance, and procurement for business and government

I have acted as General Counsel, Procurement Adviser, Commercial Officer, Contract Administrator, Senior Legal Counsel and Strategic Adviser in different organisations - these roles have given me a depth of experience that is rare for most lawyers.

My knowledge of various industries allows me to effectively contribute to the overall strategic direction and performance of my clients. I have practiced in industries such as construction, property and development, retirement, government, Defence, ICT, infrastructure, civil, services, mining, water and wastewater. I have substantial experience in many forms of project delivery

I’m a strategic problem-solver who considers issues holistically from a combined legal, commercial and operational angle

I specialise in:

🔹drafting contracts
🔹providing strategic legal advice
🔹providing strategic procurement advice and drafting procurement documents
🔹drafting innovative contracts and other legal documents
🔹risk analysis and mitigation
🔹resolving problems for the organisation
🔹advising in relation to contract management
🔹analysing and advising in relation to compliance with policies and procedures and relevant laws 
🔹governance issues

Blaze Business & Legal specialises in construction law, commercial law, legal advice, legal advisory services, major projects, infrastructure, collaborative contracting, civil, mining, business advisory services, management consulting, change management, procurement, probity, risk analysis, risk advice, risk mitigation, compliance, governance, commercial advice, strategic advice and leadership development.

Managing Director

Blaze Professional Learning

I help Lawyers and Non-Lawyers work better with Contracts and improve their skills in Contract Planning, Contract Drafting, Contract Review, Contract Negotiation and Contract Management. I also work with Professionals to help them overcome their Imposter Syndrome.

Owner

Team Downer MSP

Commercial Manager

Australian Government Solicitor

I specialised in construction law, legal advice, legal advisory services, major projects, infrastructure, collaborative contracting, civil, government contracts, government advice, Defence advisory, procurement, probity, risk analysis, risk advice, risk mitigation, compliance, and governance.

Senior Lawyer

Defence Housing Australia

I acted as General Counsel of DHA and provided senior legal advice and high-level strategic input to the Board and Managing Director of DHA. Role included leading the legal team, managing all matters, supervising hire and performance of external lawyers and all General Counsel roles.

Acting General Counsel

Meyer Vandenberg Lawyers

Senior Associate

Airservices Australia

Senior Legal Counsel

Corrs Chambers Westgarth

Construction and Major Projects Group, Engineering Procurement Infrastructure Construction Division

Solicitor

Laing O'Rourke

Secondment to Laing O'Rourke in-house legal team

Corporate Legal Counsel

Thiess

Secondment as Acting General Counsel - NSW

Acting General Counsel - New South Wales

Helping you solve your Business Challenges:

💎 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀: Know something is not right with your business, but you don't know who to ask for help? The structure doesn't reflect where your business is at now, things feel cobbled together and your procurement, contracting, compliance, risk management and governance need work. And it's all causing inefficiencies, compliance issues, loss of revenue and loss of sleep! You have 20 different problems in a giant ball that needs untangling. Let's chat, this is what I do!

💎 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀: Need help communicating your strategic direction to your CEO and implementing changes without causing waves? Or do you need a strategic adviser (who has also been a Board Member and is experienced in Governance) to help you work out the best future path for the organisation, then help communicate this to the CEO and get buy-in?

💎 𝗖𝗘𝗢𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀: Need a Chief Legal Officer or General Counsel but don't have the budget to hire one full-time? Need help solving specific problems and implementing solutions? Or need a strategic analysis of your organisation to work out the cause of your problem(s), then help fix them?

💎 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗹: Having problems within your Legal Division or with internal relationships in your organisation? Fixing these is a speciality of mine. Need extra senior resources on a flexible plug-and-play basis? Need a Senior Strategic Adviser to carry out a discrete legal or compliance project for your Division or the organisation as a whole?

💎 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀: Need help restructuring your Division, putting in place policies and procedures, implementing compliance, streamlining processes, or help putting in place tighter workflows with other Divisions (then documenting those workflows in diagram form)?

I use my combined strategic advisory, management consultancy and legal skills to help you to:

🔹Carry out major projects
🔹Manage and mitigate risk
🔹Improve your business
🔹provide strategic legal advice
🔹provide strategic procurement advice and draft procurement documents
🔹Make your processes more efficient and aligned with best industry practice
🔹Resolve Business Challenges
🔹Ensure compliance with relevant laws
🔹Draft policies and procedures 
🔹Deal with governance issues
🔹Improve cross-functional dynamics
🔹Improve your bottom line

Rachelle is the Owner of Brisbane Livewell Clinic, a wellness and natural therapies centre with 2 clinics in Brisbane.

Rachelle Hare

Sutter Health

Subcontractor to Vizient, Inc. Group Purchasing Organization providing services to Sutter Health System as an independent contributor for an initial 6-month period.  Responsible as assigned by the Sutter Health Strategic Sourcing Manager for Category Analysis, Strategic Sourcing, and Supplier Management activities for Medical Devices and other Medical / Surgical products utilized by clinical operations personnel for patient care throughout the entire Sutter Health system.  Also assisting Sutter colleagues with Contract Management activities.  Focus Categories are Women’s Health (5 major subcategories) and Ophthalmology.  Have thus far identified more than $2M in potential savings opportunities that are available within my assigned Categories.

Category Manager, Supply Chain Services

Sentara Health

Individual Contributor on the Strategic Sourcing team within the corporate Supply Chain organization responsible for Contract Management, Supplier Management, and Strategic Sourcing activities for a broad group of Medical Devices and other Medical / Surgical products utilized by Physicians and clinical operations personnel for patient care at twelve Hospitals and multiple off-site facilities.  Focus Categories include Orthopedics, ENT, and Ophthalmology. 
Major activities include:
• Reviewing and negotiating contract terms, conditions and pricing, and collaborating closely with Legal, Risk Management, Supply Chain Data Analytics, and other Stakeholders to ensure that Agreements with suppliers meet Sentara’s business objectives with the lowest possible risk exposure and the most competitive prices possible.
• Conducting competitive market assessments in major spend areas using RFx processes and other sourcing tools.
• Providing subject matter expertise in contracting to Strategic Sourcing team members as requested.
• Close collaboration with the Value Analysis and Supply Chain teams in the Hospitals and the Vizient Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) team to support the introduction of new items into Sentara’s clinical operations, to manage item pricing, and to resolve any performance issues with external suppliers.
Computer Systems / Tools:  Workday, Lumere, MS-Excel, MS-Word, MS-PowerPoint, MS-Teams, and MS-Outlook.

Strategic Sourcing Manager

Indiana University Health

Subcontractor to Vizient, Inc. Group Purchasing Organization providing services to Indiana University Health System as an independent contributor through August 2023.  Responsible as assigned by the Director of Contract Services for Supplier Management, Contract Management, and strategic Sourcing activities for Medical Devices and other Medical / Surgical products utilized by clinical operations personnel for patient care throughout the entire Indiana University Health System (sixteen Hospitals and multiple off-site facilities).  Provided skills and experience to augment a team that had significant turnover of personnel and that had many members who were new to Healthcare and/or new to Supplier Management / Contract Management / Strategic Sourcing.

Portfolio Manager, Contract Services - Supply Chain Operations

University of Rochester Medical Center

Supervisory role leading a team of five people in the Corporate Purchasing Department responsible for Supplier Management, Contract Management, and strategic Sourcing activities for all Medical Devices and other Medical / Surgical products utilized by clinical operations personnel for patient care throughout the entire UR System (six Hospitals and multiple off-site facilities).  This was a promotion within the same team from my previous role as Category Manager, but I also retained almost all of my prior Category Manager responsibilities.  Total annual spend managed by team ~$250Million.  Total annual savings achieved by team ~ $15Million.
Major personal activities include: 
•	Co-Leading with the System Director of Value Analysis the implementation of UR’s membership in the CAPTIS Aggregation Group under the Vizient GPO.  This included significant amounts of data analysis as well as close coordination with Supply Chain colleagues and multiple other constituents within UR, with the CAPTIS Contracts teams, and with Vizient’s Account Management team for UR.  
•	Preparation and presentation of monthly briefings to UR C-Suite Executives on the Supply Chain Governance Committee regarding CAPTIS implementation status with focus on Cost Savings results for all Hospitals within the UR System as well as UR Compliance with CAPTIS membership requirements.

Senior Category Manager - Clinical Supplies

Individual Contributor in the Corporate Purchasing Department responsible for Supplier Management, Contract Management, and strategic Sourcing activities for a broad group of Medical Devices and other Medical / Surgical products utilized by clinical operations personnel for patient care at two Hospitals and multiple off-site facilities. Focus Categories included: Cardiovascular; Urology; Gastroenterology; and Contrast Media.  
Major activities included:
•	Close collaboration with the Value Analysis and Supply Chain teams in the Hospitals and the Vizient Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) team to support the introduction of new items into URMC clinical operations, to manage item pricing, and to resolve any performance issues with external suppliers.
•	Reviewing and negotiating contract terms, conditions and pricing, and collaborating closely with Legal, Risk Management, and other Stakeholders to ensure that Agreements with suppliers met URMC business objectives with the lowest possible risk exposure and the most competitive prices possible.
•	Providing subject matter expertise in contracting to Clinical Supplies team members as requested.
•	Running reports from the Allscripts MRP system and providing detailed spend analysis to the Clinical Supplies team Senior Category Manager on a periodic basis.

I also led a major project to review the GPO services being provided to UR and to determine who UR’s GPO partner should be going forward for several years.  This was a major cross-functional and multi-phase event that included creation and management of an RFI and subsequent RFP and performance of all of the related analytics for each to determine which GPO best met UR’s requirements from a cultural as well as an economic / contractual perspective.

Category Manager - Clinical Supplies

Individual Contributor in the Corporate Purchasing Department responsible for Contract Management, strategic Sourcing activities, and tactical Purchasing for a broad group of Services Categories required by diverse groups of end-users across the University’s multiple Medical facilities and Academic campuses. Focus Categories included: Staffing Services; Consulting Services; Language Services; Data, Voice, & Video Communication Services; Marketing support Services and Training Services. Other areas of engagement included Facilities Services; HR Leave Benefit programs; Travel Services; and various Software License Agreements. 
Major activities included:
•	Creation of new Temporary Staffing services contract template in conjunction with Legal and end users in the two major Information Technology groups.  Template created initially for IT Staffing, but was then modified to cover a broad range of Temporary Staffing requirements.
•	Reviewing and negotiating contract terms and conditions, and collaborating closely with Legal, Risk Management, and end-user groups to ensure that Agreements with suppliers meet UR business objectives with the lowest possible risk exposure and the most competitive prices possible.  
•	Leading a project team consisting of end-users and Purchasing Department members to analyze and re-design the UR Purchasing Web Site to ensure that it contains content that is both relevant and valuable to the overall UR end-user community and that it is accessible in an intuitive manner. 
•	Actively participated in various business process and system re-design activities associated with the UR “Procure to Pay” (P2P) transformation project – including serving as a Workday “super user” to support P2P system design, testing, and implementation.

Purchasing Manager - Software & Services

JMA Wireless

Individual Contributor position reporting to the Director of Purchasing responsible for leading Sourcing activities for New Product Development / Engineering requirements for externally purchased products and services across JMA's Antenna, Filter, and Transmission Line product families - with primary emphasis on the Antenna and Filter product families. Sourcing efforts were focused on suppliers in China (primarily), Taiwan, and the USA.
Major activities:
•	Directly managed several suppliers / commodities – including extruded plastics and pultruded fiberglass.
•	Assisted Director of Purchasing to develop and execute Cost Reduction and Supply Risk Mitigation strategies (including multi-sourcing and outsourcing projects) and to establish formal Supply Agreements with several suppliers.  
•	Worked with Legal and several other internal constituent groups to develop and implement a new contract template to cover OEM & ODM purchasing arrangements for Filter and Antenna products.
•	Led Sourcing projects to outsource to China-based suppliers several major Antenna sub-assemblies and several complete RF Filter products – all based on JMA designs.  
•	Led Sourcing project to evaluate several suppliers in China for outsourcing of complete Base Station Antenna products based on JMA designs.
•	Led Sourcing projects to obtain certain RF Filters and certain Indoor Antennas from OEM suppliers in China based on JMA end-point specifications.

Sourcing Leader

Frontier Communications

Individual Contributor contract position responsible for managing Supply Chain Integration activities for a 104 supplier subset of the total suppliers that were doing business with the Verizon wireline voice / data / and video operations in California, Texas, and Florida that were taken over by Frontier at the end of Q1-2016.  Primary function of role was to establish formal contractual agreements with all assigned suppliers having an estimated annual spend of $100K or greater.  Worked in close collaboration with Legal, Risk Management, Safety & Security, and Operations as well as with Procurement team members to accomplish my objectives.  Major functional areas supported included Outside Plant Engineering and Construction, Central Office Engineering and Installation, Backup Power Systems equipment, and Repair Services for Plug-in Components (PICS) and equipment.  Also dealt with Software Licensing and Software Development requirements. Primary tasks were drafting, negotiating, and executing Non-Disclosure Agreements, contracts for services ("Services Agreements"), and contracts for products, software, and related services ("Master Purchase and License Agreements").

Strategic Sourcing Analyst (Contractor)

Quintel

Individual Contributor position reporting to the COO of Company.  Responsible for leading Strategic Sourcing, Commodity Management, and Supplier Management activities (from New Product Introduction through Volume Production) - including the creation and on-going management of the Supply Chain for all of the piece parts required for the production of multiple Cellular Base Station Antenna products at Contract Manufacturing locations in Newark, NY and Shanghai, China.  Managing Total Annual Spend in excess of $5MM.  Set Sourcing Strategy for all Commodities – including the selection and qualification of all suppliers and the negotiation and implementation of Supply Agreements with all suppliers who are part of the Sourcing Strategy.  In addition, responsible for creating and maintaining all ISO Process Documents related to Supplier Qualification and Supplier Performance Management.  
 
Major project activities / accomplishments: 
•	Led the Sourcing activities that established Quintel’s first US-based Contract Manufacturing operation in Newark, NY.
•	Led the Sourcing activity to establish a China-based Supply Chain to provide low cost parts to Quintel’s New Product Introduction and Production locations.
•	Key contributor to the Implementation activities for establishing Quintel’s China-based Contract Manufacturing operation in Shanghai.

Sourcing Director

Remington Arms

Management position reporting to the VP of Supply Chain for the Freedom Group (parent of Remington). Lead seven-person Purchasing team responsible for buying all Direct, and most MRO/Indirect, materials, parts, products, and services required by the Remington Arms manufacturing facilities in Ilion, NY and Lexington, MO.  Responsible (with Sourcing colleagues) for total annual spend in excess of $100MM and annual Cost Savings in excess of $5MM.  Responsible (with Material Management colleagues) for ensuring that supply continuity and inventory objectives were achieved. Also provided Strategic and Tactical Purchasing support for all New Product Projects destined for production at the Ilion and Lexington locations.  Major project activities / accomplishments: 
•	Procurement leader for the transfer & integration of the Marlin Lever Action firearms production from the Marlin North Haven, CT Plant to the Remington Ilion, NY Plant.
•	Procurement leader for the transfer & integration of the Marlin and H&R Wood parts production from the Marlin North Haven, CT Plant & the Remington Ilion, NY Plant to the Remington Lexington, MO Plant.
•	Key contributor in the transfer & integration of the Bushmaster firearms production from the Bushmaster Windham, ME Plant to the Remington Ilion, NY Plant.
•	Procurement leader for the re-sourcing / transfer of several major casting products from incumbent suppliers to new suppliers to improve supply availability and/or to achieve cost savings.

Purchasing Manager

Sigma International LLC

Short Term Consulting arrangement to: 

1)  Conduct a thorough analysis of Sigma's current supply base and identify "gaps" where it was necessary to add and/or replace suppliers in order to meet Sigma's objectives for supply continuity, quality, and cost.

2)  Develop a plan of action to close all identified gaps in the supply base and ensure that Sigma was working with the most appropriate suppliers to support its business objectives.

3)  Work with Sigma's Quality organization to develop a plan of action to "qualify" / "certify" the quality systems of all key suppliers to Sigma and enable those suppliers to provide "qualified" / "certified" parts to Sigma that will not need to go through incoming inspection at Sigma.

4)  Work with Sigma's Quality organization to develop a supplier performance rating system and business review process to ensure that all key suppliers are meeting Sigma's requirements on a continual basis.

Supply Chain Consultant

Nukote International, Inc.

Individual contributor responsible for leading Nukote’s Sourcing, Commodity Management, and Supplier Management activities across all product lines in Nukote’s business. Primary emphasis on establishing a reliable supply base in Mexico and elsewhere in North America to support move of Laser and Ink Jet Printer Cartridge manufacturing from China to Monterrey, Mexico.  Also, large emphasis on re-sourcing finished Ribbon products for computers and typewriters from existing source in China to new source(s) in China. Commodities managed include: Chips (integrated circuits), Plastic Molded Parts, Imaging Components, Toner, Chemicals, Resins, Pigments, Packaging, and finished goods for Ribbons, Thermal transfer, Laser Printer Cartridge, and Ink Jet Printer Cartridge product lines.

Global Sourcing & Procurement Manager

Dynamic & Highly Skilled Procurement Professional with specialties in Sourcing and Contracting

I am a globally experienced, multi-skilled Procurement Professional with extensive experience in Strategic Sourcing, Commodity/Category Management, Contract Management (including price negotiations and creation /negotiation of terms and conditions), Supplier Relationship Management, Purchasing Systems, and Project Management.  

During my career I have held several managerial positions as well as multiple individual contributor positions across several industries.  I am comfortable in managerial roles, and have directly managed up to ten direct reports.

I hold a MBA degree, I am a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), and I have a Lean Six Sigma White Belt Certification. I have industry experience in Healthcare, Higher Education, Wireless Telecommunications, Firearms, Building Controls & HVAC, Fire Safety & Security, and Printer Cartridge re-manufacturing.

My Global Experience includes in-country assignments in El Salvador (3 months), Argentina (6 months) and the United Kingdom (10 months) plus multiple trips to China, Europe, and Latin America.    

I have managed multiple direct and indirect Commodities / Categories throughout my career.  
For direct Commodities, my experience includes Medical Devices and other Medical / Surgical products; Fabricated Metal parts; Fabricated Plastic parts; Cable Assemblies; Printed Circuit Boards; Printed Circuit Board Assemblies; and various finished goods for resale in “solutions” offerings.  

For indirect Commodities my experience includes Language Services; Consulting Services; Staffing Services; Facilities Services; Logistics / Transportation Services; Software Licensing; Software Development; IT Hardware & Accessories for end-users; MRO parts, equipment, & services; Office Supplies; Corrugated Packaging; Wood Packaging & Pallets; and Industrial Gases.

I have also been the Sourcing leader and a key player in several factory relocations and several outsourcing initiatives – including the setup of Contract Manufacturing operations in the USA and in China to produce, test, and ship finished Cellular Base Station Antenna products.

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The Battle

Rachelle Hare

Brian W Bowdish

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