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

Greater Anglia

Contracts manager at Greater Anglia (Abellio East Anglia Limited) managing the TSA train services agreement upon commencement of fleet introduction following handover from the MSA manufacture and supply agreement.   As contracts manager I manage the agreement, including authorising payments, arranging approval of any proposed variation orders and ensure that the operator and maintainer meet all statutory and safety obligations to deliver change from a maintenance provider to a maintenance manager business model as part of the franchise committed obligations along with undertaking preparedness and readiness activities.

- Ensure all financials are correct including payments, indexation as per the indices, mileage against rates, and all reconciliations
- Ensure all legalities are correct including variation orders, exonerating events and consult with legal counsel
- Liaise with the ROSCO and DfT to ensure compliance with the lease agreement and franchise
- Develop KPI’s to demonstrate the performance and reliability levels of the class 745/1, 745/0, 755/4 and 755/3 intercity, airport express and hybrid fleets in line with the RDG Rail Delivery Group 20 Point Plan
- Arrange additional services including servicing, damage, vandalism and fatalities
- Track contractual deliverables for readiness including engaging consultants for readiness audits, maintenance demonstrations, all manuals are delivered and meet minimum requirements, sufficient tooling and spares are in place, all plans, policies, processes and procedures, including interface procedures and processes are in place, all suppliers and sub contractors are approved, all depot and engineering infrastructure is contract compliant as delivered by the infrastructure delivery team and affirm TUPE arrangements with the incoming maintainer
- Work with the depot and maintainer teams, at interim stage, to ensure the support requirements of both legacy and new fleets are met to protect both revenues and readiness

New Fleet Contracts Manager

MAN Diesel & Turbo

As single point of contact I was accountable for the factory diesel engine supply programme for assigned contracts, including initial infield support.  Upon handover, the contract was implemented and executed including providing for contract specific applications engineering or capital equipment provisions, liaising with classification and quality to arrange class contract type approvals and the witness test programme, determining payment and delivery schedules including incoterms, shipping method, preservation, painting, and packing, along with infield support including landing, storage, tooling and support spares.  During build, metrics were monitored with finance including outstanding order book, sales, payments, cash flow, margins and provisioning.  Upon completion of build, attendance of classification surveyors was confirmed, including arranging letters of invitation for immigration, transfers, hosting and accommodation.  Prior to shipping letters of credit for payment and export licences were confirmed including liaising with end users, to obtain end user undertakings and export control to ensure compliance. 	

-  Achieved contractual delivery dates and delivered projected profit cross functionally 
-  Attend production meetings and regularly review programme 
-  Review work load and capacity planning including installation, commissioning and sea trials 
-  Arrange field engineering resource with the UK service team
-  Set up payment plans with finance for letters of credit 
-  Customer complaints management and non conformance reporting including adjudicating for warranty claims ensuring approval and sign off 
-  Aftermarket warranty support including infant care and technical support 
-  In-field campaigns and fix as fail updates 
-  Output material support requirements and execute warranty works
-  Raise purchase requisitions and approve sub contract invoices 
-  Monitor engine storage and preservation regimes
-  Review and apply lessons learned

Project Manager, High Speed Engines and Marine Systems

Cummins Europe

I supported the Class 22X, Class 185, Class 180, Class 175, Class 15X and Class 14X DMU diesel multiple unit railcars, and the Loram and Harsco infrastructure locomotives.  I facilitated technical support including telematics and client training from infant technology familiarisation to legacy products.  I oversaw client functional excellence supporting the net promoter score programme as well as client complaints and NCR claims, playing a vital role in the 8D analysis to determine root cause and corrective actions.  I was a 6 Sigma rail innovation project group member for reliability centred maintenance and condition based servicing to review diagnostics data, fluid analysis and condition reports enabling oil drain and maintenance interval extensions, optimising consumables use and total life costs whilst determining MTBF, ensuring profitability and customer value at all life cycle stages.  As rail client relations lead I liaised with the specialist press, organised the exhibition stand at trade shows, arranged team attendance at awards, charity and networking events and oversaw the rail support literature with marketing and JV partners. 

-  Established the client NCR reporting process to control and close out the aged NCR
-  Secured a significant fleet parts order and increased consumables revenues
-  Forged excellent relations with customers and promoted all business streams
-  Updated pipeline forecasts
-  Managed pre-contract commercial reviews providing bid support for EOI, PQQ, ITT and quotations
-  Legacy product retro fit upgrades
-  Drafted FMI fleet modification instructions for applications specific engineering updates
-  Resolved customer complaints including updating client quality portals
-  Coordinated the NPS relationship surveys for key accounts and reviewed NPS transactional feedback 	
-  Conducted VOC business to business CSF surveys
-  Undertook specification and cost bench marking with supply chain	
-  Updated CRM customer records

Customer Support Manager, Rail Aftermarket

Managed client accounts to retain and increase spares, consumables, field service and remanufactured service exchange business. I facilitated customer technical support and training requirements supporting all applications within remit including rail (DMU railcars and infrastructure locomotives), power generation (standby, peak loping and base load CHP diesel and gas units), automotive (bus, coach, truck and specialist vehicles), marine, construction and agricultural.  Application specific work included managing and developing marine dealers providing OE support including leading direct sales initiatives, conducting fleet asset surveys with bus operators to confirm engine, transmission, chassis and coachwork types for re-power proposals, active participation during direct sales campaigns targeting the generator set installed base and providing aftermarket and technical support to specialist rail and agricultural equipment manufacturers and construction OE key accounts. 

-  Increased the automotive business
-  Increased the consumables business
-  Forged excellent relations with customers
-  Developed business target plans and campaigns	
-  Promoted all business streams
-  Provided pipeline forecasts
-  Undertook regular customer visits updating the CRM system to maintain customer contact records
-  Pre-contract management including bid support for EOI, PQQ, ITT and quotations
-  Coordinated the NPS relationship surveys for key accounts and reviewed NPS transactional feedback
-  Conducted voice of the customer business-to-business critical success factor surveys
-  Facilitated channel management Excel marine dealer audits
-  Arranged product training on infant technology Tier 4 / Euro VI / Stage IV		
-  Took ownership of customer complaints and resolution		
-  Part of the UK exhibitions team representing and promoting the company at shows and exhibitions

Customer Support Manager, General Aftermarket

Weir Power & Industrial

Facilitated client relations promoting aftermarket support services for turbo machinery rotating equipment to the industrial, oil and gas, marine and power generation markets.  Implemented the VOC business-to-business NPS customer relationship management programme, managing the feedback to contribute to excellent customer service.

-  Closed out long term outstanding projects and settled significant value final accounts
-  Undertook pre-contract management including bids and tenders
-  Forged excellent relations with customers
-  Developed business target plans and campaigns with all company hubs and divisions
-  Implemented NPS net promoter score relationship management programme
-  Updated Sales Force CRM system and maintained customer contact records	
-  Provided monthly pipeline forecasts, analysed competitor activity and reported strategic market place changes

Sales and Business Development Engineer, Aftermarket and Upgrades

Promoted to the UK key account group supporting Class 43 HST IC125 and Aus XPT passenger locomotives along with Class 60, Class 58, Class 56 and Class 37 freight locomotives.  I provided OE solutions to TOCs, ROSCOs, FOCs, TESCOs, open access operators and state rail operators through factory overhaul, retro fits, in-field service, spare parts supply, re-powers and engineered solutions.  I also carried out quality audits, oversaw customer complaints and took part in the 5S Lean review of the plant.  In charge of key account management including regular contract review meetings, I managed numerous key rail contracts and special projects from enquiry to completion and billing including turbo charger safety critical 100% upgrade campaign, locomotive re-powers including applications engineering interface kits and power car ECU functionality upgrades.

-  Secured major orders for passenger locomotive engine fleet spares
-  Managed a TOC rail engine support contract delivering projected profit year on year
-  Forged excellent relations with customers
-  Consistently achieved contractual delivery dates for overhauled engines and infield depot maintenance
-  Arranged additional field engineering resources as required with the UK service team
-  Arranged 100% change out campaigns and fix as fail updates
-  Provided legacy and heritage product technical support and retro fit upgrades 
-  Produced client fleet status reports and technical KPIs
-  Liaised with quality for client complaints and carried out quality audits
-  Pre-contract commercial reviews for sign off and approval including estimating, costing and pricing for special bids 
-  Bid submission including EOI, PQQ, ITT and quotations
-  Supply chain liaison and projected material requirement reviews
-  Monitored the order book and ongoing WIP to maximise invoiced output
-  Provided yearly, quarterly, monthly and weekly rolling pipeline forecasts
-  Compiled business reports including sales and order intake KPIs

Key Account Supervisor, Rail Aftermarket

Joined MAN as a junior member of the plant management team in a channel management role managing the direct route to market major end users and indirect route to market dealers, agents, stockists and regional company offices.  I fully supported global region business plans, travelling extensively overseas to manage international accounts.  I facilitated the supply of OE spare parts globally for the Paxman brand, determining spare parts support required for the installed base taking into account specific application requirements including marine, rail traction and power generation.    	       

-  Reactivated a former account and secured a lucrative overseas government naval spares contract 
-  Motivated and supervised the spares department team to achieve their potential at all times
-  Forged excellent relations with customers
-  Developed business target plans with regional company offices, dealers, agents and stockists
-  Planned and executed customer visit plan
-  Ensured all incoming enquiries were commercially risk assessed and technically edited
-  Pre-contract management including commercial review approval for tender and quotation sign off
-  Pre-contract costing, pricing and estimating for special bids		
-  Published trade price lists	
-  Monitored the order book and ongoing WIP to maximise invoiced output
-  Provided yearly, quarterly, monthly and weekly rolling pipeline forecasts
-  Compiled business reports including order intake and trading output sales KPIs
-  Ensured letters of credit for payment and export licences were in place prior to final shipping
-  Represented and promoted the company at relevant shows and exhibitions

Sales and Projects Engineer, Spare Parts Channel Management

Gardner Denver

Fixed term contract with responsibility for the production output of my team, I immediately and consistently achieved the production output targets during my contract.

Manufacturing Team Leader (Fixed Term Contract)

Davies Group

Responsible for the central London field service engineers and service office team as service manager in the London office where I increased billable revenues by improving utilisation.  

As project manager in the Ipswich office with responsibility for new contract installations, I improved final account margins by executing snagging works with chargeable contract variation works.  

I was responsible for managing the aftermarket support and planned preventative maintenance PPM service contract accounts for East Anglia and London as contracts manager.  I increased the contract base and stabilised annual business retention which, combined with new business development, achieved year on year growth.

Service Manager / Project Manager / Contracts Manager

Manganese Bronze Holdings PLC

As an apprentice engineer within research and development I worked on material and product development, and process automation.  As a qualified junior engineer I developed a reliability based maintenance programme for production tools to determine mean time before failure and required maintenance intervals by analysing running hours against failures and wear rates of serialised tooling.

Development Engineer

A dedicated, versatile and committed contracts, commercial, key account, customer support and project manager cultivating productive working partnerships, coordinating successful teams and successfully delivering objectives.  Keeps stakeholders, partners, clients, customers and vendors at the centre of operations remaining focused on achieving service excellence. 

- Considerable commercial contracts management and interpretation experience with ability to consult and advise with all stakeholders
- Organised and meticulous commercial contracts manager with a flexible working style
- Accomplished project manager with precise, detailed approach
- Extensive account management and sales execution experience within the rail, heavy engineering, diesel engine, marine, power generation generator set and heavy duty automotive sectors
- Account manager and customer support manager who can communicate concisely across all levels
- Determined, tenacious, personable and approachable contracts manager with an acute attention to detail 
- Astute, stakeholder focused and supportive team player 
- Measured, methodical and precise commercial manager demonstrating empathy and integrity

Contracts management (vendor) | contract reviews | commercial management | commercial risk management | legal counsel consultation | channel management | pre-contract bid management | debtor management | partner and stakeholder engagement | vendor management | relationship management | project management | project delivery | complaint resolution | staff engagement | people management and coaching | quality auditing | health and safety risk management | NCR Non Conformance Reporting | customer technical support liaison | infant care technical support | legacy product technical support | contracts engineering | fleet engineering | parts management | spares management | customer supply programme coordination | customer service | NPS Net Promoter Score | export control compliance coordination | contracts management (sales) | account management | account development | international account management | client engagement | CRM system | customer support management | aftermarket management  | aftermarket customer support

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The Battle

Rachelle Hare

Ian J Hood EngTech MSOE MIRTE HNC

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