06 Oct Breaking Ground: An interview with Rena Scott – Part 1
Marsden’s Sonia Patel speaks to Pinsent Masons’ Rena Scott about her journey and all things Saudi. Rena began her career in California, moved to Geneva with Akin Gump, spent nine years with Orrick, and then relocated to Saudi Arabia to establish and lead Pinsent Masons’ Construction Advisory and Disputes practice.
Personal and professional motivations
What motivated you to move to Saudi Arabia, and how did you prepare for the transition?
“I took a leap of faith. I really came to tell a story about Saudi. I believe in the market and the projects, and I feel it’s crucial to be on the ground. Preparation was gradual; I’d visited for years, saw the scale of projects, and knew the future was moving this way, so I was mentally preparing long before I arrived.”
You may be the only expatriate female partner hired as a lateral in the Kingdom. What does that mean to you personally and professionally?
“After nearly 20 years of practice in the US and in Europe, every day was starting to look the same. While I had been working on Saudi projects for nearly 15 years, I felt far away from the action. Now, on the ground, I feel as though I’m painting on a new canvas, each day is different, and I have an entire kingdom to explore. I feel excited and privileged, and I don’t want to waste the opportunity. I’m highly focused on delivery.”
What were the biggest barriers, legal, cultural, or simply perception you had to overcome to reach this position?
“Professionally there were no barriers, well except the challenge of moving platforms. But client-wise, clients here are highly sophisticated; they want the best advisors at the best price! In this regard, there is generally a level playing field and I feel that I am given the same opportunities as anyone else.
“Culturally, integrating with the KSA community has been largely up to me. I live in a community neighbourhood rather than a compound, interact with my neighbours, and lecture at a top Saudi law school. Socially I’m giving and receiving in a way that reflects my efforts to integrate.”
Building a practice
Rena arrived with established relationships and a clear belief in the Saudi market and its projects. “If you’re willing to build relationships, there’s more than enough work,” she says. Outside of leading the Pinsent Masons practice in KSA she’s taken on a lecturer role, teaching an all-female section on construction law at Prince Sultan University. Not speaking Arabic has not been a hindrance; she takes lessons once a week to show commitment and can now read Arabic – with some difficulty – after just one year.
How did you establish credibility with local clients and authorities as an expatriate female lawyer?
“My profile helped; Ivy League university with cum laude grades, top U.S. law school, strong U.S. firms, and work across three continents. People respect the move to Riyadh. You have to demonstrate commitment to the market, and I believe clients can sense my authenticity. I’m fully invested in the region, not one foot in and one foot out. I’ve travelled all over the Kingdom, and I’m still learning.”
Have you faced practical hurdles on site visits or in all-male negotiations?
“No. I know who I’m working with and act or dress appropriately and accordingly. On my first trip to KSA (some years ago now), while I was still working in Geneva, I entered a room full of men, everyone shook my hand except one person. I now know why and have learned about extending my hand. Since then, I ask more questions before entering a room. It’s a learning environment.”
Please click here for the second part of this interview.