From Agribusiness to Manolo Blahnik: The AYWN Breakfast with Georgina McManus ('97)

Sharing the journey from her time as a St Margaret’s student through to her role at Manolo Blahnik, Harvard Business School graduate and co-founder, Georgina imparted authentic insight into life at the high-end luxury footwear brand and everything that has led to this role.

Georgina attended St Margaret’s in Prep, Year 3 and, again in Years 8-12 as a boarder from Goondiwindi – a time when a life working and living in London as a lawyer was not yet even a thought.

“I don't think I could have imagined the career path I have followed; it just wouldn’t ever have made sense. My sights were set much closer to home during the time that I was boarding at St Margaret's. I always envisaged I would start my career by working in Brisbane and then possibly end up working rurally. It wasn't until I left university that the idea of travelling and working became more appealing.”

Perhaps most reassuring to students – and perhaps equally so to the alumni in the room at various stages of their careers – was that Georgina was never sure what she wanted to do as a student, both at St Margaret’s and at the commencement of university.

“I wasn't really sure what I wanted to pursue as a university student, I kept my subject selection purposely broad in my last two years at school to ensure that I didn't limit my options. Law was pretty low down on my list of interests at the time; pharmacy and occupational therapy were potential options I was considering. There is so much pressure to ‘know’, but I am a huge advocate for casting your net wide if you are uncertain – no educational opportunity is ever a waste.”

There have been many exciting phases of Georgina’s career prior to Manolo Blahnik – from her start in the Supreme Court of Queensland to practising agribusiness law in Brisbane and then on to mergers and acquisitions in the City of London, in-house counsel at Westfield Europe and finally her role at Manolo Blahnik. Georgina is clear that the key thing that has kept this work interesting has been the relationships, and how unique they are to each situation. Some of these relationships have included working with Rihanna, Mariah Carey and other A-list celebrities, but very many more are formed in the boardrooms and offices where she spends much of her time.

“In every phase of my career there have been exciting elements, but relationship building has always been the highlight. When I worked in agribusiness, I had the best clients. Typically, rural clients have a lot of character. The opportunity to work for incredibly intelligent and capable family farming businesses was such a privilege, and very often also an opportunity for a good chat and a laugh. When I worked in M&A in London, I was in awe of the intellectual capabilities of my colleagues and clients – corporate life is uncompromising and can move so quickly.”

“My time at Westfield was so formative, being part of an Australian company in the UK, at the forefront of luxury retail development, and combining that with being part of the delivery of the London 2012 Olympic Games was unforgettable. Equally, the opportunity to step into the role of General Counsel and, subsequently, Chief Legal Officer at Manolo Blahnik and create a legal department from scratch is likely something I won't get to do again. Shaping the culture and reputation of the team and working alongside the CEO during a period of significant international growth was challenging and exciting.”

Georgina’s work at Manolo Blahnik – from brand protection and intellectual property matters, corporate acquisitions and litigation through to manufacturing and distribution – has always proved interesting, and very often grounded in moments of pressure, uncertainty or unfamiliarity.

“I think the situations that used to terrify me are probably the things that fuel me now. I relish new and unchartered environments and the chance to apply my professional skills to problem-solve and support commercial growth. But it takes time to develop that resilience, with quite a few sleepless nights along the way!”

Georgina shared with students the exhilarating, challenging and transformative experience she had at Harvard Business School, spending eight weeks studying at the beautiful campus in Boston, Massachusetts, to complete the Advanced Management Program. This program of study focuses on business management in the context of senior leadership, bringing experienced executives from around the world together for what Georgina describes as an “intense and utterly incredible learning experience”.

“I was quite intimidated by the idea of applying to Harvard, sure I would be rejected, but once the acceptance came through, I had a brief moment of joy and then some new worries – how to survive Harvard!”

The combination of Georgina’s incredible professional experience to date, plus her Harvard education, is attested to in INLAW, an educational initiative that aims to widen participation in the legal profession, co-founded by Georgina and British Barrister, Dr Tunde Okewale OBE.

“Dr Okewale founded the charity Urban Lawyers, and initially I approached him to see if I could volunteer. We spent a long time discussing the inequity that exists in accessing professional careers for students from minority ethnic groups and, from that, INLAW was born. We created a modular education program we deliver in a school in one of London's most diverse suburbs, introducing the students to law as a career and providing them guidance on pathways to access the career, developing lots of hard and soft skills that will benefit them in any career along the way. It is an enormous privilege to work with the students at this point in their lives. Arguably, I get more from the experience than they do.”

“I felt I was at the point in my career where I could contribute meaningfully; I wanted to leverage my network and reputation where possible to benefit others. INLAW was founded in 2021 when there was significant focus on the absence of diversity in professional fields both in London and further afield.”

INLAW is a testament to some of the key advice imparted to students at the breakfast: that turning your passion into your profession is possible, and that persistence is key. Whether that be in everyday work or in co-founding an educational initiative, if you set your mind to something, you can almost always achieve it with hard work and dedication.

For any Old Girls who are considering a career in law, Georgina has the same advice that she offered students at the AYWN Breakfast.

“Studying law offers so many career options, not to mention the chance to work and travel, so I would encourage it as a career path. I can't think of what else I might have done that would have provided so many and varied opportunities. There aren't many fields where agribusiness, mergers and acquisitions, retail property development and management and luxury footwear can all sit alongside each other in a complimentary way, but practising law enables you to develop transferable skills that are applicable in so many environments.”

By Lizzie Fowler (’19)

Relationships and Mentoring Manager