Top drop: Legal eagle’s big year

Veteran legal eagle Brett Heading is a busy man these days both in and outside the courtroom, with his South Burnett distillery picking up another gong.

Brett Heading is a high profile Brisbane lawyer that also run Clovely Estate wines with his wife

Veteran legal eagle and South Burnett vintner Brett Heading, of Hamilton Locke, is a busy man these days both in and outside the courtroom.

Heading has just been named again in Doyles pre-eminent corporate lawyers list, along with Chelsey Drake from Allens and his former McCullough Robertson partner Tim Sayer. Heading is currently defending local listed affordable housing company Eureka, chaired by ex-Ariadne chief executive Murray Boyte, against a $166m hostile takeover bid from Western Australia’s Aspen. Heading boasts Hamilton Locke is now the fastest growing law firm in Australia with 62 partners.

Heading has grown the Brisbane office to 12 partners, with the recent addition of Damien Bourke, one of the top tax lawyers in the country, along with his entire team.

Heading let it slip that he is getting regular approaches from partners at Big Law firms wanting to join Hamilton Locke.

Clovely Estate Vineyard

Outside the law, Heading tells your diarist that BBC old boy Nick Pesudovs, the master distiller and winemaker at his Clovely Estate vineyard, has cracked it for the second year in a row by winning a silver medal at the London Spirit Competition, regarded as the top championship in the world.

The award-winning gin called Ichika follows on from the silver medal won last year for its Apinya gin. Quite aptly for a lawyer, Heading has registered the trademark Devil’s Advocate and a rebranding is about to take place for his spirit company to be called Devil’s Advocate Distillery. He encouraged City Beat to visit the magic of the South Burnett where one of his new neighbours is prominent director and corporate advisor Andrew Kemp, ex Firstmac chairman, who is currently building a home on his new property.

Skin deep

Gold Coast natural skincare products business Roccoco Botanicals has beaten Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP products to collect their second gong in as many years at the Cosmetics & Toiletries Alle Awards in New York.

Jacine Greenwood-Drummond’ s Roccoco, which is based in Yatala, was the first Australian company to be nominated and win at the awards which are based on excellence in research and development. This year she had three products nominated in the finished formula – indie categories at the awards and won for her overnight recovery mask.

“It’s incredible news again. And to be up against Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP in the category,” says Greenwood-Drummond who is the founding chief cosmetic chemist and CEO of Roccoco Botanicals. ”We’ve come a long way since launching from my kitchen bench in 2013.”

Past winners in the category include, Yves Saint Laurent Beaute, Belcorp, Kao Brands Co, Procter & Gamble, PZ Cussons, Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, AmorePacific, Shiseido, L’Oreal.

Roccoco Botanicals Founder and CEO Jacine Greenwood-Drummond. Picture: Supplied

Barty party

Tennis legend Ash Barty will be guest speaker at the 2024 Queensland Philanthropy Awards, with ticket sales now open for the awards gala luncheon on 7 June.

The awards are a highlight of Queensland’s annual Philanthropy Week celebrations, which honour community members and organisations who make outstanding philanthropic contributions, help raise awareness of philanthropy throughout the state and encourage support for charities and community organisations.

Ms Barty will be guest speaker at the Awards luncheon in Brisbane, with awards to be presented across seven categories including philanthropy innovation, corporate philanthropy and community philanthropist of the year.

Queensland Gives chief executive Tara Castle says Barty embodies the spirit of philanthropy, after establishing the AB Foundation which works to give young people the opportunity to succeed through sport and education.

Queensland tennis great Ash Barty. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)