Melinda Upton

With a career spanning over 25 years, Melinda has been appointed Partner (Legal) and Regional Growth Client Lead at Deloitte.

Most recently, Melinda was Asia Pacific CEO where she steered a global corporate performance specialist group utilising data and behavioural change science creating the group’s first base outside London.

Prior to this, Melinda spent her last 15 years in senior leadership roles in global law firms including as a Partner and Global Head of the Intellectual Property and Technology Group at DLA Piper, one of the world’s largest law firms, where she oversaw 500 lawyers in 25 countries. Melinda also served as Co-Country Managing Partner, Australia.

It is through this path her focus on the alignment between strategic corporate objectives and culture and values stems. So passionate on the topic, Melinda moved from advocate to activator, establishing DLA Piper’s first bespoke mental health and wellbeing program, SPEAK, in collaboration with Mina Candalepas. Soon after, she was appointed founding Chair of the firm’s International Health & Wellbeing Steering Committee, providing a platform to raise awareness about mental ill health and help drive positive change across the legal industry and the corporate landscape.

Committed to societal impact, Melinda currently serves as Chair of Minds Count Foundation and a former Director of the Board of the Corporate Mental Health Alliance (Australia). Deloitte remain a foundation member of the Alliance. She also served as a member of Board of The Arts Health Institute focussed on the integration of the arts into all aspects of health and age care environments.

Melinda is also a strong advocate for the advancement of women to leadership positions. She was a champion of DLA Piper’s global Leadership Alliance for Women (LAW) initiative – a program designed to foster an environment of support, encouragement and shared insight for women. Melinda served as Chair of LAW in Australia and Global Co-Chair for a number of years.

Together with her husband and two children, Melinda lives in Sydney and has a love of all thing’s fitness and outdoors and has a particularly impressive right hook!