Janet Legrand started her rôle as RNLI chair on January 26 2023. She has had a remarkable and extensive legal career, with senior leadership roles within the law. In 2018, Janet was appointed as an honorary Queen’s Counsel, presented with the woman lawyer of the year award at the Law Society’s Excellence awards and presented with a lifetime achievement award at the British Legal Awards.
Janet’s local RNLI station is Rye Harbour and she visited with the CEO of the RNLI Mark Dowie.
Janet said before the interview that she was not an introspective person but had really enjoyed answering the questions below.
Which three words describe you best?
It is really interesting thinking about this. I think I am calm, considered and I hope I am kind.
Do you have things left to do on your bucket list?
I don’t have a bucket list. I do, however, have an approach to life which has always been, I don’t want to get to the age of 60 and find that I’m not doing anything. So I live life to the full every day.
Who would you like to sit next to on a bench and have a conversation with, alive or dead?
I would like to sit next to Queen Elizabeth I, because she is the ultimate female leadership rôle model. I am of a generation where there weren’t many women to look up to and see in the place you wanted to get to. I think she was a remarkable woman, and it would be amazing to have a conversation with her and ask those questions that she was never asked.
What is the best thing you own?
Well I am not really a possessions person so I struggle to answer this. If I were to ask myself if there was a fire what one thing I would take with me it would be my cats, so long as my family had left the building first; but if cats aren’t a thing then it would be my father’s military medals which sit on my desk.
What is the most unexpected or salient piece of advice that you have been given?
Trusting your instincts, which works for me. I believe if you go with your gut on things, you are usually right. If you don’t there is a risk of overthinking things and until the advice is pointed out to you, you don’t realise how wise those words are.
What would your eighteen-year-old self say about where you are today?
It is a really interesting question because I set out to be a lawyer and when I was eighteen I was on that path. So I would guess that she would be pleased that I have achieved success and satisfaction from being in the law. I am not really very different from who I was then. I think your values are set very early on in life. She would see herself in me as I can see myself in her. I would hope that she was proud of my rôles beyond the law and I would hope she would be proud of the work I have done around diversity and social inclusion in the law. When I went into the law it was very much a man’s world.
When did you decide to choose this career path?
I decided in my teens. My father said to me, “You ought to be a lawyer because you can argue the hind leg off a donkey!” I completely ignored that, but the seed was sown and a couple of weeks later I said I was thinking about being a lawyer.
What traits do you think are the most important to instil in your children?
I think honest, integrity and kindness. If you have those values instilled in you, you have a good opportunity in living a decent life.
What will be your legacy?
My personal legacy comes down to children again: the caring and compassionate lives they go on to lead. My work legacy: I do keep in touch with a lot of people I have worked with as they were starting out on their careers in the more junior rôles, and hearing what they are up to now is rewarding. To know that you have influenced them and supported them is very satisfying.
Why made you choose to work with the RNLI ?
Watching the BBC’s Saving Lives at Sea made me want to volunteer my time to the RNLI. I don’t have any family connections to the charity but I can’t think of a more important mission than saving lives at sea.
Rye Harbour is my local station and I was lucky enough to visit it in January with Mark Dowie CEO. It was a joy, a real pleasure to come and meet the crew. I had obviously seen the lifeboat station from outside but having a tour and meeting everyone involved brought it to life.
Why did you want to become Chair of this charity?
I am at that stage in my life where you want to give back to society and joining the RNLI as Chair was the best way I could volunteer my skills and experience. I have chaired a number of organisations, all very different: a global law firm, a major charity and a leading university so I have the experience to make a contribution in that role.
What are you looking forward to with the RNLI’s 200th anniversary in 2024?
I think the two-hundredth year celebrations are a tremendous opportunity for us to celebrate and commemorate our past. Also they will be a real opportunity for us to raise our profile and introduce the RNLI to a whole new generation of supporters and volunteers who can take us forward into the next hundred years.
What are your hopes for the future of the RNLI?
It is really difficult to state hopes for the future because life is so uncertain at the moment. I was asked the other day what my objectives were, but when you have just been through a major pandemic and umpteen prime ministers, you need to be flexible and pragmatic. We need to build a sustainable and secure life-saving service that is forward-looking and can meet the challenges of the future. Using data and technology continually to improve our effectiveness and the safety of our crews is going to be very important.
If you were a lifeboat which lifeboat would you like to be?
If I were an inshore lifeboat (ILB) I would be an E class because they are fast and manoeuvrable, and they operate on the Thames which is near where I live when I am based in London. If I were an All-Weather Boat (ALB) I would be a Shannon. I had a test drive in a Shannon this week and it was a fantastic experience. Very, very fast, with amazing technology.
A thank you message to the readers of The Lifeboat Magazine
“As a charity, we rely on the kindness and generosity of the readers of Lifeboat to power our lifesaving. I’m so grateful to you for all your support. It funds our volunteers’ lifesaving kit, boats and training and helps to keep them safe at sea.”
Image Credits: Kt bruce .