Katrina Sharman
Executive Counsel
Sydney
Profile
With more than 20 years’ post-admission experience across Australia and the United States, Katrina Sharman is a highly experienced legal and compliance executive and General Counsel who combines leading private practice credentials with senior in-house leadership experience. She has served as General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and in other executive roles across high-growth technology and financial services businesses, including almost six years at Coinbase, the United States’ largest digital asset exchange. Katrina is admitted in both Australia and California, holds a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist.
Katrina advises boards, founders, executives, investors and in-house counsel on legal, regulatory and strategic matters. As a Fractional General Counsel and trusted legal adviser, she supports organisations that need executive-level expertise without the commitment of a full-time General Counsel or Chief Legal Officer. Drawing on her in-house and private practice background, she helps businesses navigate growth, transformation, product development, governance and regulatory complexity, enabling leadership teams to make informed commercial decisions while managing risk and supporting innovation.
She works with start-ups, scale-ups, high-growth companies and established organisations across a range of industries, with particular expertise in technology, fintech, financial services, digital assets, payments and other regulated sectors.
Having practised extensively in both Australia and the United States, Katrina is particularly well placed to support Australian businesses expanding internationally and overseas businesses entering Australia. She advises on product development, regulatory compliance, AML/CTF, governance, enterprise risk management, consumer protection, policy engagement and global compliance strategy, helping organisations establish practical frameworks that support sustainable growth and regulatory confidence.
Katrina is recognised for her ability to translate complex and evolving legal and regulatory requirements into clear, practical business solutions. Clients value her strategic judgement, commercial perspective and collaborative approach, including her ability to balance innovation, growth and risk management. Whether acting as Fractional General Counsel, compliance leader or strategic adviser, she helps organisations strengthen governance, manage regulatory obligations and achieve their commercial objectives.
In addition to her legal practice, Katrina brings more than a decade of experience as a non-profit director, providing valuable governance insight and board-level perspective.
