Our Team

Lyle Beaton is a Partner at IRIQ Law based in Brisbane.

Lyle graduated from UQ in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts/Law and First Class Honours in history. He has previously worked as a lawyer in commercial litigation and dispute resolution, employment/industrial relations and human rights. He has also worked in the medico-legal area as in-house counsel.

Lyle has extensive experience in relation to discrimination cases of various kinds, including in the State sphere and at the Federal level.

At IRIQ, Lyle enjoys all types of matters including those in the Fair Work Commission and related jurisdictions.

Lyle also has an interest in sports history and indigenous affairs having commented broadly in both areas including for Australia’s leading general sports magazine, Inside Sport, and on the ABC.

Emma Treherne is a Senior Associate at IRIQ Law based in Brisbane.

In 2009, Emma graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Business Management majoring in industrial relations and human resources management.  In 2011, Emma completed a Bachelor of Laws at Queensland University of Technology.  In 2012, Emma was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland.

Emma has considerable hands-on and in-depth workplace relations and human resources management experience, having performed various human resources and workplace relations roles in-house for TNT Australia, Caltex and NSW Health, in legal practice, the government, community organisations and employer associations.

Emma delivers practical and comprehensive advice in relation to complex industrial matters, unlawful discrimination and sexual harassment matters, and contractual matters.

Emma’s experience in managing sensitive workplace matters and her commercial acumen drive her to deliver solutions for businesses that are both in the commercial interests of the business and sensitive to the human element.

Francesca Musumeci is an Industrial Relations Consultant at IRIQ.

Francesca holds a Bachelor of Laws/Arts (International Relations) from the University of Queensland in 2016. During her studies she undertook various community volunteer engagements, raising funds for local charities. In her final year Francesca worked on a pro bono advocacy project for defence lawyers on the ground in Afghanistan and maintains a keen interest in human rights and anti-discrimination.

At IRIQ Francesca enjoys drafting advice, conducting Building Code assessments and delivering high quality customer service.

Having grown up in Brisbane’s northern suburbs in a small business environment, and with her prior experience in customer service and sales in the retail sector, she brings a practical perspective to legal obligations in employment matters.

Faiyaz Devjee is a Principal Consultant at IRIQ Law.

Faiyaz holds a Masters in Commerce from the University of Otago. His experience in HR/IR spans more than 20 years in various sectors ranging from Construction, Oil and Gas, Mining, and to Academia.

Faiyaz has also served as the Vice President of the Industrial Relations Society of Queensland (IRSQ) and continues to mentor students through the career mentoring scheme at both QUT and Griffith University. He is actively involved in the Australian Human Resources Institute.

Faiyaz is a certified Workplace Investigator and is also certified in Wave Conversion through Saville Consulting and has completed Interest based EA negotiations and Conflict Resolution Training.

Faiyaz experience includes highly developed organisational development and human resource, expertise. He has a strong commercial orientation and acumen, and is passionate about adding relevant value to an organisation to achieve results, engaging stakeholders from a risk sharing perspective, financial acumen and managing multi-segmented stakeholders. He can successfully develop and execute strategic, tactical and operational human resource plans.  He loves to develop, manage and continuously improve processes that will ensure strong business growth.

Nick Lake is a Principal Consultant at IRIQ Law.

Nick is a highly credentialed Human Resources executive with 25+ years of experience in senior and executive roles for ASX top 50 companies. He has transformed organisational work cultures in unionised and non-unionised environments across a range of industries including Oil and Gas, Manufacturing, Banking and Finance, Mining and Healthcare. He works with employees and business leaders to drive a productive and engaged workforce. His deep Industrial Relations experience has included working in robust industrial environments where he has led a strong reform agenda.

Nick is a real-world practitioner who has lived the challenges as an Executive team member.  He brings his deep skill set in communication, influencing and strategic planning to establish effective workforce practices and agreements. Nick takes a commercial and principles-based approach to negotiating workplace agreements and resolving disputes. His objective is to forge sustainable and long-term solutions. His postgraduate work in Psychology and Labour Law gives him a strong technical background in change and transformation in the workplace

Areas of expertise include:

• Developing and implementing Labour Relations strategies that align with business objectives
• Negotiating innovative workplace agreements
• Managing complex disputes through the Fair Work Commission and Federal court
• Working extensively with frontline employees and supervisors, to drive efficient work practices
• Using Lean Process methodology to identify and implement new ways of working
• Workplace Culture transformation.

Nick is working as a valued partner of the IRIQ team, providing strategic advice to clients on how to manage industrial issues in the context of increasing productivity and workforce engagement. His postgraduate work in Psychology and Labour Law gives him a strong technical background in change and transformation in the workplace. 

Dr Paul Harpur is a Special Advisor to IRIQ.

Paul has a PhD in workplace relations and employment law, with a particular emphasis on work health and safety, anti-discrimination and equality laws.

Paul has had a balanced portfolio of practical experience and academic research.  He has advised employers in relation to OH&S, anti-discrimination and general industrial advocacy.

Paul has worked with IRIQ to develop its unique and practical training package on managing workplace injuries and illness.

Dr Verena Marshall is a Legal Practitioner at IRIQ based in Perth, Western Australia.

Verena has over 25 years’ experience in HR/IR management and consultancy. She brings to Workplace Relations’ investigations and training an ability to work alongside clients, providing strategic advice and operational support towards sound management policies, practice and employment-related contracts and documentation.

As well as consulting in Workplace Relations, Verena is an Adjunct Professor in the Curtin Graduate School of Business, supervising doctoral research and lecturing in the areas of HR, Workplace Relations and Employment Law.

Over the past 15 years, Verena taught in the MBA program at the Curtin Graduate School of Business in the areas of Strategic HR, Employee Relations, and Risk and Safety Management (with focus on Employment Law and OHS). She is regularly called upon by Universities in WA to conduct training and investigations in organisations in these areas (including HR policy development, performance management, managing the grievance process), as well as ongoing coaching of managers and supervisors.

Verena has strong analytical skills; her PhD in Performance Management initially provided a platform from which to develop both strategic and operational thinking, with attention to detail and business awareness.

She has also completed diverse projects, audits and investigations for a wide range of industries. Investigations frequently involved matters relating to alleged bullying, grievances, discrimination and non-performance. In undertaking these investigations, Verena has acted for both Employers and Unions.

Legally trained (Juris Dr of Law, Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice, and Graduate Certificate of Migration Law), Verena is admitted as a Solicitor to the Supreme Court of NSW. This background allows Verena to approach her consultancies from both a legal and HR practitioner’s perspective, promoting workplaces that are fair, respectful and lawful.

Matthew Guteridge is a Law Graduate at IRIQ Law.

Matthew graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) Class 2A from Queensland University of Technology in 2017.  He is currently undertaking a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at QUT.

Matthew has an interest in legal matters for Indigenous Australians, particularly in regard to improving access to justice and employment opportunities.

Having been raised in the South Burnett Region, Matthew also maintains an interest in matters affecting regional communities throughout Queensland.