General Electric has appointed its new general counsel. Michael Holston will replace Alex Dimitrief, who is moving to another role as president and CEO of GE’s Global Growth Organisation, where he will oversee the company’s growth and operations outside of the US. Mr Holston will take up the role on 9 April, based out of GE’s Boston headquarters. Mr Holston joins from Merck where he was general counsel since 2015, after joining as chief ethics and compliance officer in 2012. He was previously general counsel at Hewlett-Packard Co. Prior to that, he was a partner in the Philadelphia office of Morgan Lewis & Bockius. Before that he led a 14-lawyer group who defected to Morgan Lewis from Drinker Biddle & Reath, where he spent 12 years. He also served as a prosecutor in the criminal division of the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from 1990 to 1993, where he handled high-profile products liability and consumer fraud class action lawsuits involving global technology and pharmaceutical companies.

The International Olympic Committee has appointed Anne van Ysendyck as the committee’s new director of legal affairs to replace Howard Stupp. Ms Van Ysendyck was previously  group general counsel for steel production company ArcelorMittal. She had been at the company since 2005. Prior to moving in-house, she was a senior associate at US firm Latham & Watkins. Mr Stupp, who served at the organisation for 33 years, has been appointed as special legal advicer to the Olympic Committee. 

Medical company Renovia has announced the appointment of Jim O'Connor as its general counsel reporting to chairman and CEO, Marc Beer. Mr O'Connor brings nearly two decades of legal experience to Renovia, with 12 years in roles of increasing responsibility within global divisions of United Technologies Corp. (UTC), a Fortune 50 company. His most recent role was as vice president and deputy general counsel of UTC Climate, Controls & Security where he provided advice on legal, regulatory and compliance matters in the US and internationally. Mr O'Connor started his legal career as an associate at Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault.

Brazilian port terminal operator and logistics company Porto Sudeste has hired Odilon Castello Borges Neto as its new general counsel to develop its legal and compliance function. He was previously legal manager for South America of TechnipFMC and prior to that legal counsel for TV Globo.