Colt has hired Innovation Group head of legal James Liddiard as its legal and commercial director. At the Innovation Group, Mr Liddard was a key member of the Innovation team which sold the company to private equity for £499m in 2015. He was also company secretary at Innovation Group and will be appointed into that role at Colt. Mr Liddiard worked at Dechert and then at DLA Piper before joining Innovation Group as its first in-house lawyer in 2002. He started his career as a trainee solicitor at Blake Morgan LLP in 1994 before qualifying into the corporate and commercial department at the same firm in 1996. Commenting on his appointment, he said: 'I am joining Colt at a very exciting time in its development, and I am very much looking forward to meeting and working with my new colleagues.'