The University of The Bahamas (UB) has appointed commercial and civil litigator Tracy Ferguson-Johnson as general counsel. She has responsibility for providing the vision, planning, strategic direction and operational management of the office of the general counsel, managing the university’s legal representation in all litigation and administrative proceedings and provide counsel and advice on compliance with the laws of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the statutes of the UB Act. She will also operate as the liaison between University of The Bahamas and the Government of The Bahamas Office of Attorney General. Mrs Ferguson-Johnson has two decades of professional experience in commercial litigation, with a particular focus on large-scale complex commercial matters, corporate and operational activities, regulatory licensing and compliance, insolvency, trust disputes, real property law, and resort development and operations, and previously served as managing partner of Dunmore Law Chambers, and worked for other law firms. She was admitted to the Bar of England & Wales and the Bar of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas in 1997.

Restaurant discovery and food delivery firm Zomato has appointed GT Thomas Phillippe as its General Counsel. Mr Phillippe was previously a partner at legal firm Khaitan & Co, while Zomato had previously been working with legal firm AZB & Partners as its advisor. He has over 13 years of experience as a private practice lawyer in both domestic and cross-border M&A, private equity, and venture capital transactions, and played a significant role at e-commerce and financial technology companies in advising  them on capital raising, day-to-day operational matters involving regulatory complexity and bespoke contracting solutions to facilitate innovative product rollouts.

Tmunity Therapeutics, a private clinical-stage biotherapeutics company, has appointed Moji James as general counsel and executive vice president. Ms James formerly served as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Iroko Pharmaceuticals where she managed various functions including legal, compliance, human resources and corporate communications. In her role at Tmunity, Ms. James will be responsible for all legal affairs, and will be an advocate for the company’s core values while helping to grow and protect its assets and intellectual property. Previously, Ms. James held positions of increasing responsibility at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer, where she served as the primary business lawyer for several therapeutic areas. Before joining Wyeth, she was a litigator at major law firms including Shearman & Sterling in New York, and is a US licensed attorney and UK barrister.

Specialty pharmaceutical company Aquestive Therapeutics has appointed Lori Braender as senior vice president and general counsel. Ms Braender joins Aquestive following a 35-year career at law firm Day Pitney, where she was most recently chair of the life sciences practice group. In that role, she specialized in advising clients in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device companies, hospitals and healthcare institutions on regulatory requirements, contractual arrangements and other business considerations connected with life science and healthcare transactions.

Arlington Advisors, a UK-based investment manager handling an off-campus student accommodation portfolio in the UK, has appointed Neil Buchanan as general counsel and company secretary. Mr Buchanan will serve as company secretary for all Arlington entities, managing the company’s compliance requirements and supporting Arlington’s Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) acquisitions programme by driving legal workstreams on new projects. He joins Arlington from Campus Living Villages where he was the Commercial Manager and Head of Legal (UK) and was instrumental in delivering the company’s commercial strategy.

World Wrestling Entertainment has appointed Brian Nurse, a lawyer who has worked for Nestlé Waters North America and PepsiCo, as the media company's new general counsel. With over two decades of legal experience, Mr Nurse will oversee the Stamford, Connecticut-based WWE's litigation, intellectual property, government relations, risk management, talent contracts and compliance. He will also serve as WWE's senior vice president and secretary. He will be a key member of WWE's senior leadership team and report directly to WWE chairman and ceo Vince McMahon. As General Counsel, Mr Nurse will be responsible for overseeing the legal affairs of the company and serve as principal legal advisor to the chairman and ceo, co-presidents, and the company’s executive management team. He brings more than 20 years of legal experience to WWE, most recently as vice president, associate general counsel and secretary at Nestlé Waters  North America, the North American beverage division of Nestlé S.A.

Aireon, developer of the world’s first space-based global air traffic surveillance service, has announced that Denise Olmsted has joined Aireon as general counsel. Ms Olmsted will lead corporate governance, regulatory and compliance matters and international contracts for Aireon. She joins Aireon with over 15 years of experience working in the satellite industry within the realm of legal matters, contracts and regulations, most recently serving as vice president of commercial legal affairs for Intelsat Corporation, where she managed legal and contractual matters and oversaw all regulatory, trade compliance, market access, intellectual property and antitrust matters.

Kathryn Richman has joined Hughes Marino as general counsel. The firm provides commercial real estate services exclusively for corporate tenants and buyers. Ms Richman brings over two decades of experience advising and representing clients in all aspects of business law, risk management, research, contract law, state and federal administrative and regulatory law. Prior to joining Hughes Marino, she was responsible for all management, risk, research and SEC reporting for a publicly reporting real estate investment trust while advising multiple members of the board of directors.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) board has named Evelynn Tran as general counsel. Since 2006, Ms Tran has served in law-related roles at the agency, including senior assistant counsel, deputy general counsel and acting general counsel. As deputy general counsel, she worked with VTA's executive team and its former general counsel to draft the agency's 2016 Measure B sales tax measure, which is expected to generate $6.3 billion for transportation improvement projects throughout Santa Clara County. Before joining VTA, Ms Tran worked for San Francisco Bay Area law firms, including McGrane Greenfield LLP, now known as Greenfield Draa & Harrington LLP.

Gregory Henchel is to succeed Robert Bostrom next month as general counsel at Abercrombie & Fitch. Mr Henchel will join as senior vice president and its next general counsel on October 1, 2018 and lead Abercrombie & Fitch’s global legal department as well as serve as corporate secretary. He will report to CEO Fran Horowitz. He previously served as chief legal officer for TV retailer HSN, and was previously general counsel at Tween Brands and assistant general counsel at Cardinal Health, as well as a litigation associate at Jones Day. Mr Bostrom will continue to serve as senior vice president and special counsel until March 31, 2019, or an earlier date after December 31, 2018 if he opts to do so. He had joined Abercrombie & Fitch in January 2014 to help the company through the resolution of a then-pending proxy fight and the adoption of corporate governance reforms accompanying changes to the composition of the board of directors.

Liquidnet, a global institutional trading network, has appointed Cheryl Knopp as General Counsel. Ms Knopp previously served as Liquidnet’s Deputy General Counsel and Head of Liquidnet Capital Markets, and brings over 20 years of legal, financial services and technology experience to her role. Throughout her tenure at Liquidnet she has advised on corporate and securities matters, intellectual property and regulatory activity, and worked with the company’s Corporate Strategy team to identify new business opportunities. Prior to Liquidnet, Knopp served as Assistant General Counsel at Bloomberg LP where she provided counsel across multiple areas including corporate transactions, intellectual property, technology, and joint ventures. Earlier in her career she held roles as Associate General Counsel at Kaplan Inc., and as a corporate associate at Whitman Breed Abbott & Morgan LLP.

Entertainment giant 21st Century Fox has lost its general counsel Gerson Zweifach, who has opted to return 'home' to US law firm after Disney's multibillion-dollar acquisition of 21st Century Fox closes next year. Mr Zweifach will return to the law firm where he spent more than 30 years, the Washington DC-based firm Williams & Connolly.