Around the house

Network Rail has promoted deputy general counsel Stuart Kelly to the top role following the departure of group general counsel and company secretary Suzanne Wise to Japan Tobacco International (JTI). Mr Kelly has served as deputy group GC at Network Rail since June 2015. He joined from water company Severn Trent, where he was also deputy GC. He had previously been a commercial legal adviser for Network Rail before joining Severn Trent.

Suzanne Wise will become senior vice-president for corporate development at Japan Tobacco International (JTI) in June. She joined Network Rail in January 2012 from Premier Foods where she established the company’s legal department. Her new role will be based at JTI's headquarters in Geneva. JTI produces cigarette brands such as Winston, Camel, Mild Seven, Benson & Hedges and Silk Cut.

Jennifer O’Connor, former general counsel at the Defense Department, has joined Northrop Grummar as vice president, associate general counsel and sector counsel for the company’s mission systems sector following the retirement of James Stephenson. In her new role, Ms O’Connor will act as primary legal counsel to the mission systems sector president and senior staff as well as provide legal advice and law department support.  In an earlier appointment, she was chief legal officer of DoD, principal legal adviser to the defense secretary and director of the Defense Legal Services Agency and earlier, she was deputy assistant to former President Barack Obama's deputy counsel at the White House. The former WilmerHale partner will report to general counsel Sheila Cheston at Northrop Grummar.

W&T Offshore has appointed a new general counsel and company secretary. Shahid Ghauri will take over from Thomas Getten who is retiring as vice president, general counsel and secretary. Mr Ghauri was a partner with Jones Walker, where he specialised in the oil and gas sector. Mr Ghauri was previously  assistant general counsel of BHP Billiton Petroleum, where he managed the legal team responsible for unconventional resource plays.

Gala Coral's general counsel Harry Willets has left the merged entity Ladbrokes Coral Group. The departure comes after the appointment of new general counsel Lindsay Beardsell at the start of the year. Mr Willets was GC and company secretary at Gala Coral for over 10 years. Prior to that, he was a partner at Actons Solicitors and Freeth Cartwright and head of leisure at Wragge & Co.