After Tim Bratton's resignation as general counsel of the Financial Times (FT) group, Legalweek reports that senior legal counsel Dan Guildford, who has been with the FT since 2010, has been promoted to general counsel from 5 August. He will manage the newspaper’s 12-member legal and company secretariat team  covering four offices worldwide. Prior to working for FT, Mr Guildford worked for the in-house legal team at Vue Cinemas and in private practice at law firms Dewey & LeBoeuf and Pinsent Masons. Mr Bratton announced earlier this month his new position at Berwin Leighton Paisner’s (BLP) Lawyers on Demand (LoD) initiative.

ACE Group, a global insurance provider, has appointed Eric Larson as Chief Compliance Officer today, Market Watch reports. Mr Larson has over 30 years of experience in the financial industry, most recently serving as Chief Compliance Officer for HSBC in North America, and will be responsible for the company’s worldwide compliance strategy. He will be based in New York and report to ACE Limited general counsel Joseph Wayland. His predecessor, Ashley Mullins, will remain based in New York and become Global Compliance Counsel, tasked with coordinating the global, regional and local compliance policies and standards.

Provider of legal advice and representation to underserved communities in New York City, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), has appointed Miranda Massie as the new general counsel, Corporate Counsel reports. A former civil rights impact litigator, Ms Massie began working at NYLPI five years ago as an environmental justice staff attorney, and will serve as GC whilst continuing as legal director of NYPLI. The non-profit organisation focuses on community law and aims to defend the rights of the disabled and tackle health and environmental issues in the City.

Abt Associates, a US research and consultancy firm specialising in health, social and environmental policy, has appointed a new vice president and general counsel. Brian Roemer, formerly corporate counsel for global airline services company GmbH, has practiced law at Crowell & Moring LLP, where he advised on ethics and compliance, federal regulations and government procurement and competition. He has also been a Naval Flight Officer in the US Navy and worked at a federal government contractor.

US natural gas utilities holding company Sempra Energy has announced that Martha Wyrsch will take up the role of executive vice president and general counsel from 3 September, succeeding Javade Chaudhri who is to retire. Ms Wyrsch will report to chairman and CEO Debra L. Reed and be responsible for the San Diego-based company’s legal affairs and compliance oversight, as well as assuming the role of chief environmental officer.  Former president of Vestas American Wind Systems and chair of the Vestas North American Regional Council, Ms Wyrsch has extensive energy experience having spent almost 10 years at Duke Energy and spin-off Spectra Energy Corp., as well as working at KN Energy Inc., as a corporate law attorney at Davis, Graham & Stubbs and as a legislative assistant to former US Sen. Alan Simpson.

Cimarex Energy, an independent oil and gas firm based in Denver, has appointed Francis Barron as senior vice president and general counsel, Who’s Who Legal reports. Mr Barron has extensive experience in the oil and gas sector having spent almost 10 years at Bill Barrett Corporation where he has been executive vice president and general counsel since 2009. Mr Barron has also worked as a partner at Patton Boggs LLP and Bearman Talesnick & Clowdus.

US Ski resort company Vail Resorts general counsel and executive vice president Fiona Arnold is to resign. Ms Arnold, who has been working at the company since 2006 and been general counsel since 2007, will step down when her replacement is recruited, according to the Denver Business Journal.  Prior to working at Vail Resorts, Ms Arnold was associate general counsel at Western Gas Resources and, prior to that, vice president of legal and business affairs and assistant general counsel at Crown Media Holdings.