Pinsent Masons has hired Sarah Derbyshire as general counsel, filling the seat left empty by Andrew Cheung’s departure earlier this year.
Derbyshire joins from consultancy Baringa Partners, where she was global GC and chair of its risk executive committee. At Pinsent Masons, she will be tasked with transforming the general counsel’s office to a strategic, growth-driving function. She will also become the firm’s first GC to get a seat on the global board.
Matt Peers, chief operating officer at Pinsent Masons, said: “Sarah has a wealth of experience operating in complex, internationally scaled partnerships with sophisticated governance and regulatory exposure. Her depth of experience in governance and transformation give us strong conviction that she’ll advance the function as it plays an increasingly central role in driving our next phase of growth.”
Derbyshire spent three and a half years at Baringa Partners, having previously spent more than seven years at Accenture, latterly as global legal lead for Accenture’s Applied Intelligence unit. Prior to that she worked in private practice for more than a decade at legacy firm Herbert Smith Freehills.
She said: “The remit of the GC has evolved beyond traditional legal risk management. Aligning legal frameworks with commercial ambition is now crucial. I see the GCO as an important value creator and strategic partner to the firm and intend to embed innovation into our operations to deliver that vision and enable growth. Pinsent Masons is clearly a business that embraces evolution and transformation, and that’s what attracted me to the firm.”
Cheung, meanwhile, left Pinsent Masons in February to join Eversheds Sutherland (International) as its GC. He spent just over three years as GC at Pinsent Masons, having previously spent more than 15 years at Dentons, about 13 of them as GC for its UK and Middle East business.
Other law firms appointing GCs recently include Kennedys, which in June hired Claire Larbey as global GC, replacing long-time chief risk officer Andrew Coates. Larbey was previously GC at Trowers & Hamlins.
Also in June, Simmons & Simmons hired Emma Williams as GC from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, replacing Ian Hammond.
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