Professional services giant PwC has appointed Alison Statham as global general counsel of its PwC network, replacing Diana Weiss who is set to retire at the end of June.
Statham was previously chief risk officer and GC for PwC UK. In her new role, she will lead the international legal teams supporting the PwC network on matters including ethics, compliance, regulation, litigation, investigations, governance, transactions, data, IP and commercial contracting.
PwC provides auditing and assurance, tax, legal, deals and consulting services in 136 countries, employing more than 364,000 people.
Statham said: “I’m honoured to take on the role of global general counsel. PwC’s commitment to quality, integrity and strong governance has never been more critical as we help clients navigate risk in an increasingly complex business environment.
“I look forward to building on the strong foundation Diana has established – continuing to support the business, uphold our values and enable the firm’s strategy with confidence and clarity.”
Statham has been at PwC since 2011, joining as a partner and then becoming deputy GC of the UK business in 2015 and GC and chief risk officer in 2020. She previously worked in private practice, including at Linklaters where she qualified.
Weiss, meanwhile, is set to retire from PwC’s partnership after 14 years with the business, having become global GC in 2016 based out of New York. She was previously a partner at King & Spalding.
PwC said it was grateful for her distinctive leadership throughout a period of significant change for the business and for the profession more broadly. The firm credited Weiss with enhancing governance and promoting an ethical culture.
In other legal and professional services-related in-house moves, in February Eversheds Sutherland’s international arm hired Andrew Cheung as GC from Pinsent Masons, replacing Simon Crossley in the role.
Last October, employment law specialist Littler hired Maralee (Marti) Downey as its first chief legal officer and GC. She joined from retirement home operator Brookdale Senior Living, where she was legal VP for labour and employment.
And in February last year, PwC rival KPMG hired Matt Miner as GC of its US business from Walmart, replacing Tonya Robinson who left to join US investment manager Vanguard.
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