First-ever head of legal appointed at auction house

Nottingham-headquartere online auction house John Pye Auctions has appointed former Actons and Browne Jacobson solicitor Rosalind Keen as its new head of legal.

The newly-created role will see Keen joining an established legal department supported by John Pye’s board of directors.

Keen said: “Being based in Nottingham, I was of course aware of John Pye Auctions. The growth and diversity of the business posed an attractive offer and I’m enjoying taking responsibility for the direction of the legal department and suggesting new ways to add value to the business.”

After qualifying as a solicitor in 2004, Keen trained at a large international firm in Birmingham before working in the Nottingham offices of Actons and Browne Jacobson. During this time, she specialised in insolvency and commercial disputes.

Sheldon Miller, business development director at John Pye, said: “As well as day to day legal matters for clients, an in-house head of legal means we can swiftly resolve anything that might arise, ensuring a better outcome for all parties. Our aim is to be an agile business, and this new position enables us to be just that.

“We’ve known Rosalind for many years through mutual contacts and attending various industry events. The whole team was delighted that she agreed to join us as the first head of legal in the businesses’ 52-year history.”