Ampa appoints 40-year veteran as new CEO
Ampa Group has named a new CEO just weeks after Sarah Walker-Smith was dismissed following an independent investigation.
Mark Beesley, who has spent his entire 40-year career with the legal and professional services group, has taken the top job at the business best known for national law firm Shakespeare Martineau.
His appointment follows the departure of Walker-Smith, who was removed as CEO and expelled from Ampa’s membership at the end of September after an independent investigation into allegations concerning her conduct.
Ampa has not disclosed the nature of the allegations or the findings of the investigation. The group said at the time that Walker-Smith’s expulsion was subject to a right of appeal.
Companies House records show Walker-Smith’s appointment as a member of Ampa Holdings LLP was terminated on September 30.
Beesley joined the business in 1986, when it was known as Shakespeare Duggan Lea, as an articled clerk in Birmingham.
He qualified as a commercial litigator specialising in complex disputes and professional negligence and most recently served as managing director of Ampa’s portfolio brands, which include Marrons, Lime Solicitors, Corclaim, Coadax and CSS Assure.
Ampa now employs more than 1,400 people across seven brands, also including Shakespeare Martineau and Mayo Wynne Baxter.
Beesley said: “It means a huge amount to me to be leading a business I’m passionate about and have dedicated 40 years of my life to. I’ve grown up alongside it, built my career here and always believed in what we can achieve together, if we work together.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve created, and I feel a real responsibility to the people who have made our firm what it is to lead them on the next stage of our journey.
“We have outstanding people, market-leading brands and a group with huge, untapped potential. I want us all to recognise that, believe in ourselves and keep building on our foundations.”
The leadership change comes after Ampa reported its third consecutive year of double-digit growth.
Revenue increased by 10% to £143.1m during its 2025/26 financial year, with all seven brands recording growth. Marrons increased revenue by 35% to £13.1m.
Beesley said he did not intend to overhaul the group’s existing strategy.
He said: “I’m not going to rip up the strategy or change everything overnight. I’ve been on the executive team for many years and I believe in the direction we’ve been taking.
“I see this as the baton being passed to me and an opportunity to build on what we’ve already achieved.
“This is evolution, not revolution. There’s no need for wholesale change but there is a need to continue to focus on improvement in increasingly competitive marketplaces.”
Beesley said Ampa would also examine how AI could improve the way the group operates, while continuing to invest in its individual brands.
He added: “For me, this is about the ‘we’. We succeed together and we’re in this for the long term. I want everyone to feel part of what we’re building and confident about what we can achieve together.”
