Law firm DWF unveils new chairman and deputy chair

Manchester law firm DWF has appointed Jonathan Bloomer as chairman, with effect from tomorrow, August 1.

When Sir Nigel Knowles became chief executive following the sudden departure of Andrew Leaitherland on May 29, and the board starteed the process to find a new chairman, Chris Sullivan stepped up as interim chairman.

Chris will now take the role of deputy chairman, also from August 1. Chris will continue to act as senior independent director.

Jonathan Bloomer is chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Arrow Global Group and SDL Group.

He has previously held a number of board positions, including chairman of the JLT Employee Benefits Group, senior independent director of Hargreaves Lansdowne, non-executive director of Railtrack and director of Egg.

From 2006-2012, Mr Bloomer was European partner at Cerberus Capital.

Between 2000 and 2005 he was group chief executive of Prudential Group, having previously served as deputy group chief executive and group finance director.

Prior to his time at Prudential, Mr Bloomer held senior roles at Arthur Andersen. Jonathan is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Tea Colaianni, who chaired the nomination committee for the recruitment process, said: “I am delighted that Jonathan has been appointed as our new chairman.

“With his wealth of experience as a chairman and non-executive director, he brings in-depth knowledge of spearheading businesses and driving change.”

Jonathan Bloomer said: “I am pleased to take on the role of chairman of DWF, the only main market listed global legal business, at this exciting stage of the company’s development.

“I look forward to working with the board and the refreshed management team implementing the very clear strategy set out by Sir Nigel aimed at taking DWF forward to a new phase of sustainable and profitable growth.”

Sir Nigel Knowles said: “Jonathan joins the board at an important time so his seniority and extensive experience in both executive and non-executive roles across a wide range of businesses will be extremely welcome.

“I am also extremely happy that Chris will become the new deputy chairman.

“Chris will continue to play a pivotal role in listening to, and engaging with, DWF partners globally and helping to ensure that we maintain strong and effective lines of communication between the partners and the board.

“We look forward to continuing to work with Chris and welcoming Jonathan on board as we continue to build on our leading position as a provider of complex, managed and connected services.”