Global, 4 October 2012 – Global law firm Baker & McKenzie announced that Bruce Hambrett (Sydney) and Jim Holloway (Toronto) have been elected to serve on its Executive Committee. Hambrett and Holloway succeed Jeremy Pitts (Tokyo) and Alan Harvey (Dallas) respectively, whose terms have ended. The announcement was made at the Firm's Annual Meeting, held this year in New York October 4-6.
The Firm added that current Executive Committee member Winston Zee (Hong Kong) has been elected Chairman of the Asia Pacific Regional Council, effective immediately. Other leadership changes in the Firm include:
- Simon Hughes, Chair of Private Equity Practice Group
- Ashok Lalwani, Chair of the India Focus Group
- Jeremy Pitts, Chair of the newly formed Global Financial Institutions Industry Group
- Erik Scheer, Chair of the Global Tax Practice Group
“We congratulate everyone on their new roles, and we have all the confidence in you – your experiences and leadership skills to move forward our strategy and focus on becoming a more client-driven and performance-based firm,” said Eduardo Leite, Baker & McKenzie Chairman of the Executive Committee. “Additionally, we thank Jeremy and Alan for their guidance, dedication and commitment to delivering a higher-value of service to clients.”
Bruce Hambrett, Executive Committee member Hambrett has been the Chairman of Baker & McKenzie, Australia since 2009 and also previously served as head of the Australian Insolvency & Restructuring group. He joined the Firm in 2004.
Jim Holloway, Executive Committee member Holloway has been Managing Partner of the Firm’s Toronto office since 2007. He joined the Firm immediately after graduating from law school in 1991.
Winston Zee, Executive Committee member and Asia Pacific Regional Council Chairman Zee joined the Firm in 1981 and the Executive Committee in 2010.
The Executive Committee of Baker & McKenzie is the Firm’s primary management team, with responsibility for developing and implementing the Firm’s global business strategy, as well as managing the day-to-day business of the Firm. It consists of eight elected partners, including the Chairman. Other members of the Committee include Beatriz Pessoa de Araujo (London), Raymundo Enriquez (Mexico City), Phil Suse (Chicago) and Koen Vanhaerents (Brussels).
During the last few months:
- Baker & McKenzie announced record worldwide fee income of US$2.313 billion, up 2.1%, for its fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.
- New offices were opened in Turkey, South Africa and Morocco.
- The Firm has dramatically improved its rankings across a range of global geographic markets, practices and industry areas and in respected, client-based surveys, including Corporate Board Member magazine, BTI Consulting, mergermarket and others.
Baker & McKenzie’s Annual Meeting is the largest gathering in the world among law firms, and featured an array of client-focused events, including a day-long seminar titled, “Success and Opportunity in High-Growth Markets,” as well as practice, industry and Firm management meetings. Held this year in New York, nearly 700 partners from the Firm’s 71 offices in 44 countries attended, supporting the Firm's cohesion across geographies and its hallmark culture of friendship. The meeting, which involved more than a year in planning, utilized an advanced virtual office setup to enable partners and executives to stay in touch with their clients and legal staff worldwide on a 24/7 basis.