Leadership

Baker McKenzie Hires Sarah West as Dispute Resolution Partner in London

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 14, 2026

Baker McKenzie has hired Sarah West as a partner in its Dispute Resolution team in London, adding senior capability focused on technology regulation and contentious work.

Dentons Adds Hospitality Finance Partner Maria Hera In New York

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 14, 2026

Dentons has hired real estate finance lawyer Maria Hera as a partner in its Hospitality and Leisure practice, based in New York, as the firm continues to build out its hospitality finance capabilities amid steady demand for large, complex transactions.

Mozilla Names Amy Keating Chief Business Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Mozilla has appointed Amy Keating as chief business officer, tasking the former Mozilla executive with helping the organization align its mission-driven portfolio with long-term financial sustainability as it expands efforts to build what it calls an open, trustworthy alternative to today’s increasingly closed and concentrated AI ecosystem.

C3 Integrated Solutions Aligns Leadership To Support Next Phase of Growth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

C3 Integrated Solutions has made two leadership moves it says will support its next phase of growth as the U.S. Department of Defense advances phased enforcement of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework.

Dentons Adds Montréal Restructuring Partner Eric Stachecki

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Dentons has expanded its Canadian restructuring bench with the addition of Montréal-based partner Eric Stachecki, strengthening the firm’s Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy group amid continued demand for turnaround and creditor-side advisory work.

LPL Financial Names Ilan Davidovici As EVP Of Corporate Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

LPL Financial announced that Ilan Davidovici has joined the firm as executive vice president of corporate strategy, a newly announced role in which he will lead the company’s corporate strategy team and work across the organization to set long-term direction and strategic priorities.

Hightower Names Bob Lavigne As Chief Compliance Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2026

Hightower Advisors has appointed veteran compliance executive Bob Lavigne as Chief Compliance Officer for Hightower Holdings, tasking him with leading the firm’s enterprise-wide compliance program, regulatory strategy, and risk governance across its national network of advisory practices.

Villanova University Elects 4 New Members To Board of Trustees

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2026

Villanova University announced it has elected four new members to its Board of Trustees, adding The Very Rev. Barnaby Johns, OSA, Kristin E. Reed, David K. “Duke” Reyes and Robert F. Tyson to the University’s 38-member governing board. The appointments took effect Jan. 1.

AppYea: Ben Harris Named As CTO And Director

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2026

AppYea announced it has appointed Ben Harris as chief technology officer and added him to the company’s board of directors, a move the company says is intended to tighten accountability for technology delivery as it shifts toward “institutional-grade” blockchain deployments in regulated markets.

Clifford Chance Rehires Matthias Kerbusch To Expand Luxembourg Funds Practice

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2026

Clifford Chance announced that Matthias Kerbusch has joined its Luxembourg office, adding to the firm’s funds bench as it continues to build out its global private capital offering.

Inflexion: John DiGiovanni Named As Head Of Healthcare

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2026

Inflexion has appointed John DiGiovanni as Head of Healthcare, adding senior sector leadership as the European mid-market private equity firm continues to build its healthcare investing capabilities. DiGiovanni will work closely with Andy Neville, a Partner on Inflexion’s Healthcare team who has served as interim head in the lead-up to the appointment.

Alvarez & Marsal: Tom Parkinson Named As Managing Director In London to Bolster Private Equity Carve-Out Work

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2026

Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) has appointed Tom Parkinson as a Managing Director in its Private Equity Performance Improvement (PEPI) practice, based in London, as the firm continues to build out its European capabilities supporting private equity clients on complex carve-outs and integrations.

IK Partners Promotes Five To Partner And Takes On Advisory Role For Wendel’s Direct Investments

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2026

IK Partners, a European private equity firm, announced it has strengthened its leadership team by promoting five professionals to Partner across its Paris and Amsterdam offices, while also formalizing a new advisory arrangement with majority shareholder Wendel that will see IK support Wendel’s direct private investment activities through a newly established unit.

Meta Names Dina Powell McCormick President And Vice Chairman

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2026

Meta announced Dina Powell McCormick is joining the company as President and Vice Chairman, expanding the responsibilities she held while serving on the company’s board as Meta ramps up large-scale investments tied to its AI and next-generation computing ambitions.

DLA Piper Appoints Russel Drew As Canada Managing Partner

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2026

DLA Piper has named Russel (Russ) Drew as its managing partner in Canada, expanding his leadership responsibilities as the firm looks to deepen its presence in the country and strengthen cross-border client support.

Dentons Adds Capital Markets Partner Peter Cullen In Dubai

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2026

Dentons has appointed capital markets partner Peter Cullen in Dubai, expanding its Middle East Banking and Finance team as the firm continues to build out its debt capital markets capabilities in the region.

Ropes & Gray: Milan Partner Alessandro Capogrosso Added To Expand Italy Transactional Bench

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Ropes & Gray announced it has added capital markets, private equity, and M&A lawyer Alessandro Capogrosso as a partner in its Milan office, continuing the firm’s push to deepen its European transactional capabilities and support clients on cross-border deals.

Will Stawell Returns To White & Case As Sydney Partner

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

White & Case has added debt finance partner Will Stawell to its Sydney office, expanding the firm’s Global Debt Finance Practice and Global Financial Institutions Industry Group as it continues to build out its Australia platform.

NVIDIA: Alison Wagonfeld Hired As Chief Marketing Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Alison Wagonfeld, a senior marketing leader at Google Cloud, announced she will leave Google in late January to join NVIDIA as chief marketing officer, where she will lead the company’s marketing and communications as it enters its “next phase of growth.”

Choreo: Erik Merkau Named Chief Wealth Advisory Officer To Lead National Advisory Teams

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 11, 2026

Choreo, an independent wealth advisory firm, has appointed industry veteran Erik Merkau as chief wealth advisory officer, a move the firm said will support the continued expansion of its integrated platform that combines wealth planning with tax and other private client services.

Dentons Names Oliver Dreher As Managing Partner In Frankfurt

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 10, 2026

Dentons has appointed capital markets partner Oliver Dreher as Frankfurt Managing Partner, placing him in charge of the firm’s Frankfurt office, which has around 60 lawyers.

Cooley Adds Stephanie Hales To Bolster Life Sciences And Healthcare Regulatory Practice

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 10, 2026

Cooley has added healthcare regulatory attorney Stephanie Hales as a partner in its Washington, DC, office, strengthening the firm’s global life sciences and healthcare regulatory practice amid growing client demand tied to coverage, reimbursement, market access, and drug pricing issues.

Dentons Hires Cedric Degreef To Lead Energy Group In Belgium

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 10, 2026

Dentons has recruited energy and infrastructure lawyer Cedric Degreef as a partner and head of its Energy group in Brussels, as the firm continues to build out its Belgian practice.

Cinnaire Names Josh Ghena President Of Cinnaire Equity Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 10, 2026

Cinnaire has appointed Josh Ghena as president of Cinnaire Equity Partners, effective immediately, after he served as interim president since June 1, 2025. Ghena became the sole leader of the equity syndication unit on Aug. 31, 2025, following the retirement of Ryan Robinson.

Blue Williams Merges With Heard & Medack To Bolster Houston Litigation Team

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 10, 2026

Blue Williams and Houston-based Heard & Medack announced they have merged, a move the firms described as expanding Blue Williams’ Houston footprint and bolstering its trial capabilities across Texas.

AEA Names Zeynep Tumer Bayazid To Lead EMEA Investor Relations And Fundraising Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 9, 2026

AEA Investors has hired Zeynep Tumer Bayazid as Head of EMEA within its Investor Relations & Fundraising team, expanding the firm’s investor relations presence across Europe and the Middle East.

Nomentia Names Marc Vietor Chief Product Officer To Lead AI-Enabled Platform Expansion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Nomentia has appointed Marc Vietor as chief product officer, effective January 1, 2026, as the company continues its expansion across Europe.

Dorsey & Whitney: Peter Ott Named As Partner In Finance & Restructuring Group

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Dorsey & Whitney has added Peter Ott as a partner in its Finance & Restructuring group in Salt Lake City, marking a return to the firm after stints at Parsons Behle & Latimer and Kirkland & Ellis.

Envestnet Names Sue Burton As Chief Marketing Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

Envestnet has appointed Sue Burton as chief marketing officer, tasking the longtime financial services marketing executive with building an integrated global marketing engine and advancing the company’s digital experience strategy as it targets its next phase of growth.

White & Case Names Real Estate Lawyer Ian Bevan Partner In Abu Dhabi

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 8, 2026

White & Case announced it has expanded its Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice and Global Real Estate Industry Group with the addition of Ian Bevan as a partner in Abu Dhabi.