Ashurst announces new global chair 

Karen succeeds Ben Tidswell who is standing down from the partnership and has accepted a judicial appointment as a Panel Chairman of the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

"On behalf of the partnership, I congratulate Karen on her appointment," said Ben Tidswell, Chairman of Ashurst. "I am delighted to be succeeded by Karen. She has an outstanding track record in delivering for our clients, our people and the business and I know she will make an extraordinarily good Chair."

"I have worked very closely with Karen as UK Head of Corporate and a member of our Board and her ability to combine management and leadership roles with a very successful practice is truly impressive," said Global Managing Partner Paul Jenkins. "Her incomparable commitment, client focus and drive will be invaluable to the firm in her new role. I am very much looking forward to continuing to work with Karen and delivering some outstanding results for the firm.

"I would also like to thank Ben for his exceptional contribution to Ashurst and strong leadership as Chair over the last eight years. I wish him all the very best for his future role at the Competition Appeal Tribunal."

"It is an honour to be elected as Ashurst's Chair," said Karen Davies. "I am excited about the future and what Ashurst will achieve. We have an incredibly strong platform and a fantastic culture that I am proud to be part of. It is a real privilege to serve the firm, my partners and contribute towards our ongoing success in this role. I look forward to working with Paul, the Board, the Executive Team and all of my colleagues globally to help the firm build on its many achievements and deliver on the significant opportunities we have for our people and our clients."

Karen Davies is UK Head of Corporate and has served on the Board since 2017. Having been a partner in Corporate since 2012, she is acknowledged as one of the leading M&A lawyers in the City and one of the strongest female leaders. Karen has extensive experience in advising both corporate clients and investment banks on a full range of domestic and cross-border corporate finance transactions and specialises in M&A and equity capital markets work. 

Alongside her leadership and management roles, Karen continues to advise on some of the largest and most complex deals in the market. She was recently recognised by Financial News as one of the 20 Most Influential in Legal Services 2021. She has also been recognised at Women, Influence & Power in Law UK in both 2019 and 2020, was listed in The Lawyer Hot 100 in 2017 and topped the Mergermarket lawyer rankings for number of M&A deals in 2017 and number of deals by value in H1 2019. 

The Chair is accountable for the leadership and effective functioning of the Board and for upholding the reputation of the firm and ensuring its integrity, values and governance procedures. Together with the Board, the Chair is also responsible for oversight and accountability of the Executive Team and oversight and approval of the firm's strategy.

The Board will comprise Chair Karen Davies (London), Global Managing Partner Paul Jenkins (London/Sydney), partners David Jones (London), Tobias Krug (Frankfurt), Phil Breden (Sydney), Kylie Lane (Melbourne), Chief Financial Officer Mark Herbert (London) and Independent Board Members Wu Gang and Robin Lawther.