Pinsent Masons announces 2015 Promotions

In keeping with the firm's vision to become an international leader in the global sectors in which it operates, five promotions come from outside the UK. Lawyers in the firm's Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore offices will be made up - while the firm is also making its first partner promotion in Munich since launching in Germany in 2012.

A significant proportion of those promoted specialise in the fields of Energy, Financial Services, Infrastructure and Advanced Manufacturing and Technology.

This is the first round of promotions since Pinsent Masons launched Project Sky, a programme aimed at achieving an improved gender balance in the firm's partnership and senior leadership team, last year. An initial milestone was set of achieving 25% representation in the partnership by 2018. As a result of this year's promotions round it is anticipated that the overall female Partner percentage will increase to 22% on 1 May, when the promotions take effect. It will also take the total number of partners at Pinsent Masons to over 400.

David Ryan, Managing Partner of Pinsent Masons, says:

"I am absolutely delighted that we have been able to help such a significant number of our people achieve their partnership ambitions this year. All of those being promoted have made a significant contribution to growing our business this year and should be very proud of that. It is particularly pleasing that we are promoting people across five different countries this year, which reinforces - in the wake of our decision to open in Australia - the undoubted progress we have made in internationalising our business. That over a third of those promoted are female also highlights the progress we are making in addressing some of the challenges around gender diversity that exist within our business and the profession generally, albeit we accept there remains much more to be achieved."

The full list of those promoted to partner is as follows:

• Stephan Appt (Technology, Germany)
• Stacey Bairner (Financial Services, UK) 
• Angelique Bret (Competition, UK)
• Alan Cassels (Financial Services, UK)
• Stacey Collins (Infrastructure, UK)
• Philip Corfield-Smith (Real Estate, UAE)
• Didar Dhillon (Infrastructure, UK)
• Gayle Ditchburn (Universities and Higher Education, UK)
• Sean Elson (Regulatory, UK)
• Ben Fairhead (Pensions litigation, UK)
• Clare Francis (Commercial, UK)
• Alexander Grant (Infrastructure, UK)
• Hilary Griffith (Corporate, UK)
• Nicole Livesey (Corporate, UK)
• Richard Lloyd (Real Estate, UK)
• Gary McGovern (Real Estate, UK)
• Victoria Miller (Infrastructure, UK)
• Craig Morrison (Infrastructure, UK)
• Apicksha Patel (Energy Finance, UK)
• Andrew Phillips (Corporate, UK)
• Mike Reid (Real Estate, UK)
• Jed Savager (Infrastructure, UAE)
• Julian Sladdin (Commercial Litigation, UK)
• Liam Terry (Financial Services, UK)
• Melissa Thompson (Real Estate, UK)
• Chen Han Toh (Infrastructure, Singapore)
• Nicholas Turner (Infrastructure, Hong Kong)
• Helen Waddell (Infrastructure, UK)
• Charlotte Weekes (Life Sciences, UK)