Pinsent Masons appoints new finance director

Charlotte, who has been working in the legal sector for some 10 years, joins from Taylor Wessing where she is credited as having helped the firm achieve an increase in profit per partner of over 30% in the teeth of a global recession.

Prior to her board-level role at the firm, she was Finance Director at Berwin Leighton Paisner and also built up significant international experience at FTSE 100-listed COLT Telecommunications where she was responsible for budgeting and planning work across a network of over 30 international locations. 

She will be tasked with helping Pinsent Masons achieve its 2020 vision of becoming a law firm of truly international reach, offering world-class service and excellent value. Specifically this will include leading a drive towards increased profitability and further international growth in markets including Asia Pacific, the Gulf and Europe. 

Charlotte will be the first female to fill the role at Pinsent Masons. Her appointment brings the total number of women on the Pinsent Masons Board to three, or 33%. She is one of only three female Finance Directors in the top 20 UK-headquartered law firms.

She succeeds Steve Hancock, who steps down from the role following 16 years in the post.

David Ryan, Managing Partner at Pinsent Masons, says:

"While we are sorry to be saying farewell to Steve, who has been at the helm during a period of significant UK and international growth, we are delighted to have found someone of Charlotte's calibre to join our team. We have made substantial progress towards achieving our vision in recent years, adding offices in Paris, Munich and Doha to our business and generating increased revenues from our existing offices in Asia Pacific and The Gulf. Charlotte has impressed the Board immensely with her experience and we are confident she is the right person to help us as we embark upon the next phase of the firm's expansion." 

Charlotte Beckett says:

"Pinsent Masons has shown itself to be an expansive and ambitious firm in recent years, completing one of the most successful UK-to-UK law firm mergers of recent times, growing rapidly internationally and developing a reputation for genuine excellence in its chosen sectors. It is also helping to 'make the market' in developing innovative forms of service delivery and responding to the 'more for less' agenda. All of this makes the firm an appealing proposition and I am looking forward to having the opportunity to play a part in the next chapter of the firm's success."