International insurance law firm Clyde & Co announced the appointment of two independent board members. Inga Beale, former Lloyd’s CEO will be on the management board along with former Grant Thornton US CEO Stephen Chipman, effective 1 January 2020.
The business stated that this is the first time such a position, which is the equivalent of a non-executive director, has been created at the firm.
Beale is well known within the London and wider insurance market and will have a special focus on the firm's diversity and inclusion on the board.
Beale served at Lloyd’s as CEO between 2014 and 2018 where she was responsible for initiating a large scale digital and cultural transformation programme and led its expansion into China, Dubai and India. She also held senior leadership positions across the insurance sector globally at the (re)insurance groups Canopius and Converium.
Clyde & Co explained Inga will draw on her significant global experience to bring a client-centric perspective to the board, especially in relation to insurance.
Additionally, Stephen Chipman has held senior roles across Grant Thornton for two decades, including CEO for the firm in the US and China as well as CEO of technology-enabled business services company Radius and as group managing director, International Expansion Services.
Clyde & Co said Stephen will bring to the board his unrivalled track record of the successful financial management of partnership organisations as well as his experience advising established and growing organisations across the globe.
Peter Hirst, senior partner at Clyde & Co, says: "The appointment of Inga and Stephen as independent board members is a significant move for us as we seek to ensure that we have industry-leading governance and decision-making structures in place that reflect the size, global nature and ambitions of the firm.
"Inga and Stephen are both well-known leaders in their fields and will provide us with objective and independent views, advice and constructive challenge to help inform our decision-making and ensure that the voice of the client is at the heart of our governance."
Beale says: "Having worked in the insurance market over the course of four decades, joining the largest insurance law firm in the world represents a natural next step for me. I feel I can provide a client-side insight that will benefit Clyde & Co's management operations as well as the day-to-day work the firm does with clients."
Chipman added: "Given the significant growth that the firm has experienced over the past few years, this is an exciting time to be joining Clyde & Co. I'm looking forward to working closely alongside the leadership team to get to grips with the challenges and opportunities that such an ambitious, rapidly-expanding business naturally faces."
