Global law firm Clyde & Co has today announced the appointment of two independent board members (the equivalent of non-executive directors) to its Management Board – the first time such a position has been created at the firm.
Former Lloyd's of London CEO Dame Inga Beale and former Grant Thornton US CEO Stephen Chipman will join Clyde & Co's Management Board on 1 January 2020.
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."
Inga Beale was CEO of Lloyd's of London between 2014 and 2018, during which she initiated a large-scale digital and cultural transformation programme and led its expansion into China, Dubai and India. She has held senior leadership positions across the insurance sector globally including as Group CEO at the (re)insurance groups Canopius and Converium, and has previously held management positions at Zurich Insurance and GE Insurance Solutions. Inga will draw on her significant global experience to bring a client-centric perspective to the board, especially in relation to insurance.
Stephen Chipman has held senior roles across Grant Thornton for the past 20 years, most notably as CEO for the firm in the US and China. In 2016 he became CEO of technology-enabled business services company Radius and subsequently held the role of Group Managing Director, International Expansion Services when Radius was acquired by international expansion consultancy and services company Vistra in 2018. 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.
Inga Beale is also well-known within the London and wider insurance market as a champion of diversity, having increased female participation in senior management to one third at Lloyd's and acting as one of the driving forces behind the Dive In festival, a worldwide event that celebrates diversity and inclusion in the insurance sector. She will have a special focus on the firm's diversity and inclusion on the board.
Inga 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."
Stephen Chipman says: "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."