Haseltine Lake Kempner is delighted to announce that Frances Wilding will be taking over as the firm's Chair; becoming the second female Chair of the firm in recent times. Frances will replace Phil Davies who has been Chair of the firm for the last three years.

After beginning her career at the European Patent Office, Frances joined HLK in 1999 and has been an invaluable member of the Tech team, rising to Partner in 2005. Her focus and dedication have found favour with peers and clients alike. Her passion for everything she does is clear, and as such it is no surprise that she is lead counsel for a number of the firm's household name clients.

HLK has a long history of trying to address diversity issues within the profession having previously, until 2018, had a female CEO for 17 years. The firm was one of the early adopters behind IP Inclusive and has set up its own internal Diversity and Inclusion Group to promote broader representation. HLK will also be hosting the annual AIPLA Women in IP Law event in Munich in April this year, an event aimed at promoting awareness and understanding of working as a female in the IP profession.

Frances comments: "I am delighted to have been voted in as Chair by my fellow members at this hugely exciting time in the firm's development. We have many opportunities and also some challenges ahead of us and I look forward to making an especially positive contribution to the continued success of the firm and its distinctive approach."

Rolf Stein, CEO of HLK, adds: "Frances' knowledge and experience of the IP profession make her the ideal candidate to take on the role of Chair at a time of tremendous growth. I look forward to working with her closely on the realisation of our imaginative plans for what better should look like."