International firm Kennedys has appointed its first ever director of transformation after recruiting from rivals Hogan Lovells.
Karen Peskett-Hall joined Kennedys after five years as the global head of business improvement with her previous firm.
She will be tasked with analysing the current Kennedys strategy and identifying improvements and innovations which can move the firm forward.
In particular, she will assess legal processing with a view to changing the firm’s physical working environments, technology and human resourcing policies to consider how staff think about how and where they work.
One immediate change is December’s move into London’s Walkie-Talkie building to occupy two-and-a-half floors of the skyscraper. The firm will also open a new Sydney office later this year.
During her time at Hogan Lovells, Peskett-Hall set up an in-house consultancy, reputed to be the first of its kind in a law firm. She was also senior business improvement manager at magic circle firm Linklaters for eight years.
Suzanne Liversidge, global managing partner, said the appointment was intended to create a ‘future-fit workplace’.
‘While the pandemic accelerated some of our improvement plans, in such a large business it is an ongoing process and Karen has a huge amount of experience in this area which will be a valuable asset moving forward,’ she said.
‘Kennedys is a very progressive firm. Every year we go from strength to strength and part of that success is not being complacent. We are constantly thinking ahead and innovating, and Karen’s appointment just underscores our commitment to continuous improvement and elite performance.’
The firm now has more than 2,400 people working in 44 sites worldwide. In recent months it has added offices in Brisbane, Australia and Houston, Texas.
