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KWM head announces departure
Multinational law firm King Wood & Mallesons will start to look for a new chief executive partner in the coming months, with Berkeley Cox stepping down.
Lauren Croft
Berkeley Cox has been at KWM for nearly 20 years and was managing partner of financial institutions, banking and finance and projects and real estate before taking on the role of chief executive partner in 2017.
Speaking to the Australian Financial Review, Mr Cox said that his current term had been a “sensible innings” and that the demanding nature of the role warranted a slight refresh.
“There’s no doubt these roles are demanding and they’re not getting any easier. I think a term of five years is a pretty sensible innings,” he said.
“There’ll be someone who’s got renewed energy and ideas to bring to the role and a new spirit.”
Leaving his position a year earlier than planned, Mr Cox intends to remain KWM’s chief executive partner until the role is filled. Although there has been much speculation on who will take his place, the firm confirmed to Lawyers Weekly that no decisions had been made as of yet.
According to a statement from KWM, Mr Cox will remain within the firm and step into a different role early-mid next year.
"Berkeley Cox, chief executive partner of King & Wood Mallesons (Australia) has confirmed that after close to five years in the role he intends to step away from his current position next year to play another role in the firm.
"The firm will commence a process to appoint his successor with a formal transition expected in early 2022. In the meantime, Berkeley will continue in his role and will support the transition to a new chief executive partner who will drive the next chapter of the Australian firm’s growth," the statement said.
“I want to do some other things which I’m quite excited about – things which give me a bit more bandwidth to look after myself and my family,” Mr Cox told the AFR.
KWM chairman Michael Clough paid tribute to Mr Cox’s contributions to the firm, particularly during COVID-19.
“Throughout his leadership Berkeley championed a number of initiatives within the firm driven by his commitment to providing a superior experience for the firm’s people and clients,” he said.
“Passionate about ensuring KWM is a great place to work and grow, Berkeley has been dedicated to embedding this as a strategic priority, focussing on equipping the firm’s people for wellbeing and performance and building supportive teams to enable them to deliver exceptional service to clients. This has been especially visible in successfully navigating the initial turbulence of the pandemic.
“We thank Berkeley for his extraordinary contribution to the firm, our people, our clients and our community partners during his time as chief executive partner. His legacy of deep care for our people’s wellbeing, passion for our community work and desire to evolve the firm’s service delivery through technology and new ways of working has driven positive change within KWM which will be felt across the firm for years to come, and we are pleased he will continue to be a part of KWM.”
Lauren Croft
Lauren is a journalist at Lawyers Weekly and graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from Macleay College. Prior to joining Lawyers Weekly, she worked as a trade journalist for media and travel industry publications and Travel Weekly. Originally born in England, Lauren enjoys trying new bars and restaurants, attending music festivals and travelling. She is also a keen snowboarder and pre-pandemic, spent a season living in a French ski resort.
