Commercial law firm Burness Paull has appointed former Lloyds bank and Standard Life financial services adviser in a consultancy role.
Malcolm Wood recently stepped down as group company secretary of Lloyds Banking Group and previously led the in-house legal and secretariat teams at Standard Life through demutualisation and listing. He was named UK Company Secretary of the Year.
His expertise includes advising boards and senior executives on governance reviews,regulatory compliance, AGM planning and drafting governance structures.
Demand for corporate governance advice has been driven by scrutiny of directors in the wake of the Thomas Cook, Patisserie Valerie and Carillion collapses, as is the growth of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) investing.
Gary Gray, head of governance and company secretarial services at Burness Paull, said: “Since launching our new corporate governance consultancy service we’ve seen significant demand across a variety of sectors, and in particular within financial services.
“A mixture of existing and new clients have been seeking out support in areas including dealing with activist shareholders, director training, governance audits, and ongoing support for board and committee cycles.
“Malcolm’s extensive practical experience of governance within major corporates will be invaluable. It further enhances the specialist advice we can offer, which otherwise can be very challenging for businesses to source.”
Wood added: “At a time when the governance landscape is continuing to evolve at pace, I’m looking forward to working with a team that is already a clear leader in its field and to supporting its clients.”
