Firm elects new chair
Blake Morgan has elected Helen Bunker, current head of its London office and private client team, as its new chair.
She will be joined on the board by partners Sarah Rees and Simon Staples, who have been elected to the board, alongside Penri Desscan and Sadak Miah, who have been re-elected for a three-year term from 1 May. Richard Wade, head of the firm’s construction group, will be stepping down from his role as an elected member of the board, having served the maximum two consecutive terms.
Helen (pictured right) was previously managing partner at Piper Smith Watton, which merged with the firm in 2015. With 27 years of experience in the legal sector, she has worked with a broad range of UK and non-UK domiciled clients, including private individuals, trustees and estates, advising them throughout key life stages.
Helen is a long-standing advocate for inclusivity and has supported the development of Blake Morgan’s disability and neurodiversity EDI workstream. She is a mental health first aider for the firm. She also contributes to several initiatives focused on supporting women: she is a patron for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, which Blake Morgan sponsors, and is involved in the City Women Network, as well as being a sponsor for Women for Women International—a charity focused on supporting women in countries such as Afghanistan.
Helen said: ‘I would like to thank the current chair, Kath Shimmin, for her leadership and the strong culture of inclusivity she has fostered throughout her tenure. Her appointment as the first female chair of Blake Morgan was an historic one for the firm and I feel honoured to be following her example. I look forward to working with Penri, Sadak, Sarah, Simon, and the rest of the board to drive the firm’s success.’
Helen will be taking over the position from Kath Shimmin (pictured left), becoming the firm’s second female chair. Kath was elected in 2021 and during her term has strengthened the reputation and commercial position of the firm and successfully spearheaded a series of diversity and inclusion initiatives. She will remain as a partner after stepping down from her role as chair.
Kath said: ‘It has been a privilege to serve as Blake Morgan’s chair over the past three years and to have had the opportunity to help the firm continue to grow and succeed. I’m proud of the way our expertise has developed across each practice area as we continue to build on the first-class service we offer clients. I’m also particularly proud of our progress across diversity and inclusion and sustainability, areas I feel passionate about, and know we will continue this good work as a firm.’
