DWF appoints general counsel ahead of IPO
DWF has appointed a general counsel as the firm gears up for a landmark initial public offering early next year.
Mollie Stoker will join the firm in January from Suntory Beverage and Food Europe where she is currently director of business development.
She was previously general counsel for Lucozade Ribena Suntory between 2014 and 2017 and worked for a decade in private practice, with stints at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, KL Gates and Slaughter and May.
She will join the DWF's executive board and will also become company secretary of the PLC if DWF succeeds in going public.
The hire marks the latest step the firm has taken to prepare for a flotation. In October the firm secured an exclusive relationship with US firm Wood Smith Henning & Berman, which followed on from office launches in Singapore,Italy, Qatar, and Australia, as well as new practice launches in France and the United Arab Emirates.
The firm has also made several appointments. In November, it hired reinsurance co-head David Abbott from Clyde & Co, legal director Marcus Chipperfield from RPC, and director of marketing and business development partner Zelinda Bennett from DLA Piper.
The firm's attempt to become the largest law firm listing to date is being closely watched by the market. The firm is working with US investment bank Stifel on the process, which is expected to value the firm somewhere between £250m and £600m.
