Growing law firm Shakespeare Martineau has appointed experienced CFO Paul Bird as chief finance officer, complementing its ambitious growth strategy.
With more than 25 years’ experience - including setting up and running the alternative legal service outsource provider, Riverview Law - Bird has previously held several senior positions in the legal, technology, education and BPO sectors, and also led the sale of Riverview Law to Big 4 multinational professional services giant EY.
With extensive experience in M&A activity as well as organically growing organisations in regulated markets, Bird joins the firm at a time of rapid growth and development. He is eager to make a start, saying: “I’ve been really impressed with the management team at Shakespeare Martineau and its great reputation for service quality from both peers and customers. And I’m so pleased to be joining a firm with similar values to my own.
“I look forward to being part of a team with a shared ambition to drive the business forward. I have a wealth of experience in various sectors and hope to add value straight away to help accelerate the firm’s growth trajectory.
“The current climate is proving tough in many markets and it’s crucial businesses look to evolve to succeed, taking an outward facing view. Organisations fail where they focus too much time only looking inwards, when they should be seizing the opportunity for change and growth. That will be a key focus for me and the rest of the senior team at Shakespeare Martineau going forward.”
Shakespeare Martineau CEO Sarah Walker-Smith said: “We’re very excited about Paul’s appointment - we have bold ambitions, with Paul’s insight and experience lending itself well to delivering our new strategy.
“We feel now is the right time to drive transformation, challenge the norm and push forward with a refreshed view of the industry. Paul is the missing part of the puzzle and understands our purpose and ambition.”
Shakespeare Martineau’s former CFO – Lesley Spencer - will remain on the firm’s board as a non-executive director.