Clifford Chance seeks successor to senior partner Popham
Clifford Chance has kicked off the election process to find the replacement for current senior partner Stuart Popham.
Stuart Popham
So far only tax partner Jonathan Elman has formally announced that he will stand for the role, but other potential candidates are beginning to emerge.
London-based finance partner Malcolm Sweeting and Paris managing partner Yves Wehrli have been touted as early favourites for the job, with some in the firm suggesting that an overseas partner would be the ideal fit.
“There’s definitely scope for someone international to do it,” said one Clifford Chance partner. “You could say it’s a chance for the firm to become truly international.
“It would certainly fit with the timing. It would make people believe there’s growth potential in other markets.”
Other names mentioned as possible candidates include global head of finance Mark Campbell and litigation chief Jeremy Sandelson, although neither partner is understood to be keen to take on the senior partner position.
Popham, who was first elected to the role in 2002, will stand down at the end of the year.
“He’s a class act,” added the partner. He’s created this strong persona, which he’s grown into, where he’s fantastic at talking to people in the City, politicians and business leaders.”
Popham was last year made chair of financial services lobbying organisation TheCityUK. This week he has been accompanying prime minister David Cameron on a business trip to India, representing TheCityUk and the legal sector (27 July 2010).
Clifford Chance will now form a three-partner nomination committee, after which the final list of candidates will be presented to the partnership.
Voting is expected to take place in the early autumn.
Readers' comments (7)
Anonymous | 29-Jul-2010 12:06 pm
"Clifford Chance will now form a three-partner nomination committee". As in, Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan?
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
mary | 29-Jul-2010 12:41 pm
Stuart Popham will clearly be a big loss for the firm - his contacts are excellent and his presence on committees and City shindigs makes sure the firm's name gets mentioned in all the right places. But his political movements never really sat too comfortably with his role in the firm. Where will he go next? Job with the tory party?
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
joseph | 29-Jul-2010 2:14 pm
Does he need to go anywhere? A few juicy consultancy contracts and non-exec roles should keep him pretty happy for a while.
The interesting thing is, having seen the SP role change in Popham's hands, will it do so again with someone new?
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Ex MC cynic | 29-Jul-2010 2:24 pm
The MC don't really need senior partners anymore. When the firms were real partnerships and not faceless factories the senior partner's role was to mediate between the partners, but nowadays it's just about how many lunches and dinners you can say you've done. I'd like to see some data on how much fee-earning these guys do.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Anonymous | 29-Jul-2010 3:03 pm
ex MC cynic, they're not supposed to be doing fee earning. That's very much the point of the job - to gladhand people and drum up business for the firm, while also being a sounding board for partners. You wouldn't expect to see Popham leading on a deal would you? That's not his job anymore
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Anonymous | 30-Jul-2010 7:23 pm
It would be fantastic to see Paris managing partner Yves Wehrli in this new role and make CC less London centric. And Yves is a great guy and well loved by his colleagues in the Paris Office- You should have seen the send off party he had when he went on sabbatical in 2007.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
ex CCer | 3-Aug-2010 11:47 am
A sad day for CC when Popham goes. One of the few gentlemen left in the city.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment