Martineau anoints new senior partner after leadership race
Andrew Whitehead, the head of energy at Birmingham-headquartered Martineau, has become the firm’s new senior partner after a contested election.
Andrew Whitehead
He replaces Roger Blears, who will continue to head the corporate finance team.
Some 10 candidates vied to bag three roles including the senior and managing partner positions, together with a non-executive partner role on the four-member board.
Managing partner Bill Barker maintained his position while head of corporate Richard Wrigley will also continue to sit as a non-executive board member. A replacement for Whitehead’s non-executive role will be voted on in due course.
Whitehead will continue to head the energy practice and placed his experience in that sector at the centre of his electoral platform.
He said: “Our energy practice has seen growth across the board. It’s one of our key chosen sectors and I have a lot to offer in terms of bringing it together. Climate change law and policy will be increasingly important rather than just pure energy.
“I’ll continue running the energy practice, as senior partner you’re expected to do the client stuff at the same time.
Whitehead’s role will also include managing the international networks. “It’s not our strategy to open offices overseas, I intend to develop the networks,” he said.
Martineau is part of energy regulation network State Law Resources, which has members from the US, Canada and the UK, and is also a member of Multilaw, a network of independent global firms.
