Bird & Bird has appointed Edoardo Monopoli as its new chief executive of Baseline after the departure of Dominic Cook in August.

Cook is understood to have left Bird & Bird’s consulting arm after a failed challenge to the leadership of CEO David Kerr in the firm’s management elections.

Cook lost out to Kerr, who has held the position since 1996.

Monopoli was a member of Cook’s team in Baseline and worked on the compliance side of the business.

The IT-focused business is supported by consultants at both ASE and Valeocon, with Monopoli also serving as a partner at the latter.

Monopoli will act as CEO of Baseline working with directors Richard Lucas and Robin O’Connor.

Cook had been at the helm of the Baseline consulting project since its inception in 2015.

The business venture was set up to help review, recommend and resolve complex issues related to IT projects. It also helps in the initial planning, design, requirements identification, procurement and contracting phases.