Zaha Hadid Architects has named Previtha Kunjuraman as the firm’s third general counsel in 18 months, replacing previous GC Mike Newton.
Newton joined Zaha Hadid Architects in January from Lendlease, where he acted as senior legal counsel. He trained with legacy Eversheds and leaves to join an unnamed contractor in the construction industry.
Newton spent just six months with the firm, replacing Tamsyn McLean after her departure to construction company Bouygues. McLean became the firm’s first general counsel when she was appointed to the role in January 2016.
Kunjuraman joins from Pinsent Masons where she acted as of counsel from October 2015 after spending time as a barrister at law with Norton Rose Fulbright and Herbert Smith Freehills earlier in her career.
She was called to the bar by Middle Temple in London in 1996, admitted as an advocate to the supreme court in Singapore in 1998 and qualified in Australia in 2015.
Her in-house roles include working as senior legal counsel with both Consolidated Contractors International and CITIC Pacific Mining Management. She also spent three years as Grange Resources general counsel in Perth from 2011.
The architecture firm first began searching for a general counsel in 2015 owing to sustained growth in the business. However, turnover fell from £47.7m to £44.6m in the financial year ending 30 April 2016. Profits also fell from £4.6m to £3m over the same period.
The firm’s founder Dame Zaha Hadid passed away in March 2016 after a distinguished career. Her buildings including the Guangzhou Opera House, the London Aquatics Centre and the Bridge Pavillion in Zaragoza.
