Flexible resourcing pioneer (and they really were one of the first….) LOD and legal tech consultancy Syke have hired Catherine Spitzer as the first-ever Chief Operating Officer (COO) of its ‘LOD Group’ – the joint venture between the two companies.
The LOD Group was formed following a ‘combination’ in March 2021, although both maintain separate websites. The move suggests that the deal between the two businesses is working and the constituent parts are getting closer together.
As Artificial Lawyer noted before, it’s all about the benefits of combining flexible lawyers and tech skills together – something that companies need more and more of.
As to their new COO, Spitzer will report into LOD Group’s CEO, Tom Hartley, in London. She spent over seven years as Managing Director of Bidwells, a ‘disruptor’ in the property consulting market, where she was responsible for growing revenues to £55m and profit by 70%.
She has also worked at law firms Taylor Wessing and Pinsent Masons, and according to LinkedIn has trekked to the North Pole.
Spitzer commented: ‘For me personally, it’s great to be joining a team of like-minded people who continue to challenge the status quo in the legal sector. This is an exciting time for everyone at the LOD Group and I hope to bring all my relevant experience to the table to help deliver our ambitious growth plans from an already strong position.’
While Hartley added: ‘Catherine’s considerable leadership experience will help deliver our ambitious plans for growth in the UK. She will be focussing on how we continue to scale SYKE, how we create and leverage further opportunities for Syke and LOD together, and what this combination can mean for growing our business at speed.’
The LOD Group added that the move follows the expansion of Syke into the US and APAC, and that there is now ‘integration of business functions, with BD & Marketing, Finance and IT teams coming together’.
Perhaps the hire of a COO portends a move to total integration in the near future?