Insurance-focused law firm Kennedys has appointed Karen Peskett-Hall (pictured) as its first Director of Transformation to oversee a change programme at the 2,400-people and 44-office legal business.
The firm said that her main tasks are ‘analysing the firm’s current strategy and identifying any improvements and innovations which could enhance client service’.
She will also be ‘scoping legal processing improvements and various other change innovations to drive the firm’s WorkWise programme, which will see continued investment to update its physical working environments, technology and people policies’.
Prior to joining Kennedys, Karen was global head of business improvement at Hogan Lovells where she set up an in-house consultancy providing transformation and change management expertise, the first of its kind in a law firm. Before that she was a senior business improvement manager at Linklaters, where she worked for eight years, the firm said.
Suzanne Liversidge, Kennedys global managing partner, commented: ‘This is another step on our journey to create a future-fit workplace that both colleagues and clients can be proud of. While the pandemic accelerated some of our improvement plans, in such a large business it is an ongoing process and Karen has a huge amount of experience in this area which will be a valuable asset moving forward.
‘Kennedys is a very progressive firm. Every year we go from strength to strength and part of that success is not being complacent. We are constantly thinking ahead and innovating, and Karen’s appointment just underscores our commitment to continuous improvement and elite performance.’
While Peskett-Hall concluded: ‘It is testament to the culture of Kennedys that this post has been created, demonstrating a commitment to colleagues and clients and better understanding what they want and need.
‘That is what I am passionate about. What also attracted me is that this is a brand-new role – not quite a blank canvas, but a strong foundation on which to build the kind of workplace that will cement Kennedys’ position as a law firm of choice, both for those seeking their services and the next generation of talent looking for a great place to work.’