Clyde & Co elects its first woman North America head

Clyde & Co elects its first woman North America head

Senior Canada-based partner Carolena Gordon becomes the first leader of the firm outside the UK

Magic Circle firm Clyde & Co has elected Montreal-based litigation specialist Carolena Gordon as its first-ever woman to head the firm in North America stationed outside the UK.

Gordon's stint in her new role will begin in July. She fills the seat left vacant by former senior partner Peter Hirst, who stepped down in December last year. He had quit the role just a year after taking over under controversial circumstances.

Gordon has been associated with the London-based insurance giant for a little over a decade, joining as part of Clyde's merger with Canadian practice Nicholl Paskell-Mede in 2011.

Gordon becomes the fifth senior partner of Clyde & Co in nine years head the firm

Hirst had stepped down from the post in January although it emerged that bullying allegations against him had been the subject of an external investigation with the firm stating that 'none of the complaints were upheld'.

The firm explained that it had refrained from rushing into electing its new leader due to "strong performance and stability" shown throughout the pandemic-ridden year.

Gordon was elected by the firm's partnership for the top post in a tough contest defeating global insurance chair James Cooper and Manchester insurance partner Chris Murray who were also in the race.

A seasoned dispute resolution and risk management litigator, Gordon is credited for steering the firm's strategy as a member of its North American board and its dedicated Canadian management board – the positions she has held since 2019 and 2018 respectively.

Gordon played a key role in the firm's strong expansion push in the North American market, leading its recent office openings in Vancouver, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Denver.

As senior partner, Gordon will now join Clyde & Co's global management board. She will work in tandem with its regional boards and global practice groups alongside CEO Matthew Kelsall to deliver on the firm's strategic agenda while maintaining her practice in Montreal.

"I look forward to working closely with Carolena, someone I've known, worked with and respected for many years," Kelsall said, adding that Carolena takes on her role at an exciting time for Clyde & Co as they strive to deliver their strategic agenda, which is focused on the continued sector-focused growth, development and modernisation of the firm.

Peter Kasanda, partner and member of Clyde's management board, added that the choice to elect a non-UK lawyer as senior partner reflected the "truly global" direction the firm has been trending towards in recent years.