Kennedys appoints Suzanne Liversidge as managing partner following continued growth

We are pleased to announce that we have appointed Suzanne Liversidge as our first global managing partner. She will work alongside Nick Thomas, who has been senior partner for over 20 years and was re-elected for a fifth term in 2017, following an uncontested ballot.

The new role has been created in recognition of our recent growth and Suzanne, who becomes the first female global managing partner for a UK top 30 law firm, will work closely with Nick on the strategic and operational management of our global network of 37 offices.

Suzanne is a member of our Global Strategy Board, as well as the R&D and Innovations Boards. She also leads our Women in Insurance Network.

Suzanne, who joined Kennedys as head of the Sheffield office in 2010, qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 1993 and built a practice that saw her working with insurers, self-insured corporates and local authorities, and specialising in employers’ liability, public and motor claims, as well as health and safety advice and prosecutions.

Suzanne is an active member of Link, the professional network for members of the LGBT+ community and their allies who work in the insurance sector. She also leads our involvement in our global sponsorship of Dive In, the Festival for Diversity & Inclusion in Insurance run by Lloyd’s of London, and is a regular keynote speaker at industry events.

In 2011, she became the first female president of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce in its 242-year history. As well as winning several business woman of the year awards, she is also actively involved in the women in business regional network and has held several non-executive director roles in the arts.

Nick Thomas says: “The Board and I are of the view that there is no better person to help oversee the management of Kennedys, globally. Anyone who encounters Suzanne knows she brings boundless energy and enthusiasm to her work. She is immensely driven and has shown outstanding commitment to Kennedys over the past nine years.

“We’ve experienced significant growth in recent years and there is still much more to achieve as a firm. Suzanne has a deep understanding of the insurance industry, our clients and our global network having worked with all Kennedys’ offices. She has great vision and I am proud to appoint her in this new position.”

Commenting on her appointment, Suzanne Liversidge says: “Kennedys is a firm with great ambition, and I am looking forward to working even more closely with Nick and colleagues to continue, and improve upon, the excellent work that we are doing in the UK and Europe, Asia Pacific, North America and Bermuda and Latin America and the Caribbean. We do things differently at Kennedys so I’m particularly energised about our client innovations and collaboration initiatives.

“I’m honoured to have this opportunity to take Kennedys to the next stage of its evolution working alongside Nick and the Global Strategy Board.”

In May we reported record turnover of £218m for the financial year 2018/19, an 11% increase on the previous financial year and the first time our revenue has topped £200m. This growth was supported by a 7% increase in the number of fee-earners worldwide, with our total headcount exceeding 2,000 for the first time in our history.

In March, we became the first international law firm to establish a presence in each of the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Panama through three new associations. This was closely followed by the arrival of a 12-strong market-leading team from Norton Rose Fulbright which strengthened our marine and energy capabilities. We expect to make further significant announcements soon.