BigLaw heavyweight to stay on in an advisory role
Big law statesman Sir Nigel Knowles is to step down from his role as chief executive of DWF at the end of July, it has been confirmed.
Knowles was elevated to the role of CEO in 2020 after previously serving as the firm’s chairman since 2017.
During his tenure as chairman, DWF became the largest law firm ever to float on the stock exchange in 2019, before delisting just four years later following an all-cash offer from a private equity firm.
Matthew Doughty, currently CEO of DWF’s Insurance Services division, has been appointed CEO-elect by the board of directors and will take over as Group CEO after Knowles retires.
DWF confirmed Knowles will remain with the firm as a senior adviser, “focused on client engagement and growth”.
“I am incredibly proud of the progress we have made over the past five years,” Knowles commented. “Through the talent and dedication of my DWF colleagues, the support we provide to our stellar roster of clients has enabled us to achieve strong and sustainable growth. I want to thank all of those colleagues for their hard work and support, and also to thank our clients for continuing to trust DWF to be their advisers.”
Knowles, who was knighted in 2009 for his services to the legal industry, is also the former global co-chair of DLA Piper and the driving force behind its transformation from a modest Yorkshire firm into a global legal powerhouse. He retired in 2014 but reappeared at DWF in 2017.