Former KPMG UK general counsel Jeremy Barton (pictured) has been appointed as GC of the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) – the first to hold the title at the trade association.
Barton stepped down from his role at KPMG at the end of 2023. He has extensive in-house experience, particularly in the consulting space, having earlier held positions at The Boston Consulting Group, Ernst & Young Global and Andersen Global.
The role is new to the FLA, a UK-based trade body for the asset, consumer, and motor finance sectors, and has been implemented to strengthen its legal, regulatory, and governance capabilities.
‘We’re pleased to welcome Jeremy Barton as our new General Counsel,’ said FLA CEO Shanika Amarasekara MBE. ‘His extensive experience across professional services and his deep understanding of governance and regulatory issues make him an outstanding addition to the team. Jeremy’s insight and steady judgment will be invaluable as we support our members through a rapidly evolving landscape.’
Barton added: ‘I am delighted to be joining the FLA at such a pivotal moment for the consumer, motor and asset finance sector. The FLA plays an important role in shaping policy, supporting high standards, and representing the industry’s voice. I look forward to working with members and stakeholders to help the sector respond confidently and constructively to regulatory change.’
In Paris, Slaughter and May’s head of EU financial regulation Sabine Dittrich has joined Barclays as managing director, head of government and regulatory policy and relations, Europe.
Dittrich spent the last three years as head of EU financial regulation at the firm in London, where she was a senior counsel, leaving for Barclays in January.
Before that, she spent 11 years at Swiss bank UBS in a range of senior legal roles across regulatory intelligence, EU public policy, and wealth management.
Elsewhere in London, defence tech startup UFORCE has appointed Tom Dallas McSorley as general counsel.
McSorley has deep experience in the sector, having spent the last two and a half years at NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), a NATO organisation established in 2022 to support developers of innovative dual-use civilian and military technologies across the alliance.
McSorley began his career at Arnold & Porter in Washington DC, and previously held in-house positions at Elon Musk’s SpaceX and AI and machine learning defence developer Rebellion Defense.
Also in the UK, Shazadi Stinton has joined Trustpilot as chief trust officer after four years at FTSE 250 money saving platform MONY Group, formerly MoneySuperMarket Group, where she held the position of group GC.
Before joining MONY Group, Stinton worked at water company Severn Trent for 13 years, where she held a number of senior in-house legal roles. In her new role at TrustPilot, she will be responsible for content integrity, fraud prevention, and legal and governance frameworks.
Meanwhile, insurance group Howden has hired Christopher Dalrymple as group chief legal officer from global (re)insurance company Alleghany Corporation.
Dalrymple spent over two decades at Alleghany in a number of senior legal roles, including GC, and remained in position when the company was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway in 2022. Dalrymple began his career at now-defunct New York-headquartered firm Dewey Ballantine.
Howden group chief operating officer David Shalder said: ‘After a long and careful search, I am delighted that in Chris we have found an incredibly well-respected legal leader with sharp commercial acumen, deep insurance and reinsurance experience and a proven track record of leading through transformation and growth, including taking companies public. I’m very much looking forward to working with him as we continue to build Howden and continue our growth trajectory.’
Finally, US retail giant Walmart has appointed Erin Nealy Cox as its next executive vice president of global governance, chief legal officer, and corporate secretary.
Cox spent the last four years at Kirkland & Ellis, where she was a partner in the government, regulatory and internal investigations practice group.
She brings extensive experience across government and private practice, having served as the United States attorney for the Northern District of Texas between 2017 and 2021, and previously as assistant US attorney for the Northern District of Texas between 1999 and 2008.
‘To lead Global Governance for a company of our scale and complexity, you need a leader who has thrived in the most demanding environments,’ said Walmart president and CEO John Furnier. ‘Erin is exactly that leader.’
He continued: ‘She brings a rare combination of legal strategy and operational rigor that will be essential as we continue to navigate the new era of retail, while staying true to our purpose of helping people save money and live better.’
Cox succeeds Rachel Brand, who spent nearly eight years as CLO before stepping down in January, and now serves on the boards of both Indian digital payments company PhonePe and Walmart de México y Centroamérica.
Cox will begin her new role on 13 April of this year.
