International law firm Pinsent Masons has appointed Bob Ruddiman as Global Head of Energy and Natural Resources, in a move which underlines the firm’s energy industry commitment.
Mr Ruddiman was previously Head of Energy at McGrigors which merged with Pinsent Masons on 1 May to create the UK’s 12th largest legal firm. Pinsent Masons has a staff of 2500 spread throughout 15 international locations in the UK and major oil and gas hubs, including Aberdeen, Qatar, Dubai, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The Pinsent Masons Energy team comprises experts in upstream and downstream oil and gas, conventional power generation, nuclear, electricity and gas transmission, renewables, carbon capture and storage, gas storage, decommissioning, water and mining,
Mr Ruddiman said: “With McGrigors strong reputation in the UKCS oil and gas sector and renewables, allied to Pinsent Masons’ Middle East and Asia Pacific presence, the new firm can offer a combination of a long international track record, deep sector knowledge and global capability.
“While my new role has global strategic responsibility, I will to continue to be based in Aberdeen and this underlines Pinsent Masons’ commitment to the energy sector. Our new team will harness the expertise and experience of some of the best energy lawyers across the globe and we are looking forward to helping clients meet the shifting energy demands of a fast changing world.”
The opening of new offices in France and Germany in 2012 will present new business opportunities for Pinsent Masons, said Mr Ruddiman, and offers access to new markets for existing and potential clients. He added: “We have feet on the ground in the main energy hubs which is a very attractive proposition to clients looking to internationalise, but we also enjoy strong local collaboration in emerging markets such as South America and Africa.”