National law firm Weightmans has appointed Abhay Srivastava as environmental, social and governance (ESG) manager, and James Holman as general counsel and to its board as strategic head of risk.
Srivastava, a qualified engineer with a postgraduate degree in sustainability, joins the firm from Shell where he worked as assurance manager within its real estate function, before taking a role with the Shell Foundation.
His most recent role involved incubating new businesses, providing business and ESG impact strategy support to portfolio start-ups and driving policy improvement and advocacy projects. He has held roles with Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages in India and IBM.
Srivastava serves on the board of directors for two early-stage social businesses in sustainable fashion segment and healthcare respectively.
He commented: 'The importance of ESG across all businesses and functions continues to grow, so in my new position with Weightmans I will be focusing on integrating these fundamentals into the company’s operating model and business strategy to lay the foundations for Weightmans to be an environmentally and socially conscious law firm. I will be working closely with internal stakeholders to ensure that we are providing the best resources and capabilities for our people, and most importantly our clients.'
Holman joined Weightmans in 1989, qualified as a solicitor in 1992 and became a partner in 1997.
He has spent the last 18 years in his role as head of compliance, managing a team of 20 and taking ultimate responsibility for data protection, audit, supplier management, compliance and anti-money laundering. Through his new additional position as general counsel, he will be better placed to advise the firm on potential risks and help to mitigate areas of concern for clients.
Holman commented: 'Following a successful four years leading the risk and compliance functions, I am looking forward to taking up this important new role as general counsel. Being on the board will ensure that risks are considered from the very beginning of strategic decision-making and can help ensure both clients and our internal stakeholders have the most relevant advice. The position also mirrors that which a number of our clients have within their corporate structures, so this will allow us to more easily facilitate conversations with them and provide an even better service.'
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