DWF, Manchester law giant, in executive changes

Manchester-headquartered international law firm DWF Group plc announced that Matthew Doughty is to be appointed its Chief Growth & Strategy Officer (CSO) and Matthew Glenville appointed its Group Chief Operating Officer (COO), with effect from September 9, 2022.

“Matthew Doughty will remain an Executive Director and will focus on the implementation of DWF’s strategy of providing integrated legal and business services to more of its key clients,” said DWF.

“He will also lead on all inorganic expansion activities, in particular the delivery of a strong M&A pipeline, and will also remain the board sponsor of the Group’s ESG strategy …

Matthew Glenville will be a member of the Executive Leadership Team and will have responsibility for pursuing operational excellence and delivering transformational change projects.

“The COO, who will not join the board, will report to the CSO.

Matthew Glenville joins DWF from ICE Clear Europe, one of the world’s leading futures and options clearing houses, where since 2018 he has held the positions of COO, Chief Technology Officer and Chief of Staff.

“Previously, Glenville was COO at ICE Benchmark Administration and led various teams across front office, operations and change management at Royal Bank of Scotland.”

DWF Group CEO Nigel Knowles said: “The creation of the CSO role and the appointment of a new COO will further strengthen our ability to ensure senior time and focus is given to our strategic and operational priorities.

“By further increasing our strategic focus on organic growth, we aim to accelerate the adoption of a wider range of our services among our largest clients, driving profitable revenue growth.  

“Supplementing this with inorganic growth through selective M&A has long been part of our strategy. 

“We believe that the CSO role will bring additional focus to these areas, generating shareholder value. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Matthew in his new role.

“I am also delighted to welcome Matthew Glenville to DWF. His significant experience and proven operational track record will enable us to deliver on our ongoing and ambitious programme of transformation.

“In addition to his strong technical abilities, Matthew is an excellent influencer and communicator, enabling him to effectively collaborate with stakeholders to achieve strategic priorities.

“We are pleased that Matthew saw in DWF the opportunity to influence our transition from law firm to a global professional services organisation and I’m looking forward to him joining the team.”