Global law firm Kennedys has appointed a lawyer specialising in insurance as the firm’s first global managing partner. Suzanne Liversidge (pictured) will work alongside Nick Thomas, who has been the firm’s senior partner for more than 20 years and was re-elected for a fifth term in 2017.
Liversidge, who is the first female global managing partner for a UK top-30 law firm, will work closely with Thomas on the strategic and operational management of Kennedys’ 37 offices, the firm said. She is a member of the firm’s Global Strategy, R&D, and Innovations boards. She also leads Kennedys’ Women in Insurance Network.
Liversidge qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 1993, building a practice working with insurers, self-insured corporates and local authorities. She specialised in employers’ liability, public and motor claims, and health and safety advice and prosecutions. She joined Kennedys in 2010.
Liversidge is an active member of Link, a professional network for members of the LGBT+ community and allies who work in the insurance industry. She also leads Kennedys’ sponsorship of Dive In, a festival for diversity and inclusion in the insurance industry run by Lloyd’s of London.
“The board and I are of the view that there is no better person to help oversee the management of Kennedys globally,” Thomas said. “Anyone who encounters Suzanne knows she brings boundless energy and enthusiasm to her work. She is immensely driven and has shown outstanding commitment to Kennedys over the past nine years. We’ve experienced significant growth in recent years, and there is still much more to achieve as a firm. Suzanne has a deep understanding of the insurance industry, our clients and our global network, having worked with all Kennedys’ offices. She has a great vision and I am proud to appoint her in this new position.”
“Kennedys is a firm with great ambition, and I am looking forward to working even more closely with Nick and colleagues to continue, and improve on, the excellent work that we are doing in the UK and Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America and Bermuda, and Latin America and the Caribbean,” Liversidge said. “We do things differently at Kennedys, so I’m particularly energised about client innovations and collaboration initiatives. I’m honoured to have this opportunity to take Kennedys to the next stage of its evolution working alongside Nick and the Global Strategy Board.”
