Allen & Overy (A&O) has appointed Lee Alam as head of its new regulatory consulting practice.
Alam joins A&O Consulting from Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), where he was the general manager of global regulatory affairs.
In this role, Alam was responsible for managing CBA’s regulatory approach and change projects.
Prior to serving at CBA, Alam was a managing director of J.P. Morgan Australia, responsible for the initial design and roll-out of its global culture and conduct risk programmes.
He also spent 12 years as the manager of the markets division at the Financial Conduct Authority in London.
A&O Consulting was launched in London in September 2018 with the hire of Sally Dewar as its CEO who leads the business globally.
Alam’s appointment is the first of a number of planned appointments internationally.
Jason Denisenko, managing partner of A&O Sydney, commented: “The establishment of this new advisory discipline in Australia is timely in the post-Royal Commission environment of increased regulatory scrutiny. Our clients have asked for a broader advisory capability to complement our market-leading legal practice, which will be answered through Lee Alam’s expertise in regulatory affairs and conduct risk.”
Dewar said: “A&O has extensive experience and market-leading legal expertise in financial services regulation in Australia which when combined with this new capability will enable the firm to meet client demand for broader high-quality bespoke business-focused advice.”
She added: “A&O Consulting complements the firm’s existing legal services and broadens the firm’s role in managing clients’ regulatory risk and supporting control enhancement and remediation projects. We are excited to have someone of Alam’s calibre join the team.”
