RSA general counsel Derek Walsh has announced he will step down from the role after five years at the insurance group. He will be replaced by head of group legal Charlotte Heiss.
Walsh has acted as group general counsel, company secretary and global broker relationship director during his time at RSA. He is set to leave the company at the end of February and it not yet known if he has another role lined up.
In a statement RSA group chief executive Stephen Hester said that Walsh had been a “terrific advisor to the board” and “helped steer RSA through challenging times”.
Heiss will now become RSA’s chief legal officer and company secretary. She joined RSA in 2015 as a legal counsel after leaving Linklaters, where she was a managing associate in the corporate practice. As part of her new role she will join the group executive team and report directly to Hester.
The top level changes form part of a management shake-up at the group. Chief risk officer William McDonnell will now assume responsibility for RSA’s compliance function while commercial managing director Jon Hancock will takeover RSA’s key global insurance brokers.
Last year RSA announced it was delaying its global legal panel for a second time following previous management changes. The changes led to a number of dismissals and the appointment of Hester as chief executive.
Allen & Overy, Ashurst, Linklaters, Norton Rose Fulbright and Slaughter and May currently sit on RSA’s roster of legal advisers.