Kamau Coar. Free (Handout).

As of the end of this month, Kamau Coar will move into the general counsel role at Heidrick & Struggles International Inc., replacing current GC Stephen Beard, the firm announced Friday.

For nearly six years, Coar has been vice president and associate general counsel at Heidrick & Struggles. In this role, his responsibilities included management and oversight of company litigation and global employment law matters, according to a bio provided for a March 2013 webinar.

Coar was also tasked with counseling the executive search firm on its HR practices and policies. Most recently, Coar was based in Singapore and served on the leadership team of the firm's Asia-Pacific region, Friday's announcement said.

In his new role, Coar will be responsible for oversight of global legal and regulatory matters at the firm.

“Stepping into the general counsel role at Heidrick & Struggles is extremely exciting for me. It will allow me to tap into my experiences from both my time in the U.S. as well as working in the Asia Pacific over the past 18 months,” Coar told Corporate Counsel in an email. “I look forward to playing an even more active role in advising the firm globally during a time where the firm is experiencing significant change and growth.”

Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles, Coar was a partner at Chicago firm Ungaretti & Harris, which merged with Nixon Peabody in 2015. He was also an associate at Proskauer Rose.

Coar replaces Heidrick & Struggles executive vice president, general counsel and chief administrative officer Beard, who has been with the firm since 2003. Beard, who was named executive VP and general counsel in 2011 and who took on the chief administrative officer title in 2013, is leaving the firm to pursue other opportunities, according to the announcement. Going forward, Heidrick & Struggles will eliminate the chief administrative officer role.

“I want to thank Steve for his 14 years of service to the firm,” Krishnan Rajagopalan, president and CEO of Heidrick & Struggles, said in Friday's announcement. “He has been a valued member of the executive leadership team, a trusted adviser to the board of directors and a mentor to many.”

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