Defence and aerospace giant BAE Systems has appointed Mike Elston as its first-ever chief counsel for India.

Elston will officially take up the Delhi-based post on 1 November, leaving his current position of chief counsel of BAE's land systems division.

As part of the new role Elston will be responsible for providing legal advice in relation to the company's business in India and will report to president of BAE Systems India, Julian Scopes, and group general counsel Philip Bramwell.

The new role is part of Bramwell's three-year overhaul of BAE's legal function and follows the July hire of Jo Talbot from Clyde & Co as head of the dispute resolution and risk management function.

Since moving from telecoms company O2 in January 2007, Bramwell has made 14 major appointments including Andrew Guest as chief counsel of BAE's chief counsel for Saudi Arabia and has increased the overall number of lawyer at the company to around 120.

The company will now kick off the search for a new chief counsel to head the three-strong land systems division, as well as legal heads for BAE operations in South Africa, Australia and Sweden.

News of Elston's hire comes after BAE announced a three-year programme to implement the proposals of the Woolf Committee Report, which examined the ethical principles of the company. The report followed the Serious Fraud Office's investigation into the Al-Yamamah arms contract with the Saudi Arabian Government.