Baker & McKenzie has appointed M&A partner Clive Cook as chair of its Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesian offices.

Cook is relocating to the region to take up the newly-created role as of 1 July. He will be based in Singapore and will take overall responsibility for the firm's three branches in the region – Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Cook commented: "I am looking forward to building on the firm's strong performance in Southeast Asia while ensuring that the firm continues to grow in line with our clients' needs. I will be working closely with partners and clients to ensure that our approach continues to distinguish us from many of our competitors."

In his time at Bakers, Cook has led one of the corporate groups in London as well as spending three years on the London office's management committee.

Yesterday (29 June) Linklaters named two partners as the new co-heads of the firm's China practice, with Asia litigation chief and Hong Kong managing partner Marc Harvey and Beijing head Celia Lam replacing Zili Shao in the role.

Harvey and Lam take up their four-year terms with immediate effect after Shao was appointed as Asia managing partner in April.