Allen & Overy (A&O) has voted in a new board, with three new appointments and three reappointments taking effect from 1 May.

The board elections, which closed last week (24 March), see the appointment of Prague-based corporate partner Jane Townsend, who heads the magic circle law firm's Central and Eastern European practice; London banking partner Cathy Bell-Walker and Hamburg-based corporate partner Helge Schaefer as new appointments.

The reappointed members are all based in the firm's London office and comprise litigation partner Tim House, corporate partner Alan Paul and capital markets partner Boyan Wells. All appointments are for four-year terms.Previously, A&O only had five elected board members.

Two current board members – Amsterdam-based partner Sietze Hepkema, who was appointed global co-head of corporate in February, and City finance partner Ian Powell – will step down from 31 April.

The firm's senior partner David Morley and managing partner Wim Dejonghe are automatically members of the board and the firm's finance director, Ian Dinwiddie, is a co-opted member.

The elected members are free to co-opt four members in total by majority decision; however, the current board has only Dinwiddie and New York capital markets partner Cathleen McLaughlin as appointed members. The newly-elected board is yet to finalise this part of the election process before 1 May.

Allen & Overy on the Legal Week Wiki