Herbert Smith and alliance partners Gleiss Lutz and Stibbe have appointed a secretary general to manage the relationship, in a bid to improve integration between the three firms.

Stibbe Brussels managing partner Olivier Clevenbergh is set to take up the new role on 1 July for a three-year term.

He will be responsible for managing internal co-ordination, business development and marketing initiatives across the three firms, reporting into an alliance board made up of management from each of the three firms. The alliance board was previously known as the joint steering group.

Herbert Smith managing partner David Willis (pictured) said: "The creation of this new role reflects the management teams' shared belief that strong internal co-ordination at all levels is an essential condition for the seamless service we need to continue to provide to our clients.

"After 10 years of working together on client matters, we now have in place a strong platform of trust and confidence on which to grow further our share of top-end work in the international markets. We are convinced that the best opportunities for doing so lie in strengthening our focus on working closely together, both internally and in our initiatives to jointly promote the alliance."

Clevenbergh has been Stibbe's Brussels managing partner since 2005. Corporate partner Jan Peeters is set to take over as office head when Clevenbergh starts his new role this summer.

Herbert Smith's former European alliance relationship partner Henry Raine left the firm in February this year to take up an in-house regulatory role at online loan company Wonga.com.