Herbert Smith has appointed a new head of Asia with regional dispute resolution chief Mark Johnson set to take up the role when incumbent Ashley Alder departs next month.

Johnson (pictured) will take up the position on 1 October when Alder, who announced his resignation last month, leaves to take up a role as chief executive officer of the 
Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission.

The firm is yet to decide who will take over as Asia disputes head from Johnson.

Johnson joined Herbert Smith as a trainee in 1984 and has been a partner with the firm since 1993. He is also a member of the firm's governance board and will continue fee earning alongside his new appointment.

He said: "As soon as Ashley's appointment was identified, appropriate people were considered for the role. 
I have been in Asia since 1987 and am excited to be handed 
the opportunity to head up 
the region.

"Asia is an important area globally at the moment and, like other international institutions, Herbert Smith is focusing a lot of its efforts on continued development in relation to our offices here."

Johnson specialises in civil, regulatory and white-collar crime matters and contentious issues involving publicly listed companies and securities.

The news comes as the firm has also bulked up its Beijing office with a new disputes partner from Fulbright & Jaworski.

Jessica Fei is set to join the firm today (1 September) from her role as counsel in Fulbright's Beijing base.

Herbert Smith's Asia arm saw a 27.6% surge in revenues during 2010-11 to reach £83.2m, up from £65.2m the previous year, equating to around 18% of the firm's total revenues.