Lloyds Banking Group has appointed its former head of corporate and M&A Hugh Pugsley to the position of general counsel for group legal.

Pugsley, who had been working in the role on an interim basis prior to his formal appointment, succeeds Kate Cheetham, who moved into the role of deputy general counsel at the beginning of this year.

As GC for group legal, Pugsley reports directly to Cheetham, and heads a team of some 60 lawyers which advises the bank on matters including M&A and financial reporting.

Pugsley will also oversee the bank's relationships with its external legal advisers, which were last reviewed in 2012 for a minimum two-year term.

Previously an associate at Allen & Overy, Pugsley headed UBS' corporate legal group for the MENA region, before joining Lloyds in 2010.

A Lloyds spokesperson said a replacement for the group legal head of corporate and M&A had not yet been appointed.

The promotion is the latest in a series of moves for Lloyds' senior in-house team, following the announcement in July 2012 that general counsel and company secretary Harry Baines was to retire from the financial institution.

He was replaced in May by former Financial Services Authority GC Andrew Whittaker, who moved into a flexible job-sharing arrangement with his number two Cheetham.

Though Cheetham works full time, she effectively shares the leadership of the legal team with Whittaker, who is contracted to a 0.6 full-time equivalent post, in a rare example of flexi-working among senior in-house counsel.

Speaking to Legal Week in July, the duo said Whittaker's regulatory experience complements former Linklaters lawyer Cheetham's background in corporate law.