Minter Ellison has appointed accountant and former board advisor to King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) Tony Harrington as its new chief executive in the place of partner John Weber, who is stepping down from the role in June.

Harrington, who was also managing director of investment bank Moelis & Company, will commence his employment with the firm on 22 April but will assume the role of chief executive on 1 July.

Though he is not a lawyer, Harrington has been advising KWM since 2010, has a long career in financial services, and earlier held the position of national managing partner for tax and legal at Pricewaterhousecoopers between July 1998 and June 2000.

His appointment was approved by a partnership vote earlier in the year after a domestic and international executive search by Minter Ellison, which engaged recruitment company Egon Zehnder to assist in the hiring process.

Harrington is not the only non-lawyer to be made head of the firm. Prior to the promotion of partner John Weber, the role was held by Guy Templeton, who led the firm between four years between 2005 and 2009 and whose background was in management consulting.

Speaking about Harrington's appointment, Minter Ellison chairman Bruce Cowley said: "Tony will be a great cultural fit and has the ideal credentials to drive a growth strategy with a strong emphasis on client engagement.

"His track record in the professional services market both in Australia and Asia also makes him a natural leader for Minter Ellison, given our goal to grow our Australian business and our international network."

Sydney-based Minter Ellison is one of the two remaining independent law firms among Australia's 'big six', with bases in the country's five biggest cities in addition to five international offices located in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Ulaanbaatar and London. The other stand alone outfit is Clayton Utz.

Last year Weber told Legal Week that the firm was looking to boost its presence outside of Australia and possibly open in Singapore in response to growth in Asian markets and a slowdown in domestic M&A activity during 2013.

Despite having managed the firm for the last five years, Weber did not seek reappointment as his term as chief executive drew to a close, but said he planned on having a portfolio of interests, including board and related appointments.

Under his leadership, the firm has opened offices in Beijing and Mongolia, launched an Asian tax practice and hired a number of lawyers across the practice.

Related: Trailblazers – what next for post-merger King & Wood Mallesons?