Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has appointed Mike Ferraro as its sole global head of corporate as part of a wider practice group reshuffle.

Ferraro has been joint global head of corporate with Patrick Mitchell (pictured), since the merger of Herbert Smith and Freehills in 2012. Mitchell is set to take up a newly created role from 1 May leading the firm's infrastructure practice across the UK and EMEA.

Following the merger the corporate group was the only practice to take up a dual management structure, with the firm making the change to bring it into line with its other practices.

Ferraro, who was a partner at legacy Freehills and is based in Melbourne, will be supported by a group of regional heads of practice across the network. Austin Sweeney is based in Hong Kong and oversees the Asia practice, while Sydney-based Andrew Pike heads the Australian practice. Scott Cochrane is regional head for the UK.

Meanwhile head of HSF's Madrid office, Alvaro Sainz, has been appointed to manage the practice across EMEA.

Global head of M&A, Stephen Wilkinson, will take responsibility for building the firm's M&A practice across the UK, Europe and the US as part of the broader corporate strategy. As part of this role he will look to build the practice group's profile among relevant clients and help grow the volume of cross-border work.

Sonya Leydecker, who takes over as joint CEO with Mark Rigotti on 1 May, said: "The global corporate practice is of huge importance to the future success of the firm. These management changes will allow for greater join up across our network as we continue to compete successfully for the top cross-border deals. With Mike as global head supported by a strong team around him we are confident of achieving these objectives."

Rigotti added: "We are also very pleased that Stephen Wilkinson has agreed to take on an enhanced leadership role. As a leading M&A practitioner with over 20 years' experience, Stephen is well placed to develop this important part of our global offering. The infrastructure practice is also of strategic significance to the firm, and Patrick's leadership skills, significant market knowledge and experience in both corporate and projects will prove invaluable as we seek to capitalise on a strong pipeline of opportunities for the firm."