Developer The Crown Estate has announced that Rob Booth, its current head of legal, will be taking up the position of general counsel and company secretary from January 2016 as it shakes up the management of the business.

Booth's appointment follows last week's announcement that Vivienne King, director of business operations and general counsel, will be leaving the crown estate after 21 years with the organisation.

Following King's departure those two roles will be split. It is not yet known who will take up the position of director of business operations.

Booth joined The Crown Estate in 2012 after eight years at Herbert Smith Freehills as a senior associate.

He has experience across a range of sectors including commercial real estate, energy and infrastructure. Booth was promoted to head of legal at The Crown Estate in July 2014.

In his role as GC, Booth will report directly to The Crown Estate's chief executive officer, Alison Nimmo.

He will carry responsibility for legal service at board level, and across The Crown Estate's £13bn real estate business, which includes Regent Street and much of St James's, and around 340,000 acres of rural land.

The change in the legal role follows a wider shake up of the company's leadership and the creation of the roles of chief financial officer (CFO), chief investment officer (CIO) and chief operating officer (COO).

The three new post holders will sit on an executive committee alongside Nimmo.

John Lelliott, currently finance director, has been appointed interim chief finance office and will hold the post for the next 18 months while a permanent post holder is recruited.

Paul Clark, currently director of investment and asset management, has been appointed as CIO, while Judith Everett, currently director of corporate affairs, has been appointed chief operating officer.