Banking head Gideon Moore has been selected by Linklaters partnership board as the firm's new managing partner.

The appointment remains to be ratified by a vote of the firm's partnership at its annual partner conference in London on 17 November.

Moore saw off competition from Asia managing partner Marc Harvey and head of litigation Michael Bennett, who were the other two candidates under consideration at the final stage.

If ratified by the partnership, Moore will take up his role in January 2016 for a four-year term.

Robert Elliott, Linklaters chairman and senior partner, said the selection process had been "incredibly positive and constructive" and praised the "high-calibre" of the candidates.

He added: "Having now reached a decision, we have every confidence that Gideon will prove an outstanding managing partner and look forward to our upcoming conference to bring together firm-wide support, upon which the next phase of the firm's development will be built."

He brings empathy and candour, a good sense of humour and good business instincts

Moore (pictured) has been global head of banking since 2011 and was appointed for a second four-year term in September. Moore trained with Clifford Chance before joining Dibb Lupton Alsop as a partner in 1995. He then joined Linklaters as a partner in 1999.

Moore will come to the manging partner role after a long and successful period as leader of Linklaters banking practice.

One former partner said: "He has been part of a group of partners who have built a first-class business from nothing since 2000, they have built an incredible business and he has been a big part of that."

Another former partner praised his ability to relate to people. "He brings empathy and candour, a good sense of humour and good business instincts," he said.

The process to replace Davies began shortly after his resignation was announced in July.

The firm's partnership board drew up a shortlist of six candidates that were considered to have the necessary experience and clout within the partnership to replace Davies.

The board carried out a consultation to gauge the level of support each candidates had within the partnership.

In mid-September the six candidates presented a manifesto to the board and following the presentations Riemer, Shropshire and Kent were cut from the shortlist.

Harvey, Bennett and Moore then embarked on a series of hustings, touring offices and hosting tele-conferences with partners.

The board carried out soundings within the partnership on the back of this process this week to make a decision on the winner.

The partnership board consists of Elliott, 11 other partners and Davies, who sits in a non-voting capacity. The current board includes four London partners: corporate partner Aedamar Comiskey, capital markets partner Paul Lewis, litigation partner Christa Band and leveraged finance partner Nick Syson.

Those four sit alongside Madrid M&A partner Sebastian Albella, Duesseldorf M&A partner Klaus Hoenig, Paris M&A partner Alain Garnier, Moscow capital markets partner Dmitry Dobatkin, Antwerp corporate partner Jean-Pierre Blumberg, Bangkok project finance partner Wilailuk Okanurak and Sao Paulo M&A partner Alberto Luzarraga.

The decision of the partnership board still needs to be ratified by a vote of the partnership at the firm's partner conference later this month.

In 2012 Davies failed to receive the 75% majority required to ratify his appointment to the role, and was only appointed following a re-run of the vote.