Clifford Chance (CC) has appointed new leadership in Australia and created a new country managing partner position.

Sydney banking and finance partner Richard Gordon (pictured) will step into the Australia leadership role, while he will also replace disputes partner Diana Chang as Sydney managing partner.

Meanwhile, the firm has appointed Perth energy partner Paul Lingard as head of that office. He will replace Perth M&A partner Paul Vinci, who is set to join Australian firm Johnson Winter & Slattery.

They will begin their new roles on 1 May.

Gordon joined CC in 2015 from Allens, where he spent nearly 17 years. He focuses on financing deals related to mergers and acquisitions, infrastructure projects and restructurings.

Incumbent Chang will remain a partner at the firm and return to full-time fee earning work. She first stepped in as office managing partner in February 2016, when predecessor Mark Pistilli left the firm after five years.

Lingard joined CC as a partner in 2014 from King & Wood Mallesons, where he worked for 12 years. He has represented large mining and energy companies such as BHP Billiton on transactions, projects, regulatory and operational matters.

Previously, Vinci took over as Perth managing partner in early 2015 after predecessor Michael Lishman departed for corporate advisory firm Gresham Partners.

CC has 70 lawyers based in Sydney and Perth.

The Australian leadership changes follow last year's reshuffle of Asia-Pacific management. Former Singapore managing partner Geraint Hughes became Asia-Pacific regional managing partner in September 2016, while management in Singapore, Hong Kong and China were also renewed.