Andrea Carta Mantiglia, Stefano Simontacchi and Emanuela Da Rin

Leading Italian firm BonelliErede has overhauled its governance structure, replacing the dual managing partner role with a sole president and appointing two new members to its board.

The firm was previously led by co-managing partners Stefano Simontacchi and Marcello Giustiniani, who had held their roles since 2013.

However, at the firm's recent partner meeting on 1 December, Simontacchi was appointed as sole president in a move away from the shared leadership structure.

The firm has also made two additions to its board – corporate partner Andrea Carta Mantiglia and finance partner Emanuela Da Rin.

Carta Mantiglia, the firm's former London managing partner and current Dubai executive chairman, has been handed responsibility for the organisational structure and processes relating to all professionals at the firm, including recruitment, appraisals and career paths.

Da Rin, meanwhile, has become the firm's first-ever female board member and will take on a general board management role.

Simontacchi said: "Emanuela brings a wealth of energy and enthusiasm as well as a marked commercial attitude, having been a member of our marketing and business development committee for the last few years."

Former co-managing partner Giustiniani will remain on the board, but will now focus on innovation, artificial intelligence and the development of beLab – a programme focusing on workflow technology.

The board also includes Milan corporate partners Stefano Cacchi Pessani and Umberto Nicodano, and former sole managing partner Alberto Saravalle, who was succeeded by Simontacchi and Giustiniani in 2013 when the firm brought in the dual leadership structure.

The new terms began on 1 December 2018 and will run to May 2021.

Simontacchi added: "People, Africa and the Middle East, and innovation will be at the centre of our new three-year strategic plan that we are currently in the process of finalising and will launch in early 2019. This new plan will naturally include new initiatives and further develop all the strategic projects that have been introduced over the past few years."

BonelliErede has a longstanding relationship with Slaughter and May, and is part of the magic circle firm's network of international allies, alongside Hengeler Mueller in Germany, Spanish giant Uria Menendez and France's Bredin Prat.

Earlier this year, BonelliErede and Slaughters worked together to advise Swiss luxury group Richemont on its €2.8bn (£2.5bn) acquisition of Milan-listed online retailer Yoox Net-a-Porter.