Clyde & Co has promoted 24 equity partners across the firm's international offices, the highest number in its 86-year history according to the firm, but its least gender diverse for at least five years.

Just two of those promoted are women – 8 percent of the total round. In the last five rounds, the average figure has been about 30 percent. Both female promotions – Rebecca Armstrong and Eleanor Coates – are in the firm's marine practice in Guildford.

Clyde & Co senior partner Simon Konsta said in a statement that the firm is "conscious" that the gender diversity of the group has fallen, and that the firm will be "analysing the reasons behind that" and "redoubling the initiatives" it currently has in place.

Liz Jenkins, Clyde & Co partner and board member, added that "it is not easy" to improve that figure. She added that the firm will have "a very diverse pipeline of talented lawyers coming through" in later rounds.

Clyde & Co provided figures on the diversity of previous rounds to Legal Week in a statement. Last year, four of the firm's 12 promotions were female (33%); in 2017 it was two of nine (22%); in 2016, it was eight out of 16 (50%); and in 2015, it was five out of 13 (38%).

The firm's insurance practice accounted for the majority of the new round, with 15 new partners promoted across the firm's U.K., Europe, Middle East, U.S. and Asia-Pacific offices.

Seventy percent of the firm's promoted partners came from outside of the U.K. Of the seven partners promoted within the U.K., four were outside of London.

Clyde & Co new partners 2019:

UK

  • Rebecca Armstrong – Guildford (marine)
  • Eleanor Coates – Guildford (marine)
  • Chris Eccles – Manchester (insurance – casualty)
  • Dan Keys – London (real estate)
  • Viran Ram – Oxford (insurance)
  • Thomas van der Wijngaart – London (aviation)
  • David Blumenthal – London (tax)

Asia-Pacific

  • Darryl Smith – Melbourne (insurance)
  • Matthew Smith – Sydney (insurance – professional liability)
  • Nicholas Sykes – Singapore (insurance)
  • Tom Webb – Perth (projects and construction)
  • Victor Yang – Shanghai (insurance/aviation)

Europe

  • Jesus Iglesias – Madrid (corporate Insurance/cyber)
  • Daniel Kassing – Duesseldorf (insurance)

Middle East

  • Saud Alsaab – Saudi Arabia (insurance)
  • John Lewis – Dubai (insurance – D&O)
  • Michael Morris – Dubai (insurance)
  • Michael Nelson – Dubai (aviation)

Americas

  • Peter Dinunzio – New York (insurance)
  • Jeffrey Fegan – New York (insurance)
  • Vincent Palmiotto – Washington, DC (insurance)
  • Bill Swallow – Chicago (insurance)
  • Corey Greenwald – New York (marine)
  • Jamison Narbaitz – San Francisco (insurance)