K&L Gates' longtime chief marketing officer, Jeffrey Berardi, has left the firm to serve as chief marketer of business advisory and expert services firm Ankura.

Ankura announced Wednesday that Berardi will be its new chief marketing and communications officer. While it is not a law firm, Ankura does list litigation, arbitration and disputes among its service offerings.

“It was a great fit for me because it will enable me to transition the experience I've gained over the past 15 years at K&L Gates to a new setting—one in which we work closely with law firms and other professional services organizations, as well as corporations of all sizes,” Berardi said in an emailed statement.

“I'm pleased that this move will allow me to continue to work with law firms like K&L Gates and others where I've built deep relationships over the years,” he added.

Berardi had been K&L Gates' CMO since 2006, when the firm was still known as Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham prior to a 2007 merger with Seattle-based Preston Gates & Ellis. That made him the longest-tenured CMO at a Pennsylvania-born Am Law 100 firm, until his recent move. He was based in the firm's Boston office, and will continue to work from Boston in his new role.

Before he was promoted to CMO, Berardi was marketing manager for the firm, which he joined in 2004. During his 15 years there, K&L Gates went from a firm of 737 lawyers and 10 offices in the U.S., to an international firm with 45 offices on five continents, and 1,756 lawyers as of the end of 2018.

K&L Gates did not respond to a request for comment on Berardi's departure.

Berardi is Ankura's first ever chief marketing and communications officer, the company said.

“Jeff's global perspective, expertise in building and sustaining a thriving global brand, and deep understanding of our industry and the professional services we provide will be incredible assets for our firm as we continue to enhance our capabilities and grow on a global scale,” Ankura CEO Roger Carlile said in a statement Wednesday.

In his statement, Berardi said he was impressed by Ankura's growth in recent years, and is “excited to be part of their ongoing evolution as they build out their infrastructure and strategic operations globally to continue to serve clients in a variety of ways.”

Ankura was originally based in Dallas but moved its headquarters to Washington, D.C., in 2016. It has 29 offices across the globe, according to the company's website.