Clyde & Co has chosen latent disease team head David Tait as its new Scotland managing partner, effective from today (1 June), replacing current managing partner and former Simpson & Marwick head Gordon Keyden.
Clyde & Co has chosen latent disease team head David Tait as its new Scotland managing partner, replacing current managing partner and former legacy Simpson & Marwick head Gordon Keyden.
Tait takes up his new managing partner role, which does not have a fixed term, today (1 June). He also sits on Clydes’ UK management board.
Tait is currently undertaking an ongoing review of the region’s post-merger executive committee, following the integration of 45-partner Simpson & Marwick and Clydes after the firms’ merger in 2015.
A legacy Simpson & Marwick partner who joined the firm in 1992, Tate was appointed unanimously by the Clydes’ six partner Scottish management board as Keyden’s replacement after the former head decided to step down from the role.
Tait told Legal Business that he will now lead Clydes’ Scottish offering onto the next stage, growing the newly consolidated business across the whole of the UK: ‘One of the reason behind the merger was that Simpson & Marwick was extremely relevant to clients in Scotland, Clydes was extremely relevant to clients in England.’
‘We formed the impression that clients were going to move on and would look to have single providers to cover the whole of the UK. Whilst at the time we didn’t need to merge at the time, it made sense for both firms.’
As part of Scottish business growth, a review of the Scottish executive committee was underway. ‘We need to have some sort of body in Scotland but we don’t necessarily need the full body we had prior to merger,’ Tait said.
‘We have Simon Konsta who is senior partner, the UK board which looks after the UK business, and below that it’s organised through business lines. Those key practice areas will drive the business forward under the guidance of the UK board.’
Clydes and Simpson Marwick have just completed their first combined financial year, with employment revenues increasing by 60% in the region, while revenues generated by the latent disease practice, headed by Tait, rose by 14%.