Shakespeare Martineau Board members take two positions on CBI regional councils

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 16 December 2019

Sarah Walker-Smith, CEO, and Lesley Spencer, CFO, of law firm, Shakespeare Martineau, have been elected to be part of the CBI West Midlands and East Midlands Councils respectively.

Founded in 1965, the CBI consists of 12 regional councils, containing over 500 senior business executives from approximately 400 member companies. The network allows CBI members to directly voice their opinions on the organisation’s direction, alongside discussing issues facing the national business community.

Walker-Smith and Spencer form part of an all-female board at Shakespeare Martineau. Listed in The Lawyer’s ‘Hot 100’ list, Walker-Smith is the first, and currently the only non-lawyer CEO in the legal top 50.

After a voting process amongst CBI members, Walker-Smith was chosen as a representative for the West Midlands Council, while Spencer was selected for the East Midlands Council. They will start a three-year term from 1 January 2020, giving Shakespeare Martineau the opportunity to play a leading role in influencing the policy landscape, both locally and nationally.

Sarah Walker-Smith, CEO of Shakespeare Martineau, said:

“We are undergoing a dramatic period of change and the business community needs to work together, unlocking the potential of the regions and their businesses, and pushing for success.

“Our people and our clients are at the core of everything we do at the firm and having the chance to represent their interests within the CBI, as well as at a regional and national government level, will be a great opportunity. We’re already arranging a series of events and roundtables to seek our clients’ input and find out exactly which issues and initiatives they’d like us raise and champion.”

Lesley Spencer, CFO of Shakespeare Martineau, said:

“Although we are in individual roles, Sarah and I will be representing every single person in the firm, taking a collaborative approach to influence policy with positivity and passion.”

The CBI represents 190,000 businesses, together employing a total of almost seven million people.

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