Russell Warren succeeds Emily Clark who is stepping down after almost three years in the role. Emily will be taking on a new role as Head of Asset Management, focusing on driving one of the firm's core areas of focus.  

Russell, previously the Head of M&A Tax, advises private fund and asset management clients on a wide range of transactional tax matters. His clients also include management teams backed by financial sponsors and their portfolio companies.

Jessica Kemp will become Head of M&A Tax. Jessica's practice includes advising on mergers, acquisitions and restructurings in both the public and private space. She advises corporates, private equity houses, investee companies, and management teams on a wide range of transactional, structural, and incentive-based issues. She also provides ongoing advisory work to clients including in relation to enquiries and disputes.

Russell Warren commented: "I am thrilled to be taking over as Head of Tax particularly as this is a firm and department I have been a part of my entire career. I'm looking forward to continuing to work with the talented lawyers in the Travers Smith Tax team, and wider firm, and to delivering the highest level of advice to our clients in these increasingly complex and challenging times."

Jessica Kemp commented: "The tax world is changing rapidly and I look forward to continuing to working with our fantastic team to support our clients navigating these challenges."

The Travers Smith Tax team provides innovative and commercial tax advice, working with all other teams within the firm, to a broad range of clients, including long-established international brands, leading global asset managers and fast-growing corporates and the executive teams that manage them. The team are renowned, in particular, for its advice in the asset management sector and provide cutting edge and complex advice on the taxation and structuring of private equity, debt, infrastructure and real estate funds and the full range of transactions that clients are involved in. The team is also preeminent in the taxation of employee incentives and remuneration and the firm also has a dynamic tax enquiries and investigations practice.

Key clients include the Carlyle Group, Inflexion, ICG, Livingbridge, Ancala, Microfocus, Apax Partners, Index Ventures and Medicxi.