International law firm Osborne Clarke, which has around 500 people at its Bristol office, has appointed a new international CEO with effect from July 2021.

Omar Al-Nuaimi is head of Osborne Clarke's infrastructure finance group and will take over from Simon Beswick at the end of his term, after eight years in the role.

The appointment was announced to partners by Núria Martín who is chair of the international council and managing partner of Osborne Clarke's Spanish offices.

Núria said:

"I would like to thank Simon who has put so much energy into helping us build an international business to be proud of. We have come a very long way in only eight years. Congratulations to Omar. We believe he is absolutely the right person to build on Simon's legacy and take our business to even greater heights."

Omar Al-Nuaimi has been with Osborne Clarke for 25 years and qualified in 1997. He is a banking and finance specialist and has been an active player in the UK renewable energy sector since its inception. He previously led Osborne Clarke's UK projects, real estate and finance practice for eight years, serving as a member of the UK executive board. He has also served on the UK partnership council and the international council. Omar trained at Osborne Clarke and was one of the youngest people to make partner in the firm's history.

Omar said:

"I am excited to be working alongside Simon and our international management team in the next phase of Osborne Clarke's development.

"Every market is different and each office is at a different stage of maturity, but we bring a unique and consistent culture to our clients and our people. We have some truly exciting plans for our next phase, focused on universal themes that our clients enjoy discussing with us, and I am determined to build on everything that Simon has achieved for us and our clients."

Simon Beswick's international role at Osborne Clarke started in 2000 when he took over the leadership of the firm's Silicon Valley office shortly after its creation. It was and remains an important driver of new business advising US tech companies in Europe and Asia. A number of competing firms followed Osborne Clarke's lead.

Simon was UK managing partner between 2003 and 2014 and became the firm's first international CEO in 2012. The firm at that point had offices in the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain. Under his stewardship the firm embarked on an ambitious international expansion plan and opened offices in Belgium, China, France, Netherlands, Singapore and Sweden. It also opened new US offices in San Francisco and New York and formed a relationship with BTG Legal in India.

Simon said:

"I have been fortunate to lead a great business for many years and to help OC establish its modern, future focused presence in a number of international markets, servicing sector clients across a range of advisory, litigation and transactional matters.

"I am delighted for Omar, who has worked alongside me for 25 years. Over the next months I will be helping to embed our client strategy around the key transformation themes of decarbonisation, digitalisation and urban dynamics. These are global issues and opportunities which clients are looking for guidance on. Covid-19 has thrown into relief how globally interconnected we all are and how vitally important, for example, digitalisation is if organisations are to maximise efficiency and resilience."