Burges Salmon appoints new chief people officer

Published by

Peter Davison

Alice Bretherton

Bristol-based law firm Burges Salmon has appointed Alice Bretherton as its new chief people officer.

Alice joins the firm from EY, where she held the role of strategic talent director for the Tax and Law business in the UK and Ireland.

During her time at EY Alice had end-to-end responsibility for HR and talent activities (including recruitment, performance, reward, engagement, learning and development and DEI), along with being a member of the executive leadership team.

Alice has also previously held roles at KPMG International, as global head of organisational development and subsequently global head of workforce of the future.

Her early career was spent as a client-facing consultant in KPMG's people and change advisory practice. Alice also holds an MBA from INSEAD Business School in France.

With responsibility for all aspects of Burges Salmon’s People-first agenda, Alice’s appointment will see her lead the firm’s People strategy for its workforce of 1,000+ people based across its offices in Bristol, Edinburgh and London.

Alice will have a particular focus on ensuring Burges Salmon continues to recruit, develop and retain the highest calibre of talent in the legal sector and to remain an employer of choice.

Alice will also work with groups across the firm to support the delivery of its diversity and inclusion and social mobility priorities as part of the firm’s commitment to being a Responsible Business.

Alice comments: “The first thing that really struck me about Burges Salmon was its authenticity in terms of its values and unique culture, which are both clearly at the core of the firm’s overarching vision and purpose.

"This, along with the impressive efforts that Burges Salmon makes to build long-lasting relationships with its clients, its people and the organisations it works with as part of its responsible business agenda, represents genuine differentiation in the market.

"I’m proud to be joining a firm that doesn’t just pay lip service to these important factors but really does 'walk-the-talk'.”

Alice takes over from long-standing Burges Salmon CPO Robert Halton, who is retiring from the firm.

Roger Bull, Burges Salmon’s managing partner, said: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Alice as our new Chief People Officer.

"Alice brings with her a huge amount of experience and expertise in delivering successful people-led strategies across the professional services sector and we’re excited to welcome an individual of her calibre to the firm.

Visit Hampshire Biz News for bright, upbeat and positive business news from the county

“I would also like to thank Robert for all he’s done at Burges Salmon and wish him the very best in his forthcoming retirement.

"During his time at Burges Salmon, Robert has made a significant contribution to the business and has helped us enhance our unique culture and approach to our people.

"Robert has embodied the very best elements of the firm’s values during his tenure and has been a truly collaborative and supportive colleague."

Peter Davison

Peter Davison is deputy editor of The Business Magazine. He has spent his life in journalism – doing work experience in newsrooms in and around Bristol while still at school, and landing his first job on a local newspaper aged 19. By 28 he was the youngest newspaper editor in the country. An early advocate of online news, he spent the first years of the 2000s telling his bosses that the internet posed both the biggest opportunity and greatest threat to the newspaper industry and the art of journalism. He was right on both counts. Since 2006 he has enjoyed a career as a freelance journalist. He lives in rural Wiltshire with one wife, two children, and three cats.