Paul Naylor is to succeeded Stephen DeSilva as chief operating officer at Conyers Dill & Pearman.

Mr Naylor will assume the role on April 1, the day after Mr DeSilva retires after more than 25 years with the firm.

Before joining Conyers, Mr Naylor worked at Linklaters for more than ten years, and was most recently business manager for its global resolution division and chief operating officer for its India practice.

He said: “Conyers is a leading international law firm and I am delighted to be joining the management team and working across the global network to contribute to the firm’s success.”

Commenting on the change, Christian Luthi, director and chairman of Conyers, said: “We would like to thank Stephen for his contributions to Conyers. He has had a positive impact on all areas of the firm’s operations and he will be missed when he leaves us in March.

“We are pleased to welcome Paul and look forward to working with him to ensure the continued smooth running of the firm and fully expect that he will play a key role in helping us fulfil our strategic objectives and build on our place as a leader in our market”.

While Mr DeSilva said: “It is an exciting time at Conyers. Paul brings a great deal of business savvy to the role and an innovative new approach in a rapidly changing market is key to differentiating the firm. I wish him every success going forward.”