Baker McKenzie appoints Sunny Mann as next Global Chair
Global law firm
Baker McKenzie
has elected
Sunny Mann
, head of its international trade practice group, as the firm's next
Global Chair
. He will take over the reins in October for a four-year term, succeeding Milton Cheng, who has led the firm since 2019.
Mann advises companies on compliance and investigations regarding export controls, trade sanctions and anti-bribery rules, working from London, New York and Washington D.C.
He also chairs Baker McKenzie's Geopolitical Risks Taskforce and oversaw the Firm's support to clients responding to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The team was at the forefront of the market, having advised around one quarter of each of the Fortune 100, FTSE 100, CAC 40 and DAX 40 communities on geopolitical disruption, including responding to the Russian invasion and the ongoing trade and tariff wars.
'It is an immense privilege to have been elected by my fellow partners to the role of Global Chair in our great Firm. Over its 75 years' history, our Firm made its name supporting clients to navigate cross-border complexity,' said Sunny Mann, Firm Chair-Elect. 'Given the levels of change and market disruption we are now witnessing around the world, I am confident that with our unparalleled international reach, there is no firm better placed to support clients navigate the complex and turbulent demands of our current global climate,' he added.
In his new role, Mann will be part of the firm's
global management committee
, which will see an expanded leadership structure effective 1 July 2025. The committee will include regional CEOs Alex Chadwick (
EMEA
), Colin Murray (Americas), and
Steven Sieker
(Asia Pacific), along with partners
Scott Brandman
, Amar Budarapu, Pamela Church, Matthew Dening, Andre Gan, Karen Guch, Isabella Liu and Christian Vocke, reflecting the firm's diverse global footprint.
'I am grateful to Milton, our current Chair, and the outgoing leadership team for their years of dedicated service. I very much look forward to working alongside the incoming Global Management Committee,' said Mann in a media release. 'Above all, I am excited to collaborate with my 13,000+ brilliant colleagues across over 70 offices globally, and it is this collective, pan-global strength that gives me great optimism for our future,' he added.
The leadership transition comes at a time when global law firms are navigating an increasingly complex regulatory and geopolitical landscape, with clients seeking strategic legal counsel across jurisdictions. Baker McKenzie is among the world's largest law firms, with about $3.4 billion in gross revenue last year. The firm employs over 4,500 lawyers through the
Swiss Verien
model.
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