LONDON, 19 AUGUST 2021 – EY has announced the appointment of four new Partners in a significant expansion of the scope of its Energy, Climate and ESG law practice. The new Partners are leaders in the global sustainability and energy transition sectors, and their appointments reflect EY’s commitment to the environment and to driving long-term, sustainable growth.
Working alongside other teams and practices across EY, the four new Partners will help EY clients decarbonise their businesses, access value in the transitioning economy and find solutions to the challenges presented by a changing climate in the context of wider global ESG strategies.
The four partners – Michelle T Davies, Rob McNabb, Iwan Walters and Jean-Pascal (JP) Boutin – will be joining EY from Eversheds Sutherland. Michelle will take a senior leadership role in EY’s sustainability and ESG team.
These latest hires follow a number of EY Law appointments over the last 12 months, which have seen the practice grow its sector specialisms in Energy, Financial Services and Technology, alongside a fast-growing Legal Managed Services offering.
Philip Goodstone, EY’s UK Head of Law, says: “As EY Law continues to grow at pace, our approach is to look to market leading individuals and to build in areas where we already have strengths across EY and within our practice. The appointments of Michelle, Rob, Iwan and JP are the embodiment of what we’re doing and represent a significant investment in our capabilities in sustainability and energy transition.
“They have exceptional experience in their sector and are a perfect fit with EY’s commitment to creating long-term value for all stakeholders and building a better working world. Climate change and sustainability are defining issues for our generation, and EY has a responsibility to not only take steps to address how we, as a firm, are tackling the climate crisis, but to support our clients as they seek to make a difference too. These appointments complement the team we have built so far and we will continue to build a strong team around these new Partners to ensure EY has the depth and range of expertise to help our clients navigate a changing climate.”
In January 2021, EY announced its global ambition to be carbon negative in 2021 and to achieve net zero emissions in 2025. Among the elements of EY’s ambition are plans to reduce office and travel emissions, and to invest in services and solutions which help EY clients as they adapt to a changing climate.
Michelle was International Head of Clean Energy & Sustainability and Global Co Head of ESG at Eversheds Sutherland where she set up the Clean Energy & Sustainability group almost two decades ago, and recently set up the ESG practice. Over the course of her career, she and her team have advised on over 70GW of clean energy projects globally across all energy transition technologies. For the past five years, her focus has been on the wider energy transition, climate advisory and ESG where she has been working with key clients on their sustainability and wider ESG strategies. Michelle is ranked in numerous tables as a leading lawyer in the sector globally.
Rob McNabb is currently a Partner in the Eversheds Sutherland construction and engineering team, specialising in international renewable and clean energy projects. He has advised on over 30GW of clean energy projects across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and is ranked for construction by both Chambers and the Legal 500.
Iwan Walters is currently a Partner in the Eversheds Sutherland corporate practice, where he was the Dubai-based MENA Head of Clean Energy and Sustainability. He specialises in advising companies on their investments in clean energy, energy transition and infrastructure projects and he is ranked in the Legal 500 for infrastructure and projects. Iwan is also a board member of the Clean Energy Business Council.
Jean-Pascal (JP) Boutin led Eversheds Sutherland’s International Energy Regulation team and has advised on over 30GW of clean energy and energy transition projects with a particular expertise in helping clients procure clean energy solutions, including renewable power. JP has worked with governments and the private sector.
