Pinsent Masons has appointed Catherine Workman as head of Middle East. Ms Workman has been with the firm for over 15 years and is a member of the firm's executive Board, and relocated to the UAE in May 2019.

Gender advocate

Ms Workman relocated to facilitate the continued development of Pinsent Masons’ Middle East business including its association with Saudi law firm AlSabhan & AlAjaji, and is highly experienced in the infrastructure sector across the Middle East, Europe and Asia. She has acted for Government bodies, consortia, operators and lenders on major infrastructure schemes and Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects in relation to airports, ports, hospitals, schools, roads, waste and real estate redevelopment. Ms Workman is a strong advocate of gender diversity and acts as a role model for female progression. Catherine is also a regular participant in the firm's Middle East Female Future Forums, a series of networking events for female professionals to promote diversity and inclusion in the region. The appointment comes following a significant period for Pinsent Masons in the Middle East, with a number of major projects in the past 12 months.

“Natural choice”

John Cleland, managing partner at Pinsent Masons, said “Catherine is the natural choice to represent Pinsent Masons in the region. Her global expertise allied to the deep pool of local knowledge across our Middle East network will ensure we are well-placed to respond to demand in those sectors and markets where we see significant potential for growth.” Ms Workman commented, “Pinsent Masons has a strong track record in the Middle East and I look forward to building on that success, bringing all that the firm has to offer both globally and regionally to the market. Our regional experience, combined with our global recognition as an innovator in the provision of legal services and a leader in diversity and inclusion, puts us in a unique position to apply a range of skillsets and expertise to our clients' challenges.”