Insurance specialist law firm Wotton + Kearney has appointed Cath Evans as its first COO.

Ms Evans joined the business last week as a key member of the management committee and executive team led by Chief Executive Partner David Kearney.

She was most recently COO for the Shine Group of companies across Australia and New Zealand. Before that, she held other executive positions including CEO at Shine Lawyers and at Slater and Gordon UK.

“Her experience, skills and style are a great fit for Wotton + Kearney as we pursue an accelerated growth strategy in our chosen sector of the legal services market and continue to invest in our People First culture,” Mr Kearney said.

“I’m looking forward to working closely with her as we implement our ‘Towards 2025’ strategy to accelerate growth in a way which further enhances our clients’ experiences and continues to improve our operational and financial performance.”

He says the law firm’s revenue increased 130% in the last five years and in 2019, the business moved to an incorporated model to support its growth plans.

“[Ms Evans] has significant learnings around how to execute on sustainable and profitable growth in a way where our focus remains on our people and our key business partners, our insurer clients,” Mr Kearney said.