Ashurst has announced that David Turner, chairman of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, will join the Ashurst Australia board on 1 June.  Meanwhile, UK-based Ashurst LLP has also made an external appointment: Robert Gillespie, former Director General of the UK Panel on Takeovers and Mergers, will join the LLP board with immediate effect. The firms said in a statement that the two new appointees would join the firm's global board after the full merger of Ashurst Australia and Ashurst LLP.

Ashurst Australia's board comprises chairman Mary Padbury, managing partner John Carrington, senior partner of Ashurst LLP Charlie Geffen and partners Elspeth Arnold, Tony Denholder, Sarah Dulhunty, Paul Jenkins and Ian Williams.