King & Wood Mallesons has announced that corporate partner Tim Bednall has been appointed as managing partner responsible for the corporate, M&A and tax practices.

KWM now has five Australian managing partners reporting to head Australia managing partner Sue Kench. They are Tim Bednall (corporate, M&A and tax); Caroline Coops (M&A advisory team – a group which includes competition, IP/IT and workplace/employment); Berkeley Cox  (banking and finance; financial services); Beau Deleuil (disputes) and Scott Gardiner (energy, resources and projects and the China practice). The revamp will also see Gardiner add real estate, construction, environment and infrastructure to his existing portfolio. The firm’s chairman is Stephen Minns, who took on the role earlier this year from Bednall.

Bednall commenced his career in the early 1980s with Finlaysons in Adelaide, rising to become a partner. He subsequently became head of M&A at Allens Arthur Robinson before joining Mallesons in 2004. He was chairman of King & Wood Mallesons between 2010 and 2012.

The current reorganisation follows the departure of Tony O’Malley as the firm’s managing partner and his replacement by Sue Kench last month.