Freshfields Names Gil Perez as Global Chief Innovation Officer 

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’), a global law firm, has appointed Gil Perez as its Global Chief Innovation Officer, effective April. Perez, based in Silicon Valley, will spearhead the firm’s ongoing innovation strategy worldwide. His role will involve close collaboration with clients to embrace and integrate rapidly advancing AI technologies, fostering greater engagement within the firm to promote best practices, and ensuring Freshfields maintains its leadership position in legal industry innovation. 

With over 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles focused on innovation and global technology transformation across the US and Europe, Perez brings a wealth of expertise to his new role. He joins Freshfields from Deutsche Bank, where he served as Chief Innovation Officer, overseeing the bank’s innovation strategy, transition to the public cloud, AI and machine learning initiatives, strategic technology partnerships, and Corporate Venture Capital Group. Prior to his tenure at Deutsche Bank, Perez held senior executive positions at SAP, a prominent software vendor, and founded several innovative enterprise tech startups earlier in his career. 

Commenting on the appointment, Freshfields senior partner Georgia Dawson (pictured left) said: “A culture of continuous improvement is core to our firm’s growth strategy. It’s vital to our efforts to attract the very best talent and equip them with the latest tools to serve and collaborate with our clients. Embracing the possibilities of the latest innovation and tech, such as GenAI, will ensure we remain at the cutting edge of client service standards.” 

Freshfields global managing partner Rafique Bachour (pictured right) said: “With his strong track record leading innovation at global organisations, Gil is the right candidate to take our firmwide innovation strategy to the next level. We continue to invest in talent and technology to support our client and people strategies and deliver a firm of the future, and the appointment of Gil underscores that ambition.” 

Perez commented: “I’m delighted to join a leading global firm as it enters the next phase of its innovation strategy. As organisations move quickly to maximise the opportunities borne from great innovation, and with the recent advancements of GenAI, the legal profession is destined to profoundly change in the coming years and Freshfields has the clear ambition and intent to transform the way lawyers and clients interact by leading the industry. I’m looking forward to collaborating at the firm with clients, colleagues, innovation partners and tech companies, and redefining client experience in the industry.”