Hesketh Henry names new managing partner

Hesketh Henry has named a new managing partner.

Christina Bryant took over for long-term managing partner Erich Bachmann effective 1 October. Bryant has been a part of the firm since 2003, and has served as a valued member of its leadership team.

“[Bryant] has helped drive the development of the firm’s sector-focused practice and has been instrumental in its recent growth,” Hesketh Henry said.

Bryant works mainly with the construction, property and insurance industries. She specialises in complex civil claims and liability claims made against professional service providers; her areas of expertise include handling construction contracts as well as property, construction and insurance disputes.

She has acted as a counsel in High Court and appeals proceedings, and has taken on cases that went before the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. She has also acted on clients’ behalf in Royal Commissions and government inquiries involving significant building or infrastructure failures.

Bryant has represented consultants, contractors, manufacturers and insurers in adjudications, arbitrations and litigation proceedings. Among her achievements are acting in NZ’s largest construction claim and advising engineering consultants at the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission of Inquiry into the collapse of the CTV building.

She has been a partner at Hesketh Henry for 14 years.

“Christina looks forward to building on the momentum the firm has generated in the last five years,” the firm said.

Partner Nick Gillies, who spearheaded the growth of the firm’s specialist construction practice, will join Bryant on Hesketh Henry’s board. Meanwhile, outgoing managing partner Bachmann will carry on as a senior partner at the firm, leading its corporate and commercial law team.

Christina Bryant