Taylor Wessing announces a new Managing Partner in Germany

Taylor Wessing today announces the election of Olaf Kranz as the new Managing Partner in Germany.

As a current member of the German board based in Düsseldorf, Olaf Kranz joined Taylor Wessing in 1999 as an associate in the firm's disputes and investigations practice, and was promoted to the partnership in 2003.

Kranz was elected at the firm's partners conference held in Berlin on Friday 27 April with an overwhelming majority, and will take up the post with immediate effect. He will be focusing on continuing to develop the firm's sector strengths in Life Sciences, Private wealth and Technology, Media and Communications. Investment in technology as a means of delivering excellent client service is also a priority for the firm overall, so Olaf will also be seeking to drive innovation in that area.

Commenting on his election, Olaf Kranz commented:

"In the forthcoming months I have the benefit of starting from a position of strength with my colleagues. Over the last four years, under the leadership of Andreas Meissner, we have established a clear direction. I look forward to continuing to drive that in Germany and helping to build our international capability as more opportunities develop from our other offices."

Tim Eyles, Managing Partner of Taylor Wessing in the UK, said: "Congratulations to Olaf who I'm sure will make a success of his new position. We all look forward to working with him, in particular in driving our sector strength. I would also like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to Andreas Meissner for his tremendous commitment to the German Managing Partner role for the past four years. He has been an absolute pleasure to work with and has achieved a huge amount of progress during his term."

The make-up of the German board has changed slightly as a consequence of this election. Partner Oliver Kirschner has been appointed as a new member and existing members Oliver Klöck, Robert Wethmar and Thomas Raab have all been reappointed.