Two board members at Midlands law firm Shakespeare Martineau have taken up roles on the Confederation of British Industry regional councils (CBI).
Chief executive Sarah Walker-Smith and chief finance office Lesley Spencer have been elected to be part of the CBI West Midlands and East Midlands Councils respectively.
Lesley Spencer said: "Although we are in individual roles, Sarah and I will be representing every single person in the firm, taking a collaborative approach to influence policy with positivity and passion."
Founded in 1965, the CBI consists of 12 regional councils, containing more than 500 senior business executives from approximately 400 member companies.
The network allows CBI members to directly voice their opinions on the organisation’s direction, alongside discussing issues facing the national business community.
It represents 190,000 businesses.
The senior business women form part of an all-female board at Shakespeare Martineau, which has offices in Birmingham, Leicester, London, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Sheffield, Solihull and Stratford Upon Avon.
Listed in The Lawyer’ s ‘Hot 100’ list, Sarah Walker-Smith is the first, and currently the only non-lawyer CEO in the legal top 50.
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She said: "We are undergoing a dramatic period of change and the business community needs to work together, unlocking the potential of the regions and their businesses, and pushing for success.
"Our people and our clients are at the core of everything we do at the firm and having the chance to represent their interests within the CBI, as well as at a regional and national government level, will be a great opportunity.
"We’re already arranging a series of events and roundtables to seek our clients’ input and find out exactly which issues and initiatives they’d like us raise and champion.|"
They will start a three-year term from January 1, giving Shakespeare Martineau the opportunity to play a leading role in influencing the policy landscape, both locally and nationally.