Tavistock, an independent corporate and financial communications consultancy, is pleased to announce that James Laing has joined its advisory board as a non-executive director and special adviser.

James has over 25 years’ experience in financial markets having held senior positions at Standard Life Aberdeen Asset Management, and more recently at Rothschild & Co.

At Rothschild & Co, James helped launch the Investor Advisory practice in 2019, where he co-headed its Shareholder Engagement division advising clients on IPOs, M&A, shareholder activism and ESG.

Prior to Rothschild & Co, James was Deputy Head of UK & European Equities and Head of Corporate Governance for the UK and Europe at abrdn (formerly Standard Life Aberdeen Asset Management).

James is a member of the Code Committee on the UK Takeover Panel, and the FCA’s Listing Authority Advisory Panel. He is also a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Committee for Governance Group in the UK.

Jos Simson, CEO of Tavistock, commented:

“I am very pleased to welcome James to Tavistock and to our newly formed advisory board. James brings that very rare experience of having been both a senior fund manager as well as a highly respected capital markets adviser. His deep knowledge across all corporate situations will be invaluable to our clients and colleagues. I look forward to working with him to further strengthen the specialist counsel we provide to our clients.”

James further commented:

“I am delighted to be joining the Tavistock advisory board. Clear financial communications are vital for creating value for corporates and their shareholders. I believe Tavistock’s growing team of communication specialists is one of the best in the business.”

Get to know the full Tavistock team here.