Dentons, the world’s largest global law firm, today announced that its Global Board of Directors and Global Advisory Committee have elected Kate Barton as the Firm’s next Global CEO. Barton will join Dentons from EY, where she has had a highly distinguished 35-year career in a variety of executive leadership roles, most recently as Global Vice Chair. She will succeed Elliott Portnoy, the founding Global CEO, who has served since the Firm’s launch in 2013. 

Barton led multiple business units at EY, a $50 billion organization operating in 150 countries around the world. In addition to serving as Global Vice Chair, she was CEO of Tax, Law, and People Advisory Services, which had a global workforce of 70,000 professionals and – under her leadership – generated revenues in excess of $11 billion. Among other achievements, she helped to transform EY’s global tax practice through strategic investments in people, technology, global shared service centers, world-class methods and processes, and M&A activity. 

Barton will join Dentons in early September to begin a meaningful handover period with Portnoy, whose term ends on November 9, 2024. Barton will start her term as Global CEO on November 10, 2024.

“Kate has extensive experience in leading a complex and global professional service organization and has an outstanding skillset in managing people, processes and systems. Her successful client service experience, coupled with her thoughtful approach to integration, make her the ideal individual to lead our Firm,” said Elliott Portnoy, Global CEO. “She has my unqualified support, and I am confident she will lead Dentons from strength to even greater strength and success.”

Reflecting on her appointment, Kate said, “I have watched Dentons redefine the legal services landscape with its pioneering business strategy and client offerings. Under Elliott’s leadership, this Firm has differentiated itself with its polycentric approach and integrated cross-border and multidisciplinary client engagements, proving that uniting and operating as one firm is far more impactful. I am looking forward to working with Elliott on a transition and to collaborating with Dentons’ accomplished regional leadership to continue challenging industry norms and adapting to the ever-changing world of technology and innovation faced by law firms and professional service firms around the world in order to deliver excellence for the benefit of our people and our clients.” 

As founding Global CEO, Portnoy has overseen significant growth – Dentons serves clients in 167 locations in 82 countries – while advancing the Firm’s distinctive “uniquely global, deeply local” approach to professional services. Under his leadership, Dentons has become one of the best known and most favorably regarded law firms in surveys of the world’s most important purchasers of legal and business solutions services.

“Both Dentons and the broader legal profession have benefited enormously from Elliott’s visionary leadership and accomplishments. We thank him for his service and for positioning Dentons to continue thriving in today’s dynamic environment,” said Nicholas Howon Park, Non-Executive Chair of the Global Board – Dentons. “Kate has shown the highest commitment to our purpose – redefining what is possible and shaping the future – and I speak on behalf of our leadership in welcoming her into our organization.” 

The process to appoint the Global CEO was led by Dentons’ Global Board Talent & Governance Committee Chair, Gerald Singham, with the support of the Firm’s Global Board and Global Advisory Committee (which is composed of the Firm’s regional and local boards). The process explored both internal and external candidates across all geographies.

Barton has received numerous honors and awards over the course of her career, including “Female Executive of the Year” by Women World Awards for her technology innovation in tax, “Woman of the Year – Business Services” by the Stevie Awards, and “Women of Influence” by the New York Business Journal. She serves on the Boards of All Stars National, Shanti Bhavan, The Ireland Funds Dinner Committee, Boston College Law Deans Advisory Council and Boston University School of Management Advisory Council. She is a licensed CPA in New York and Massachusetts, a member of the Massachusetts and Boston Bar Associations, and is NACD Director Certified. Barton earned her LLM in Taxation from Boston University School of Law, her JD in Law, Order of the Coif, from Boston College Law School where she was Magna Cum Laude, and her BS in Business Administration from Boston University.

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