Laura served as Head of BD, Marketing & Communication for six offices across the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. During her tenure, she played a key role in driving the firm's sustained profitable growth across the region over the past five years.
Her appointment to this newly created role aligns with ALN's ambitious growth strategy, which focuses on two key pillars. The first involves driving growth across Francophone Africa and the Middle East through ALN's member firms—ADNA (operating in Algeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Morocco) and AC&H (in the UAE). The second pillar focuses on leading bespoke client listening and development initiatives for the region.
After beginning her legal marketing career at Eversheds LLP in France (now Eversheds Sutherland), she joined legacy Allen & Overy LLP in 2012 in Paris. There, she took up the market's first-ever dedicated Africa business development role. She was subsequently promoted into a regional leadership role for the firm, which merged on 1 May 2024 to form A&O Shearman. In 2019, she relocated to Dubai.
ALN Board Director and Senior Partner at ALN Kenya | Anjarwalla & Khanna, Karim Anjarwalla, expressed delight about Laura’s appointment, stating: "We are delighted to welcome such an experienced BD professional into ALN. Laura's client-centric and commercial approach, plus her regional knowledge, will add significant value to our offering and will be instrumental to achieving our goals across Francophone Africa and the Middle East. Her experience at global elite firms and her ability to drive our go-to-market strategy in both French and English will be a valuable competitive advantage as we grow ALN further."
Salimatou Diallo, Managing Partner at ADNA commented: “Laura’s leadership and proven expertise are pivotal to realising ALN’s ambitious goals. Her insights into emerging markets and her strategic approach to client engagement will solidify ALN’s position as the leading law firm network in Africa and the Middle East.”
Adil Shafi, Country Partner at Anjarwalla Collins & Haidermota, adds: “Laura’s appointment is a testament to ALN’s commitment to strengthening our capabilities in Francophone Africa and the Middle East. Her experience and innovative approach will drive our growth and enhance our ability to deliver integrated solutions across the region.”
Laura Pyke-Jean adds:
“Having worked closely with ALN for many years, arguably the leading African law outfit by any measure, this move is a natural culmination of those long-established relationships and my passion for the region. I'm incredibly excited to start this new chapter in my career and look forward to helping ALN's clients benefit not just from top-quality legal advice but also from ALN's strategic business and commercial insights, so they continue to achieve their business objectives throughout Africa, the Middle East, and beyond."
With Laura at the helm of Business Development for Francophone Africa and the Middle East, ALN is well-positioned to achieve new heights and deliver exceptional value to its clients across these dynamic markets.