Baker McKenzie Announces Leadership Transition

13/ 07/ 2025

Leading global law firm Baker McKenzie is pleased to announce that International Trade, Compliance and Investigations partner Sunny Mann has been elected as the Firms new Global Chair, succeeding Milton Cheng in the role. Sunny will take on his four-year term in October 2025. Sunny is based in London and is the global chair of our market-leading International Trade Practice Group. In addition to London, he has also worked in the Firms Washington DC, New York, Sydney and Hong Kong offices. Sunny advises clients, including numerous FTSE 100 and Fortune 100 businesses, on compliance and investigations with respect to trade, sanctions, export controls and anti-bribery rules. He also chairs Baker McKenzies Geopolitical Risks Taskforce and oversaw the Firm’s support to clients responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The team was at the forefront of the market, having advised around one quarter of each of the Fortune 100, FTSE 100, CAC 40 and DAX 40 communities on geopolitical disruption, including responding to the Russian invasion and the ongoing trade and tariff wars. Sunny is ranked as a Band 1 practitioner by both The Legal 500 and Chambers. He is also a Visiting Professor at King’s College, London (teaching sanctions on the LLM course) and was for 15 years a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe, the leading institute for post-graduate European studies, where he taught an LLM course on Corporate Compliance. Sunny will sit on the Firms Global Management Committee effective 1 July 2025. Sunny Mann, Firm Chair-Elect, commented: “It is an immense privilege to have been elected by my fellow partners to the role of Global Chair in our great Firm. Over its 75 years’ history, our Firm made its name supporting clients to navigate cross-border complexity. Given the levels of change and market disruption we are now witnessing around the world, I am confident that with our unparalleled international reach, there is no firm better placed to support clients navigate the complex and turbulent demands of our current global climate. I am grateful to Milton, our current Chair, and the outgoing leadership team for their years of dedicated service. I very much look forward to working alongside the incoming Global Management Committee. Above all, I am excited to collaborate with my 13,000+ brilliant colleagues across over 70 offices globally; and it is this collective, pan-global strength that gives me great optimism for our future. On a personal note, this is a particularly special moment for me as Baker McKenzie has developed me both as a lawyer and as a person since I joined back in 2000. Over my 25 years of service here, I have been privileged to work in 5 offices across 4 continents, to support the largest clients on best-in-class cross-border work, and to lead teams of talented lawyers and professionals across the globe. Baker McKenzie has given me so much, and it is an honour to be able repay this great Firm through serving as its Global Chair. The next few years are going to be exciting for us, and full of opportunity: I can’t wait to get to work.” Milton Cheng, Firm Chair, commented: I am extremely proud of what we have achieved for our clients and our people in the past six years. I am excited for the years to come and have no doubt Sunny will take Baker McKenzie to even greater heights, leveraging an impeccable track-record in building and leading a successful practice while championing our core values. I look forward to working closely with Sunny in the next few months to ensure a seamless transition. The first Asian to hold the Chair position in the Firm’s history, for nearly six years, Milton has guided Baker McKenzie through a period of sustained revenue growth, the hiring of many high-profile laterals, and significant innovation, and has focused his efforts on deepening client relationships around the globe and upholding the Firms values. During his tenure, Baker McKenzie’s global annual revenue passed the $3 billion mark for the first time in 2021; the Firm has continued on a steady growth path since then. Serhiy Chorny, Managing Partner of Baker McKenzies Kyiv office, commented: We sincerely congratulate Sunny on being elected our global Firm’s Chair. Over the past decade, we have had the honor of working with Sunny on a number of client projects, including international trade and sanctions matters. Sunnys professionalism, expertise and leadership will ensure the Firms further development as a premier legal services provider globally and in Ukraine. We also sincerely thank Milton Cheng for his guidance and support of our office during the extremely challenging three wartime years. About Baker McKenzie Complex business challenges require an integrated response across different markets, sectors, and areas of law. Baker McKenzies client solutions provide seamless advice, underpinned by deep practice and sector expertise, as well as first-rate local market knowledge. Across more than 70 offices globally, Baker McKenzie works alongside clients to deliver solutions for a connected world.

Leading global law firm Baker McKenzie is pleased to announce that International Trade, Compliance and Investigations partner Sunny Mann has been elected as the Firm’s new Global Chair, succeeding Milton Cheng in the role. Sunny will take on his four-year term in October 2025.

Sunny is based in London and is the global chair of our market-leading International Trade Practice Group. In addition to London, he has also worked in the Firm’s Washington DC, New York, Sydney and Hong Kong offices.

Sunny advises clients, including numerous FTSE 100 and Fortune 100 businesses, on compliance and investigations with respect to trade, sanctions, export controls and anti-bribery rules. He also chairs Baker McKenzie’s Geopolitical Risks Taskforce and oversaw the Firm’s support to clients responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The team was at the forefront of the market, having advised around one quarter of each of the Fortune 100, FTSE 100, CAC 40 and DAX 40 communities on geopolitical disruption, including responding to the Russian invasion and the ongoing trade and tariff wars.

Sunny is ranked as a Band 1 practitioner by both The Legal 500 and Chambers. He is also a Visiting Professor at King’s College, London (teaching sanctions on the LLM course) and was for 15 years a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe, the leading institute for post-graduate European studies, where he taught an LLM course on Corporate Compliance.

Sunny will sit on the Firm’s Global Management Committee effective 1 July 2025.

Sunny Mann, Firm Chair-Elect, commented: “It is an immense privilege to have been elected by my fellow partners to the role of Global Chair in our great Firm. Over its 75 years’ history, our Firm made its name supporting clients to navigate cross-border complexity. Given the levels of change and market disruption we are now witnessing around the world, I am confident that with our unparalleled international reach, there is no firm better placed to support clients navigate the complex and turbulent demands of our current global climate.

I am grateful to Milton, our current Chair, and the outgoing leadership team for their years of dedicated service. I very much look forward to working alongside the incoming Global Management Committee. Above all, I am excited to collaborate with my 13,000+ brilliant colleagues across over 70 offices globally; and it is this collective, pan-global strength that gives me great optimism for our future.

On a personal note, this is a particularly special moment for me as Baker McKenzie has developed me both as a lawyer and as a person since I joined back in 2000. Over my 25 years of service here, I have been privileged to work in 5 offices across 4 continents, to support the largest clients on best-in-class cross-border work, and to lead teams of talented lawyers and professionals across the globe. Baker McKenzie has given me so much, and it is an honour to be able repay this great Firm through serving as its Global Chair. The next few years are going to be exciting for us, and full of opportunity: I can’t wait to get to work.”

Milton Cheng, Firm Chair, commented: “I am extremely proud of what we have achieved for our clients and our people in the past six years. I am excited for the years to come and have no doubt Sunny will take Baker McKenzie to even greater heights, leveraging an impeccable track-record in building and leading a successful practice while championing our core values. I look forward to working closely with Sunny in the next few months to ensure a seamless transition.”

The first Asian to hold the Chair position in the Firm’s history, for nearly six years, Milton has guided Baker McKenzie through a period of sustained revenue growth, the hiring of many high-profile laterals, and significant innovation, and has focused his efforts on deepening client relationships around the globe and upholding the Firm’s values. During his tenure, Baker McKenzie’s global annual revenue passed the $3 billion mark for the first time in 2021; the Firm has continued on a steady growth path since then.

Serhiy Chorny, Managing Partner of Baker McKenzie’s Kyiv office, commented: “We sincerely congratulate Sunny on being elected our global Firm’s Chair. Over the past decade, we have had the honor of working with Sunny on a number of client projects, including international trade and sanctions matters. Sunny’s professionalism, expertise and leadership will ensure the Firm’s further development as a premier legal services provider globally and in Ukraine. We also sincerely thank Milton Cheng for his guidance and support of our office during the extremely challenging three wartime years.”

About Baker McKenzie

Complex business challenges require an integrated response across different markets, sectors, and areas of law. Baker McKenzie’s client solutions provide seamless advice, underpinned by deep practice and sector expertise, as well as first-rate local market knowledge. Across more than 70 offices globally, Baker McKenzie works alongside clients to deliver solutions for a connected world.