Blake Morgan appoints new non-exec director and promotes new partner

Law firm Blake Morgan has appointed the CEO of leading sports operator Powerleague as a new non-executive director to support it in delivering on its growth strategy, while also bolstering the firm’s corporate team with the promotion of a new partner.

The new non-executive director (NED) is Christian Rose, who will be working alongside Blake Morgan’s Board and existing NED, Christina Blacklaws, to drive forward the firm’s growth strategy. Christian is an experienced NED, who has built his knowledge in a career spanning over 30 years across international leisure, retail and manufacturing businesses. In addition to his advisory role at Blake Morgan, Christian is CEO of Powerleague, a leading operator of five-a-side football pitches and padel courts.

Christian’s expertise is underpinned by his experience of scaling-up businesses as CEO and Managing Director of various firms in the retail and leisure sectors, alongside previous marketing and commercial director roles. He has an academic foundation studying on executive programmes at Cranfield University, Hult International Business School, and HEC Business School in Paris. Christian takes up the new NED role from 1 May.

Alongside this strategic appointment, Blake Morgan has also strengthened its corporate team through the promotion of James Vaughan to Partner. James joined the firm’s Cardiff office as a Senior Associate in December 2018 and was subsequently appointed Legal Director in 2022. James is a specialist in a range of corporate M&A transactions whilst also having particular expertise in private equity and venture capital investments (on behalf of both investors and investee companies). He has advised a wide range of clients including private equity funds, investors and large corporates with a recent work highlight being the provision of advice to the shareholders of Zip World on the sale to Dolphin Capital in January 2025.

The quality of his expertise been recognised in legal directories – including the Legal 500 guide, where he was named in 2025 as a ‘Leading Associate’, and in its 2024 edition as a ‘Rising Star’. He will continue to help grow the Corporate & Commercial team’s leading industry reputation, with the team having already been recognised in the highest tier of the Legal 500 and in the Chambers Guide.

Mike Wilson, Managing Partner at Blake Morgan, said:

“We’re also excited to welcome Christian to Blake Morgan’s Board as a new Non-Executive Director. His vast experience designing and delivering growth strategies across various businesses and industries as both CEO and Managing Director will be a key asset as we deliver our own ambitious plans for growth.”

“These appointments reflect the balance we want to strike as a firm – pushing forward with the help of new skills and experience from strategic thinkers like Christian, while recognising and rewarding key people like James who’ve played a crucial role internally helping us to develop and grow over the years.”