The Management Consultancies Association has appointed Karen Birch as its new chief executive.

Birch, who will join the MCA on 4 July, takes over from executive director, Bruce Petter, who is retiring at the end of August.

Birch, a trained lawyer, spent six years as the deputy general counsel at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and was also head of legal and corporate services for the Bank of New York.

An MCA statement said that as well as possessing 'legal knowledge and skill', Birch's experience makes her an 'excellent ambassador, negotiator and team player'.

'She is used to carrying responsibility for managing small teams whilst dealing with senior executives, clients and suppliers in organisations of all sizes', the statement added.

Birch said she was 'thrilled' to be joining the MCA.