Luxury travel retailer DFS Group has hired James Bidlake as general counsel based in Hong Kong. He joins from Morgan Stanley, where he was head of investment banking legal for Asia.

In this newly created role, Bidlake will manage legal and compliance risk across the business and, in particular, provide strategic advice to the senior management team.

“My move to a senior management position at DFS is a fascinating challenge. Learning about a different industry is something I am relishing. There are only a handful of global companies headquartered in Hong Kong, so it’s exciting to be at the heart of a dynamic organization that has such deep roots here,” Bidlake told ALB.

“There are lots of changes going on in the selective retail industry and I am in a good position coming from my experience of managing constant flux in the financial services industry over the last decade,” Bidlake added.

During his 13 years at Morgan Stanley, Bidlake was responsible for the investment bank’s strategic transactions and management of reputational risk in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2013, he was named as the In-house Lawyer of the Year at The Macallan ALB Hong Kong Law Awards.

Before moving in-house, Bidlake was an associate at Simmons & Simmons in Hong Kong and London.