The London head office of Hong Kong firm Stephenson Harwood & Lo has appointed the former managing director of the UK lease arranging arm of Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ as a consultant in its banking and asset finance group.

Christopher Preston, one of the founding partners of Watson Farley & Williams, is a specialist in structured finance and leasing and has been brought in by Stephenson Harwood in an effort to boost its shipping practice. He is seen as a good fit for the role due to the relationships he has with a number of major shipping and energy related companies.

Having headed Watson Farley's tax group for 20 years, Preston will also assist Stephenson Harwood's tax group.