Jones Day has installed Sushma Jobanputra as the new partner-in-charge (PIC)of its Singapore office. Jobanputra, who took the reins earlier this year will replace long-time incumbent David Longstaff in the position.

Jobanputra has been a partner at the firm since 2008 focusing on banking and finance matters covering Southeast Asia and India. Prior to joining the firm, she was a managing director at Barclays Capital and a partner with Linklaters in London. Jobanputra’s appointment brings the number of female PICs at the firm to ten.

Longstaff is vacating the PIC role to focus his efforts on expanding the firm’s presence in the ASEAN region, with a particular emphasis on Indonesia. And while the firm has been busy in that bustling market lately—representing clients such as Godrej, PT Bumi Resources, and a number of foreign companies in their related investments—the firm is understood to be looking to further expand its reach into the archipelago. Last year, the firm acted on the first ever investment by a Chinese bank into an Indonesian company, the first Indonesian equity-linked deal to include an embedded equity swap transaction, as well as raising over US$2.5bn for one Indonesian client.

“Looking ahead in 2011, we predict growth opportunities in the energy, finance and capital markets sectors.  There has been a large inflow of investment into Indonesia’s resources sector, as well as infrastructure development, which we expect to continue,” said Jobanputra. “We are excited about the year ahead in Indonesia, which, along with India and Vietnam, is showing tremendous potential for growth in 2011.”

Despite its plans to expand its Indonesia practice, the firm said it was not considering venturing down the same growth path as Allen & Overy who opened an associate office in Jakarta in mid-2010. “[Jones Day] will work with a select group of leading Indonesian law firms, many of which have partnered with the Firm for more than two decades,” said a spokesperson for the firm.