Merlin's Entertainments' legal chief Colin Armstrong has left the company after nearly a decade, with DS Smith's general counsel Matt Jowett stepping into the role. Armstrong joined the entertainments company back in 2007 after several in-house stints at National Express, Northern Leisure and AutoLogic Holdings. During that time, he has seen Merlin list on the London Stock Exchange, calling upon the company's solicitors Ashurst to advise it on the flotation in 2013.

Armstrong is a former Ashurst alumnus and has used the firm on a number of deals throughout his career, including its development of a theme park in Florida. Armstrong has been replaced by DS Smith general counsel Matt Jowett, who has headed up the packaging company's legal function for over four years. Like Armstrong, Jowett has also been legal chief of a number of other companies throughout his career, leaving Linklaters in 1996 to lead RMC Group and VT Group's in-house teams. DS Smith has replaced Jowett with interim group general counsel and company Michael Hampson.

Hampson was National Express Group's general counsel for two years from 2012.