Paul Lewis OBE
Paul Lewis OBE
Firmwide Managing Partner at Linklaters LLP and Trustee, Newport Pride of Place Board member, and The King’s Seeing is Believing Council Member at Business in the Community
About Paul Lewis OBE
Paul Lewis OBE has been the Firmwide Managing Partner of Linklaters since July 2021, after previously leading the Finance division within the firm. Before becoming Firmwide Managing Partner, Paul was a capital markets and derivatives partner since election in 2006
Paul was awarded an OBE in HM The King’s New Year Honours List 2026 for services to the community in Newport. He works with Business in the Community to help tackle poverty, unlock new opportunities for skill development and to position Newport as a beacon of economic development while protecting its natural assets. Linklaters champions the Business in the Community Seeing is Believing programme which brings together CEOs and senior business leaders to visit and connect with communities and support growth across the UK.
Paul sits on the Board of Trustee Directors for Business in the Community and is also a Trustee of the Social Mobility Business Partnership, a charity that brings together over 180 commercial organisations, professional services firms and professional sports teams across the UK, all committed to helping students from low-income backgrounds pursue a professional career.
Paul graduated with first class honours in law from Oxford University and also holds a Masters in Finance from London Business School. From 2013-2016 he was a member of the Linklaters Partnership Board, the senior governance body of the Firm, and was previously Linklaters’ Global co-head of Innovation. He was a member of the Advisory Board of the Oxford University MSc in Law and Finance from 2011 to 2017.
Trustee, Newport Pride of Place Board member and The King’s Seeing is Believing Council member
Business in the Community is governed by a Board of Trustee Directors whose role is to guide the charity’s strategic direction and safeguard our values and commitments. Paul joined the board of trustees in January 2026, after being highly involved in Business in the Community’s flagship Pride of Place and The King’s Seeing is Believing programmes.
The King’s Seeing is Believing Newport visits in 2023 and 2025
Paul Lewis led King’s Seeing is Believing visits to Newport in 2023 and 2025, bringing senior business leaders into local communities to galvanise action, investment, and long-term change. As an ambassador for The King’s Seeing is Believing programme, Paul convened leaders from across UK business to explore the complex, interconnected challenges facing Newport, particularly in communities experiencing multiple deprivation. Delegates met organisations including Kidcare4u, Pill Mill Community Centre, Eden Gate, Operasonic, Always Community Centre and Community Youth Project, gaining insight into poverty, food insecurity, youth opportunity, and access to skills and employment.
The visits highlighted both the inequalities facing Newport and its significant potential for business-led collaboration. Under Paul’s leadership the visits catalysed tangible outcomes, including the Collection Point at Alway Community Centre which distributed over 30,000 meals in 2025.
Together, the visits represent a sustained call to action for businesses to invest expertise, resources, and influence to drive inclusive, sustainable growth in Newport.
The Pride of Place Programme in Newport
The Pride of Place programme helps Places across the UK take ownership of their futures and tackle their most pressing challenges. In this programme, we bring businesses, the voluntary sector and the local community together and work with them to build and deliver a vision for their future that serves everyone, with input from everyone. In addition to leading The King’s Seeing is Believing visit to Newport and being an ambassador for that programme, Paul also drives change as a member of the Newport Pride of Place board.
In Newport, we’ve been able to support this wonderful organisation, Eden Gate, that combats homelessness and addiction, which are two particularly prevalent issues in the area. We’ve funded the renovation of a community centre for the Newport Yemeni Community Association. When we first went there, it was a building site. Now, when we go back to Newport, we have our meetings there. We’ve also been talking to some of their 16–18-year-olds about their careers and offering mentoring. I think the beauty of being on the ground in these place-based programmes is that you do see the impact that you have.
Paul Lewis
Paul at the 2025 Leadership Assembly
The Leadership Assembly 2025 brought together more than 100 senior leaders from businesses across the UK to discuss key insights from the State of the Nation 2025 Report and shape priorities for business-led action.
In this video, Paul shares his thoughts from the 2025 Leadership Assembly 2025, highlighting that the economy is the biggest single challenge for business, saying “when the economy is healthy, business is healthy but the economy at the moment has some real challenges”.
Paul on The Lens
Every month, The Lens: UK Responsible Business Podcast brings together a global business leader and an emerging future leader for an open and unscripted conversation. It will challenge the way you think about responsible business.
In this episode, our host Sarah Travers is joined Paul Lewis, Firmwide Managing Partner at Linklaters – one of the world’s leading law firms and Yemisi Isidi, Co-Founder, Strategy and Finance Lead, Triift Africa – an organisation that is making it easier for underserved communities and businesses to access the services they need to succeed. Together, Sarah, Paul and Yemisi discuss how businesses can get into the hearts of communities, make an impact and become part of the fabric in places across the UK.
Listen now and follow The Lens on Acast, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast provider.
Paul Lewis on working with Business in the Community
Our annual Responsible Business Live event brings together thought leaders, experts, and practitioners to explore the latest trends and innovations in responsible business practices.
In this video, Paul shares how being part of Business in the Community helps his firm to turn purpose into practical action, highlighting why responsible business should be a strategic driver of real change for both communities and long-term business success..
We want to give something back and support underserved and underrepresented communities wherever we’re based. We do that through charitable initiatives, volunteering and strategic partnerships. 47% of our people last year actively participated in some form of volunteering activities; 75,000 hours in different communities around the world. We donated around £24 million in cash and donations. Personally, this has been one of the most fulfilling aspects of my role. It’s something really close to my heart and it’s been a really big focus for me since I became a managing partner. BITC is something I passionately believe in. I’m an ambassador for The King’s Seeing is Believing programme and I’m on the Newport Pride of Place board with BITC. I’m also a trustee of another charity called the Social Mobility Business Partnership. I think they are really valuable ways of being able to give back.
Paul Lewis OBE