Transocean, an offshore drilling contractor based in Switzerland, has appointed Nick Deeming as senior vice president, general counsel and assistant corporate secretary effective on his employment start date, expected to begin on Feb. 7. 

Eric Brown, currently in that role, will transition to the company's Houston office, primarily leading the company's litigation efforts over the Macondo blowout, the well responsible for the BP oil spill.

Deeming most recently served as group general counsel and company secretary of art business, Christie's, from 2007 to 2011. Prior to Christie's, other roles held by Deeming include chief legal officer of global industrial and medical gases company, Linde Group; chief legal officer of Anglo-French IT services global business, Sema Group; group legal director of PPP Healthcare Group; group legal director of the financial services group, Target Group; and head of legal services for Burmah Oil Exploration.