BAE Systems’ veteran legal director Michael Lester is to step down from the defence giant and be replaced by O2 general counsel Philip Bramwell.

Lester, who became BAE’s group legal director in 1999 following the merger of British Aerospace and Marconi Systems, will retire from the FTSE 100 company at the end of the year. Bramwell is to join BAE Systems in November and will take up the role of group legal director on 1 January, 2007. He will also join the company’s executive committee.