UK firm Penningtons has promoted Saionton Basu to partner, just over one year after he had joined from Platinum Partners to build up its India practice.

India group co-head Basu, who joined Pennington in February 2011, has become partner in the firm’s London office.

According to a press release from the firm he “made a key contribution to the expansion of the group”, which added several new clients, and he had recently advised on projects for the Pearson Group, Hyatt Hotels Corporation and IL&FS.

Basu specialises in corporate, M&A and projects.

He graduated from NLSIU Bangalore in 2005 and had worked at Amarchand Mangaldas in Delhi and at White & Case in London for two-and-a-half years before returning to India in 2009 to join Platinum.

Pennington’s India co-head and partner Rustam Dubash commented in a press release: “We are confident that in his new role Saionton will continue to make a significant contribution to both our India practice and the firm as a whole.”

Penningtons had 48 partners in 2010. The average profit per equity partner (PEP) at Penningtons was around £241,000 (Rs 2 crore) at the end of the 2011 financial year, according to UK legal trade publication The Lawyer.