King & Wood Mallesons is considering scrapping the position of global chief executive as a decade of poor relations and a collapse in investment between China and Australia forces the firm to rethink its leadership.

Sue Kench, the firm’s last global chief executive, stepped down in January. Its local chief executive, Renae Lattey, said in an interview that a “lot has changed” since the leadership structure was set up in 2012, when Mallesons Stephen Jacques merged with King & Wood in a major change for the industry.