Innovative Legal Leadership
95 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago -Innovative Legal Leadership is the podcast dedicated to the world’s most innovative General Counsel and their leadership teams. In this show, you’ll hear best practices in running a Fortune 500 inhouse legal department: the challenges, wins, roadblocks and what lies ahead.
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Episodes
Terry Theologides - Fannie Mae: Legal’s Role in Financial Services
February 03, 2022 05:00 - 38 minutes - 34.9 MBTerry Theologides, Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at Fannie Mae, attributes much of his success to his youthful impatience. It was youthful impatience that led him to move in-house as a fourth year at Wynn International. It was also youthful impatience that gave him the confidence to go after his first GC role at New Century Financial Corporation after only two years on the job. Were there some gaps in knowledge and expertise early on? In retrospect, yes. ...
Meredith Fuchs - Plaid: The Importance of Mission & People
January 27, 2022 05:00 - 35 minutes - 32.4 MBAt an early age, Meredith Fuchs realized that if you understood the law, you could make a positive impact on society The roots of this view can be traced back to an enduring love for the book, To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s why she places so much emphasis on mission and people in her career. That drive to make a difference led her to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where she was a part of the startup team, it led her to CapitalOne where she set out to change banking for good,...
Karyn Polak - Transamerica: Owning the Advice You Give
January 20, 2022 06:00 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MBKaryn Polak views her career as a series of ever expanding circles. After starting out in corporate finance and capital markets, she progressively expanded her circle into other skill sets, other types of companies, and other challenges. This devotion to constant growth stems from a personal belief: Once you’ve been in a seat for a little while, that’s when it’s time to go outside your comfort zone. It’s that growth mindset that has enabled her to flourish as SVP, General Counsel and Secr...
Paul Krause - Harley Davidson: Delivering Efficient Results for the Business
January 13, 2022 06:00 - 35 minutes - 32.7 MBWhat drew Paul Krause to the legal profession? Logic games and puzzles. It makes complete sense for someone who, contrary to popular belief, doesn’t view legal work as adversarial. A lawyer's job, according to Paul, is all about understanding legal concepts, understanding your audience, and putting those disparate puzzle pieces together in a way that makes efficient decision-making possible for the business. That’s what his in-house career has been all about, starting as a Senior Counsel ...
Karen Gally - Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Award-Winning Diversity Accelerator Program
January 06, 2022 06:00 - 27 minutes - 24.8 MBBetween undergrad and law school, Karen Gally, Vice President and General Counsel of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Companies, wanted to be absolutely sure a legal career was right for her. So, for a time, she pursued another profession. That brief spell in corporate communications and public policy introduced her to the world of healthcare—and that ultimately led to a lifelong passion for health law. During her tenure as GC, she has taken an active role in diversity and inclusion initiatives. She ...
Brandon Smith - CHS: Overcoming Age-Based Perceptions
December 30, 2021 06:00 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MBAfter only 6 months at Tenneco, and at the tender age of 28, Brandon Smith found himself advising the CEO on how to navigate the company through bankruptcy. For Brandon, that was nothing new. In fact, he’s made a career out of capitalizing on opportunities to take on responsibilities beyond what is typically given to someone of his age and experience level. That trajectory of accelerated growth started when he was at Kirkland & Ellis and has continued through to his current position as Exe...
Regina Jones - Baker Hughes: Technological Acumen in Law
December 23, 2021 06:00 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBRegina Jones, Chief Legal Officer at Baker Hughes, witnessed, firsthand, the value of integrity early on in her career. With a front-row seat to the Enron scandal, she learned that good intentions mean little if you leave your moral compass at the door. Since then, integrity and transparency have become hallmarks of her leadership style, along with an unwavering commitment to community and collaboration, and a willingness to embrace new technology and new ways of doing things. According to...
Jennifer Wuamett - NXP Semiconductors: Unifying the Legal Dept in a Merger
December 16, 2021 06:00 - 45 minutes - 41.7 MB“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” Today’s guest, Jennifer Wuamett, takes that popular quote one step further: You also need to try out different selections before you recognize which one you like best. Indeed, her life bears that out. As a child, she aspired to be a librarian. In college, it was a biomedical illustrator. After starting down the path of a Ph.D. program in biochemistry, she eventually switched over to law, where she discovered a pa...
Katie Barrett - Anheuser-Busch InBev: Championing Female Leadership
December 09, 2021 06:00 - 37 minutes - 34.4 MBIt was clear to Katie Barrett from an early age that she was destined for a career in law. Indeed, early — and frequent — arguments with her parents clearly proved she had a knack for the art of persuasion. Her early practice was focused on litigation — both in private practice, and subsequently, in-house with Anheuser-Busch InBev — and she credits that focus with creating valuable connections across the organization and providing a master class on how a business is run. Today, as Global G...
Tom Moriarty - CVS Health: A Key Role in the Fight Against COVID-19
December 02, 2021 06:00 - 35 minutes - 32.4 MBStep out of your comfort zone and you will be able to handle a remarkable range of issues. The career of Tom Moriarty is a testament to that. Early on, he accepted the risk of leaving a big law firm to join a smaller one. His goal was to develop professional skills that would pay dividends later on. At Merck, Mako Health, and CVS Health, where he’s currently the Executive Vice President, Chief Policy and External Affairs Officer and General Counsel, he continuously took on diverse roles, ...
Thankful for DEI: 13 Quotes for Thanksgiving
November 25, 2021 06:00 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBIn a special Thanksgiving episode, host Jim Delkousis shares a compilation of insightful thoughts our guests have had on the topic of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our guests talk about the importance of inclusion, of bias awareness, of leveraging data to enhance DEI efforts, and of diversity of thought. So, this Thanksgiving, sit back and listen in to what diversity, equity and inclusion means to our guests and their organizations, and what we can do as an industry to continue moving f...
Bindu Cudjoe - Canadian Western Bank: Aiming for Incremental Innovation
November 18, 2021 06:00 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MBBindu Cudjoe has spun a passion for transactions and deal-making into a rewarding career in the banking industry. Starting out in private practice negotiating deals for banks, she later transitioned in house joining BMO Bank in a variety of roles. Today, she is the Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at Canadian Western Bank. Tapped as a finalist for Female Trailblazer of the Year by Canadian Lawyer Magazine and named a Leading Lawyer Under 40 by Lexpert, she is kn...
Caroline Tsai - Western Union: Fintech Innovation & Paying It Forward
November 11, 2021 06:00 - 46 minutes - 42.8 MBThe story of Caroline Tsai begins on a chicken farm 40 miles outside of Sao Paulo, Brazil. When she turned 5, her family traded in a life devoted to 20,000 chickens for a life in the big apple. Now Asian-American, her parents had but one expectation for her: become a doctor. It turned out that fate had other plans. Upon taking her first political science class, Caroline became enamored with the idea of going into law. Following tenures at both Bank of America and BMO Financial Group, she ...
Shanti Ariker - Zendesk: A Personal Board of Directors
November 04, 2021 05:00 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MBShanti Ariker knows tech. The majority of her career has been spent working in the tech sector for companies like Twilio , Autodesk , and Salesforce , selling everything from hardware to software, and from licensing to subscriptions. She now works at Zendesk as the SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. This wasn’t the roadmap she had in mind at the start, but all the stops along her career path have led to where she is today. Her advice to others: Don’t stay on your path just ...
Maurus Schreyvogel - Novartis: Operational Excellence in Legal
October 28, 2021 05:00 - 48 minutes - 44.1 MBEarly on in his legal career at Novartis , Maurus Schreyvogel encountered a frustrating obstacle. The legal team had no tools, no technology, no access to knowledge, and consequently, they found themselves reinventing the wheel over and over. It was so frustrating, in fact, that he was prepared to leave the company. Instead, he was presented with a mission that convinced him to stay: Establish transparency and bring about positive operational change within legal. He has remained at Nov...
Jennifer Hightower - Cox Communications: Mentorship & Telecom Law
October 21, 2021 05:00 - 43 minutes - 39.6 MBFor Jennifer Hightower , there’s nothing more essential than mentorship. In fact, she credits her ascent to the role of SVP and GC at Cox Communications to the amazing mentors and diverse relationships she cultivated along the way. From her time as an insurance defense attorney to her time working at BellSouth and Cox Communications in the early days of telecom law, these mentors provided her with experience, guidance, and the motivation to keep growing. Today, she prioritizes this tradit...
Daniel Goldstein - Pitney Bowes: Risk in a 100+ Year Old Company
October 14, 2021 05:00 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MBThere’s a benefit to seeing the law from multiple different perspectives: it gives you an uncanny ability to understand how other people view an issue and what their definition of winning is. Daniel Goldstein credits his suc cess as a lawyer and as a businessperson to his exposure to diverse perspectives. He has seen the world from the perspective of a federal judge as a clerk, from the perspective of a private party hiring a lawyer, from the perspective of the government with the Securitie...
Debra Counsell - BlueScope Steel: No Issue Too Small to be Investigated
October 07, 2021 17:00 - 48 minutes - 44.5 MBDebra Counsell followed an unusual career path to her current role as Chief Legal Officer and Company Secretary at BlueScope Steel . Her time with DLA Piper and Clifford Chance took her from the crumbling sidewalks of Hanoi, Vietnam, to Africa, the Middle East, and Paris, France. The broad range of thorny legal issues she encountered during this period were great preparation for her transition in-house to a GC role. In this episode, she shares the challenges, the wins, and the lessons s...
Samantha Wellington - TriNet: Managing Enterprise Risk & ESG Initiatives
September 30, 2021 05:00 - 51 minutes - 46.9 MBSamantha Wellington entered into inter national corporate law because it was a fascinating way to witness how law forms culture and culture informs the law. During 12 years at Oracle, she had the opportunity to become a member of the board of directors in Tokyo and Mumbai, where she gained insight into the impact of leadership and sponsorship. In her current role as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary at TriNet, she is passionate about fostering a culture of complian...
Olga V. Mack - Parley Pro: Courting Opportunities Through Risk
September 23, 2021 05:00 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MBOlga V. Mack grew up in Siberia. It's rare for someone to become a world-class lawyer where she's from. Yet, here she is. Olga began her legal career with Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati where she studied IP, security, and privacy “before those things were cool.” From there, she moved in-house where she provided legal advice for companies like Visa , Zoosk, and Clearslide . After 15 years of practice, she received an offer out of the blue to become the CEO of Parley Pro , a contract ...
Alec Guettel - Knowable: 20 Years of Bringing Innovation to Legal
September 16, 2021 05:00 - 41 minutes - 38.4 MBContracts are deliberately ambiguous and resistant to automation. For the most part, companies have difficulties extracting any perceivable value from them. It’s a problem all too familiar to legal departments across the business landscape. With Knowable, CFO Alec Guettel tackles this problem by transforming what has often been a liability for GCs into an incredible advantage. This isn’t Alec’s first rodeo when it comes to solving a problem shared by legal departments. Some 20 years ago...
Mary O'Carroll: From Investment Banking to Legal Ops at Google
September 09, 2021 05:00 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBMary O’Carroll began her career in investment banking and management consulting, but before long, she was pulled into the nascent world of legal operations. In her 13 years as the Director of Legal Ops at Google, Mary was instrumental in defining the scope of this newly created position. As the President of CLOC, she built a community focused on the mission of increasing awareness around the legal ops function and advancing the profession. Today, she continues to dedicate her time to forg...
James Kelleher - Liberty Mutual Insurance: Normalizing Legal Technology
September 02, 2021 05:00 - 39 minutes - 36.6 MBTo be a successful lawyer, you need to be a critical thinker and an expert communicator. But according to James Kelleher, Chief Legal Officer at Liberty Mutual Insurance, the key to success lies in being two other things as well — liked and trusted. James knows a thing or two about building a successful law career. During 39 years at Liberty Mutual Insurance, he rose through the ranks of the legal department, starting out in coverage opinions, moving into litigation, and finally into manag...
Tom O’Neill - Exelon - Pivoting From Private Practice to GC and Back
August 26, 2021 05:00 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBAttorney, news junkie, and tireless pro bono advocate Tom O’Neill has been on both sides of the corporate law fence. After law school at Notre Dame, Tom joined Jenner & Block of Chicago — a diverse, 100-year-old firm committed to social justice and serving the community. Content, Tom thought he’d never leave — until he received a fascinating offer from Exelon, a major supplier of the country’s nuclear power. From assistant associate counsel to SVP and General Counsel, this valuable experi...
Mike Haven - Intel - Data, Optimization, & Communication in Legal Operations
August 19, 2021 05:00 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MBIn what role could a family legacy of law and an interest in business intersect? In legal operations, of course. In this episode, I interview Mike Haven, Senior Director, Associate General Counsel, Head of Legal Operations at Intel, about his fascinating career path and its origins. What we talked about: - The evolution of Mike’s career, beginning in eighth grade - His learnings at his different companies and roles - The first 6 months at his current role - Strategic priorities he has ...
Anat Hakim - Eli Lilly - Breaking Down Silos for Better Cultural Alignment
August 12, 2021 05:00 - 39 minutes - 35.7 MBLeading cultural change within a legal department requires consistency and innovation in response to situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic and telecommunication. Anat Hakim, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Eli Lilly and Company, joins the show to discuss her humble beginnings, building resiliency and recognizing it in others, and strategies for cultural initiatives. What we talked about: - Overview of Anat’s Career & the Transition from Law Firm to In-House -...
Louise Pentland - PayPal: Directing Culture w/ an Eye for Legacy
August 05, 2021 05:00 - 46 minutes - 42.7 MBIf Louise Pentland could give her 25-year-old self a piece of advice, it would be this: be willing to fail. The EVP, Chief Business Affairs and Legal Officer at PayPal said that failure has been her most valuable career experience. That’s why she hires teams with an eye for innovation and resilience. Recently on Innovative Legal Leadership, Louise talked with us about:- The trajectory of her stunning legal career -Lessons from her mentors and sponsors - Building teams founded in a cultur...
Vanessa Watson- Master Card: Disrupting the Hiring Process & Professional Resilience
July 29, 2021 05:00 - 38 minutes - 35.4 MBHaving mentors and a strong sense of resilience can make all the difference when finding your footing within corporations and law firms as a minority or woman. Hiring groups need to spend time not only on hiring with diversity in mind, but also on retaining the diverse employees. Vanessa Watson, Vice President, Senior Managing Counsel at Mastercard International, describes her incredible journey into law, how she’s come into her success, and strategies for corporations & law firms. What we...
Vanessa Sutherland - Norfolk Southern: Installing a Legal Ops Team
July 22, 2021 05:00 - 53 minutes - 49.4 MBVanessa Sutherland pursued a law degree and an MBA so she could combine her passion for analysis with a love for finances and taxes. She worked in the telecom and tobacco industries gradually advancing through in-house roles with increasing responsibility. In 2011, she received an incredible opportunity to become the GC of a federal agency — the DOT. Currently, she is the Executive VP of Government Relations and CLO at Norfolk Southern We discuss: - Developing new skills and knowledge i...
Ann Kappler - Prudential Financial: Becoming the Voice of the Company
July 15, 2021 05:00 - 32 minutes - 29.5 MBAnn Kappler’s first passion was theatre. But while pursuing acting, a day job as a paralegal sparked a new interest: law. At Jenner & Block, she worked with insurance agent trade association clients, which led to two Supreme Court arguments. After accepting a position as Deputy General Counsel at Fannie Mae, she discovered a love for the strategy and people management aspects of in-house work. Currently, she is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Prudential Financial. We ...
Sabine Chalmers - BT: Cultivating a Diversity of Perspective
July 08, 2021 05:00 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBSabine Chalmers started in private practice at Hogan & Lovells. While there, she had a great view into how different types of businesses were run. But she quickly realized she wanted to be part of a business. She started her in-house career with Guinness and later became GC North America of Diageo followed by CLO of Anheuser-Busch InBev. Currently, she is the Group GC at BT. We discuss: - The influence of having a global perspective growing up - Offering valuable perspective as the sole w...
Rishi Varma - HPE: Demonstrating Value Through Talent Development
July 01, 2021 05:00 - 44 minutes - 41.2 MBDuring his early years as an associate, Rishi Varma took up an interest in what it meant to grow a company and what he could bring to the table. In his career, he followed that passion with roles as acting GC for Technology Holdings (India), followed by 5 years as the President and COO of Trico Marine Services, a company with $500 million in revenue. Currently, he is the GC and Corporate Secretary at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. We discuss: - How leading a business taught him to be a bett...
Leslie D. Davis - NAMWOLF - A Fair Shake: Moving the Needle with Minority and Women-Owned Firms
June 24, 2021 05:00 - 42 minutes - 38.9 MBMinority- and women-led law firms fighting for equal opportunities is a continuing struggle. Raising awareness and presenting clear strategies to eliminate the discrimination are essential to creating change. Leslie Davis, CEO of the National Association of Minority & Women-Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF), joins us to discuss her journey into law and how she’s moving the needle for these firms. What we talked about: - How Leslie became a lawyer - Leslie’s call to action to general counsel - I...
Akshay Verma - Facebook: Managing Legal Ops with Exponential Growth
June 17, 2021 05:00 - 45 minutes - 41.4 MBAfter a middle school field trip to Yosemite National Park, Akshay Verma was inspired to pursue environmental law. After a stint as a paralegal for Latham & Watkins, he went on to practice environmental law at Farella Braun & Martel. He then transitioned to legal consulting and business development at Axiom. Today, he’s Director, Head of Legal Ops at Facebook where he helps their legal department “run lean, mean… while spending less green.” What we talked about: - Learning what it takes t...
Alan Tse - JLL: Making Decisions w/ Imperfect Information
June 10, 2021 05:00 - 36 minutes - 83.8 MBEarly on in life, Alan Tse played chess competitively. The skills he learned in that endeavor proved invaluable in his subsequent career. Alan began his law career at a Silicon Valley law firm followed by stints as a GC for two startups. He then had GC positions at companies like Churchill Downs, LG Electronics and Petco. Currently, he’s the Global Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary for Jones Lang Lasalle. What we talked about: - Parallels between playing chess and pursuing a ca...
Darren Zeidel - Aon: Being a Pathway to the Solution
June 03, 2021 05:00 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBDarren Zeidel began his career at Skadden before the siren call of working in a business environment brought him to Honeywell as the VP and GC of Business and General Aviation. After close to 10 years at Honeywell, he jumped over to Aon where he is now the EVP, GC, and Company Secretary. Topics covered: - Learning how to leverage intangible assets - Compensating for vulnerabilities caused by the pandemic - Finding value in building out your network - Looking for attitude, agility, and ...
Mark Chandler - Cisco: A Business-Minded Approach to Solving Problems
May 27, 2021 05:00 - 33 minutes - 30.5 MBMark Chandler learned early on that he didn’t love practicing law in a law firm. Instead, he discovered a love for being inside a company, serving consumers and building products. His first GC role was for the disk drive company Maxtor in 1988, followed by a position as the top lawyer at StrataCom. From there, he spent the next 25 years working at Cisco, 20 of those as GC. Topics covered: - Bringing a business-minded approach to the legal team - 2 principles critical to an effective cultu...
Harvey Anderson - HP: Diversity can be Wasted Without Belonging and Inclusion
May 20, 2021 05:00 - 42 minutes - 38.5 MBUnlike at a traditional law firm where there’s a structure to your career progression, Harvey Anderson discovered a democratization of opportunities within web companies. He has worked as an Associate GC at Netscape, a COO at Medscape and Flywheel Communications, an SVP of Corporate Affairs and GC at Seven Networks, an SVP of Business and Legal Affairs at Mozilla, and a CLO at AVG Technologies. Currently he is GC at HP. What we talked about: - How persistence breaks down career barriers ...
Bruce Byrd - Palo Alto Networks: Seeking Out Feedback to Advance
May 13, 2021 05:00 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MBBruce Byrd started his career in private practice working his way up to partner at Dickinson Wright before making the transition to corporate law. He worked at AT&T for 20 years spending the last few as Chief Legal Officer. Currently, he is Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Palo Alto Networks. What we talked about: - Seeking out honest feedback in pursuit of growth - Highlights and challenges from 20 years at AT&T - Ensuring the legal department at Palo Alto Networks has th...
Thomas Barothy - UBS: A Global COO’s Perspective on the Business of Legal
May 06, 2021 07:00 - 1 hour - 59 MBThomas Barothy has journeyed from a finance background into legal, spending some time as a CFO and Head of Risk Control before jumping into his present role as Group Legal COO at UBS. He shared with me some of his greatest surprises and insights from his first couple of years optimising the legal department and creating a legal business plan. What we talked about: - Transitioning from finance to legal -War stories about dealings with in-house lawyers - Why lawyers need to learn about and...
Chris Fowler - BT: Seeing Across the Legal Function as COO
April 29, 2021 06:00 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MBChris Fowler started his career as an in-house counsel for Volkswagen and Experian. He then made his way to BT, where he has been the Head of Major products, COO of the legal function, and, currently, General Counsel BT Technology and Transformation. What we talked about: - Getting up to speed on the operational side of running a legal department - Automating basic tasks to free people up for big strategic initiatives - Getting the most out of people and making sure they feel part of som...
Rob Fletcher - Stryker: Why Good Business IQ Is Critical
April 22, 2021 06:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBAfter starting his career at a law firm doing work he didn’t like, Rob Fletcher found the perfect fit as a business lawyer at GE. He spent 15 years at Johnson & Johnson working his way up to Worldwide VP of Litigation, and now, he is Chief Legal Officer at Stryker. His advice: develop your business IQ. We discussed: - Expanding business IQ to build knowledge and grow your personal brand - Proving the legal department’s value to the business and using data and analytics to forecast future ...
Phyllis Harris: American Red Cross - Sustainability, Diversity, Inclusion, & Equity Champion
April 15, 2021 06:00 - 39 minutes - 35.9 MBPhyllis Harris’s career has had many phases. She worked for the EPA for 20 years before moving out of the public sector — first at Walmart as SVP of Corporate Functions and Legal Operations and now as General Counsel, Chief Compliance, Ethics and Government Relations Officer at the American Red Cross. Throughout, she has advocated for environmental sustainability, diversity, inclusion, and equity. We discussed: - How the role of general counsel has become more proactive with a focus on sho...
Cam Findlay: From Government to General Counsel
April 08, 2021 06:00 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBCameron Findlay aspired to have a career that began in government and then evolved to the private sector. Remarkably, he accomplished that. In his illustrious career, he has been a Sidley Austin partner, the Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Labor, and general counsel at three Fortune 500 companies — Aon, Medtronic, and currently, he’s Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary at Archer Daniels Midland. In this episode, we talk about: - How the role of a general couns...
What to Expect from Innovative Legal Leadership
March 31, 2021 20:54 - 5 minutes - 5.04 MBIn the introductory episode of Innovative Legal Leadership, you'll hear from your host, Jim Delkousis, on what you, the listener, can expect from this podcast.