What was your route to the top? I practiced corporate law from the law firm platform for close to 25 years, focusing on entrepreneurial companies, middle market M&A, financing and capital formation. I then stepped into partnering with middle market equity investors, splitting my time between 2 portfolio companies. My work with these companies over a 5 year period continued to stretch my experience base, as my roles included operations, strategy and the business side of M&A as well as traditional GC work. I had previously served as outside counsel to Park Place Technologies, so when the President of the Company called it was the perfect job at the perfect time.

What keeps you up at night? (i.e. What are your biggest business-related concerns?) Keeping up with the pace of growth, combined with the complexities of that growth being primarily international is what keeps me up at night. But this is a great problem to have. What is the best leadership advice you provided, or received, and why do you think it was effective? “Tell your team to go home at the end of the day.” This is advice I received early in my career. It is about showing respect for the hard work of the people doing the job. There is always be more work to do, but the best people to do it are in short supply.

Looking back, what do you wish you had known when you started out in the legal profession? Law firm practice is an exceptional training ground. This is the path I took, but it was more a lucky choice than good planning.

What is the most valuable career advice anyone has ever given you? “It is a career not a year.” Being an attorney opens many doors over the course of a career, and this advice was intended to put into context challenges or frustrations of the moment.