Tammy Albarrán, deputy general counsel of Uber Technologies Inc.

Name: Tammy Albarrán

Category: In-House: Technology, Media & Telecom

Firm/Company: Uber Technologies Inc.

Title: Deputy General Counsel

Time in Position: Since 2018

What was your route to the top?

Prior to joining Uber in 2018, I was a partner at Covington & Burling, where I was a White Collar and FCPA Investigations lawyer and securities litigator. Interestingly, I started my career as a corporate associate because I thought that was the only way to move to an in-house role. That was my five-year plan. I never imagined spending 17 years at a law firm! But I did, and it had a lot to do with the unique opportunity that I had to pursue practice areas that interested me. I really loved my work, my clients and my colleagues at the firm. Then, in 2017, I had the chance to lead the investigation into the workplace culture at Uber with my former partner, Eric Holder. We put together a talented team of lawyers who spent four intense months investigating Uber's workplace environment. We ultimately produced an exhaustive set of recommendations that were designed to improve tone at the top, enhance trust, transform the culture and hold leaders accountable. Shortly after completing this work, a mentor and former client, Tony West, arrived as Uber's chief legal officer. He offered me the opportunity of a lifetime—to join Uber at a pivotal moment and help him transform the culture from the inside.

What keeps you up at night?

Uber is an incredible place for lawyers—the issues we handle are really tough, cutting-edge and many are of first impression. Every day we get to advise a business that operates in jurisdictions where regulations, though evolving, simply have not kept up with innovation and technology. So, until we get sensible regulations for platform technology companies such as ours, we have to help our clients navigate through murky waters. I also think about safety on our platform. Safety is a top priority at Uber, and I'm proud of what we've accomplished with industry-leading tech. But we are by no means stopping there. So, an ever-changing regulatory landscape and safety are top of mind.

What is the best leadership advice you've given or received, and why do you think it was effective?

When I first started at Uber, I was advised to spend a lot of time listening, ­learning and asking a lot of questions. I did just that with the lawyers on my team, business clients and cross- functional colleagues. This helped me better understand the business and build strong relationships of trust throughout the company. As a trusted adviser, I am able to effectively influence business decisions and mitigate legal risks.

Looking back, what do you wish you had known when you started out in the legal profession?

The incredible value of failure. As a young lawyer, I was afraid to fail, so I naturally shied away from challenging projects. Over time, and with the support of amazing mentors, I got the courage to take on assignments that stretched me professionally and personally in ways that I never thought possible. It was in those experiences that I learned more about myself, resilience and how much more I am capable of achieving.