Name: Yen Chu

Category: In-House: Thought Leadership

Firm/Company: Equinox Holdings Inc.

Title: General Counsel

Time in Position: Two plus years

What was your route to the top?

I started my legal career at the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett where I spent nine years focused on corporate and capital markets transactions, representing private equity firms, financial institutions and public and private companies. Since Simpson, I have been an in-house attorney for over 13 years. At Ralph Lauren Corp., I was SVP, associate GC, where I oversaw all SEC/public company and board of directors governance and global regulatory compliance matters (in areas such as anti-bribery, trade/customs and consumer product safety). My RL team and I also had legal responsibility over global corporate and licensing transactions, corporate social responsibility and philanthropic matters. I am currently the CLO of Equinox Holdings, a luxury lifestyle company focused on movement, nutrition and regeneration, with a portfolio of brands or business interests in various entities, including Equinox, Equinox Hotels, SoulCycle, Blink Fitness and Equinox Media.

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

The best leadership advice I have received is that you are only as good as your team. Assessing talent needs, hiring talented leaders, and investing time and energy into developing current leaders on my team are areas that I devote a great deal of my time. I believe it's critical to the success of any organization that team members feel empowered—when people are valued and inspired, they will work very hard alongside you to achieve a shared vision.

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

You are in control of your own growth and development. It's hard for this to resonate when you're a young lawyer getting work randomly assigned to you at a law firm while burning the midnight oil or when you're an in-house lawyer establishing your rung on the corporate ladder. But, if you want to do a specific type of legal work or want to continue to expand your skill set, you need to be an active participant in navigating your career path and constantly raise your hand for that work. While these statements may seem obvious, I wish I had known that just because the legal profession tends to have more clearly defined career paths than other professions, these paths shouldn't diminish the control you have to curate your own development.

What is the most valuable career advice anyone has ever given you?

My parents have always told me to remember my values and to be grateful. My family emigrated to the U.S. at the end of the Vietnam War, and my parents worked extremely hard to lead by example. At every step or pivot in my career, I am reminded that leadership is a privilege and a responsibility, not just an opportunity. I am a firm believer that leadership can only be done well if you constantly remember your values and continually practice value-based decision-making. When you're looking ahead in advancing your career, don't forget to look behind at your history and be grateful.