As CLO for Univercells, a disruptive life sciences company headquartered in Belgium that aims to bring biologics (including vaccines) to all corners of the world with greater speed and at dramatically lower cost than traditional biologics manufacturing, it is ironic that the COVID-19 pandemic has provided me with time to stop, think and share how I got here. After the twists and turns of my journey from IP firm associate to C-suite executive, how much can I attribute to my own plan and efforts and how much of it was due to pure luck and timing? While I will never be able to answer the question accurately, I can confidently conclude that my path was aided by application of three attributes: 1) a strong technical and IP background, 2) a willingness to take advantage of opportunities presented and 3) an appreciation of business intelligence. In fact, I believe that future legal decision-makers, often in leadership positions, will likely share similar traits and experiences that lead them to add substantial value to their business colleagues.

My path started as an electrical engineering graduate of Columbia University. I was attracted to a first job with IBM as a systems engineer and it was there that I learned the structured methodology of an established company while diving into a technology "white space" where most IBMers did not actually play. After a few years, I decided to attend law school and, thereafter, joined a boutique IP law firm. It was there that I cut my teeth on IP law while volunteering for projects outside my specific lane including litigation matters and legal education, adding value where I perceived a need. My next legal job was surprisingly back at IBM as an IP attorney where I spent eight years learning the business and the technology and volunteering to work in legal "white space" including open source software, M&A due diligence and standards setting organizations. It was there that I learned that substantial impact to problem solving can be made with modest changes to tools and processes. Then came my big opportunity.