Handling the legal side of the nat­ion's largest electronics retailer is a big job, especially if you're also cutting departmental costs, implementing an innovative compliance program and focusing on diversity and pro bono work.

Best Buy Co. Inc. general counsel Keith Nelsen joined the Richfield, Minn.-based retailer in 2006 as general counsel of Best Buy International and moved into the top slot in 2011. He manages a 50-lawyer department and about 100 people worldwide, including legal and risk management.

His international experience came in handy when Best Buy last year moved to sell its Five Star business in China. In December, Best Buy announced a definitive agreement to sell that business to China-based real estate firm Jiayuan Group. The terms were undisclosed but Best Buy said that it had operated 184 stores in China, all under the Five Star brand. Nelsen led the business side of the transaction.