Work history
SVP, General Counsel & Group Company Secretary
Siemens Enterprise Communications
March 2010 – Present (4 years 8 months) Reston, VA
Chief Legal Officer, Risk Management & Insurance, Patents
General Counsel, Member of Management Board
SMARTRAC N.V.
January 2008 – March 2010 (2 years 3 months) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Chief Legal Officer of Smartrac N.V., leading manufacturer of high security and other Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) products based upon proprietary patented technology, and exclusive supplier to US e-passport program and large majority of other e-passport programs worldwide; listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and part of the TecDAK index. Member of Board of Directors from April 2008. Responsible for all legal affairs and protection and enforcement of patents and other intellectual property. Acted as leading business development executive for China from January 2008.
EVP General Counsel & Co. Sec. / Deputy GC & Deputy Co. Sec.
Gemplus International S.A. / Gemalto N.V.
November 2000 – December 2007 (7 years 2 months) Geneva, Switzerland
Member of executive committee and Chief Legal Officer of Gemplus responsible for all Legal Affairs, Intellectual Property Licensing and Risk Management & Insurance worldwide, reporting to President & CEO and supervising team of 20 lawyers and total staff of 30 based; Active involvement & supervision included: initial public offering simultaneously on Euronext (Paris bourse) & Nasdaq; corporate governance, compliance policy and development and implementation of ethics code and investigations; acquisitions and divestitures; and management of numerous major litigations and claims to highly successful results. As Deputy General Counsel and Deputy Company Secretary of Gemalto, responsible for major aspects of company legal affairs and important role in M&A transactions, corporate governance, secretary of Board of Directors Strategy and M&A Committee, and head of Risk Management and Insurance. Leading role in business combination of equals with Axalto N.V. (Schlumberger smart card business) to create world leader in digital security, Gemalto N.V.
SVP General Counsel
The Walt Disney Company International (Europe)
April 1996 – November 2000 (4 years 8 months) Paris, France
Chief Legal Officer responsible for all Legal Affairs in Europe, Middle East and Africa, supervising team of 33 lawyers located in London, Paris, Disneyland Paris, Madrid, Milan and Munich. Leading role in negotiation of major satellite and cable TV deals. Company ethics officer. Included responsibility for all corporate headquarters functions and consumer products licensing, music rights, Disney Interactive, Disney Stores, employment, real estate and intellectual property and anti-piracy, television, film and video. Interim President of Disney Consumer Products Europe. Leading role in negotiation of second major theme park and related development and financing (including equity offering) at Disneyland Paris in 1999.
VP General Counsel
Disneyland Paris Resort (Euro Disney SCA)
November 1987 – April 1996 (8 years 6 months) Marne-la-Vallee, France
Chief Legal Officer responsible for all Legal Affairs and creation of legal department from origin. Also included responsibility for significant business negotiations with private and public parties, including: negotiation of TGV high-speed train with French railroad authority SNCF; active involvement in project planning and opening; complex significant project debt financing; IPO (Paris & London) in 1989 and convertible bond offering in 1991; complex, extensive financial restructuring; land planning, acquisition and development; construction of all theme park, hotel, entertainment and related facilities and infrastructure; legal aspects of human resources and labor relations, including litigation; and management of general services; active involvement in major restructuring of operations and personnel.
International Senior Associate Attorney
Coudert Freres, Paris
December 1980 – November 1987 (7 years) Paris, France
Senior international associate with broad transnational corporate and commercial practice, including complex transactions, M&A, EU competition law, IP and major disputes management, for a wide range of US, French and other international clients. Responsibilities included supervision of international transactions worldwide, including divestiture of AMF.
Adjunct lecturer
University of Maryland Overseas
January 1979 – January 1981 (2 years 1 month) United Kingdom
Professional affiliations:
Admitted to practice as an attorney in New York, District of Columbia and Louisiana; eligible in France
Education and qualifications
University of Oxford (Brasenose College)
MLitt read for, Comparative Law
1977 – 1980
Activities and Societies: Marshall Scholar, President of Brasenose College Hulme Common Room (HCR, graduate students)
Tulane University Law School
Juris Doctor, Civil and Common Law, 2nd in three-year class
1974 – 1977
Activities and Societies: Law Review Associate Editor; Order of the Coif honor society; author of two published Law Review articles
Louisiana State University
History, Latin, 3.9
1971 – 1974
President's Scholarship; Loustalot-Blanco Scholarship; Tutor of Student Athletes, including initial Africa-American Student Athletes
