NECCA Member Spotlight

Thank you!

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1. What is your current job? (title, company, what do you do?)?? Suzanne Glick Gilfix, VP, General Counsel & Head of Compliance, Applause?
2. What is a typical day like for you??I oversee and manage the legal and compliance function at Applause (the world's largest digital quality assurance crowdtesting company)?collaborating with my? stakeholders as a strategic business partner. Day-to-day, I provide legal advice to ensure the company’s compliance with global regulations,?laws and contractual commitments, and help the business remove friction. Applause?gets contracts signed quickly, and I help our teams get through?the sales process faster and ensure the legal function acts as dealmakers, not blockers.?What I love about my role is that no two days are the same and I get to work cross-functionally with people in each of our business units. Whether an account executive needs special contract terms for a particular testing offering, I need to provide certain guardrails for a new product offering, I'm overseeing a patent application and filing to protect our intellectual property or I’m responding to a one-off matter of new impression in one of the 200 countries we test in, my job is exciting and challenging.
3. How long have you been in-house?? I've been in-house since 2006 when I first joined EMC's (now Dell) global in-house legal team.
4. What did you do before going in-house?? I had a pretty varied background which is one of the reasons I went to law school. After an initial couple of years at a big Boston law firm,?I worked as Assistant Attorney General enforcing Massachusetts' civil rights laws, and housing and employment discrimination laws. Representing the public interest was meaningful and rewarding and led to my becoming a diversity consultant and launching an anti-bullying training effort program in area schools. My diverse roles best prepared me for becoming a General Counsel. There were early influences that led me to combine my interest in the law and business: my grandfather was an attorney and my dad ran a car dealership. I learned the values of fairness and equity, and the importance of customer retention and employee loyalty, respectively, from these role models.
5. What do you like the most about being in-house???I really enjoy being a strategic business leader alongside my executives and trying to solve challenges. I try to make compliance (with applicable law and contracts) a competitive advantage. I demonstrate, through my work, that customers value vendors who put a premium on doing what they say they will do. I appreciate the chance to manage a team of highly skilled professionals (both within the company and externally) who see things similarly and are efficient and agile in delivering the best work product.? I value the opportunity to be a mentor,?whether it's colleagues who are new to the in-house world, or people at Applause who are just starting in the working world. I truly feel it's my obligation to pay it forward as a way of thanking those?role models that I valued earlier in my career (I wouldn't be where I am without them) and I'm grateful for all the wonderful experiences I've had and value giving back to help others along in their journey.
6. How long have you been a?member?of NECCA???I have been involved in NECCA for about 5 years.
7. What do you like about NECCA??I enjoy coming together in person for seminars and social events and seeing my colleagues (who have become friends) so we can share our common challenges, best practices and wins! I really value ongoing learning and community and NECCA gives me that opportunity in abundance.
8. What do you like doing outside of work???My husband and I love to travel purposefully-usually with the goal of hiking new peaks locally and abroad. Half the fun is planning the next big trip. I'm generally as active as I can be-whether that's through daily walks, swims or strength and conditioning. I love seeing friends and family (we're blessed with 4 generations) so that's always a priority.
9. Do you have any advice for young in-house lawyers or others new to in-house practice?? I do. It’s never too early to become an impactful leader. I recommend being true to yourself and your values and for me, what's helped is?expressing empathy for my team members and clients. In doing so, try to roll up your sleeves, and think of a different way to approach a?process or operation that would make it more efficient and equally protective of the company.?I like to find agile ways to lead; for example, United States technology General Counsels are often asked how do you get sales contracts to close faster? I've worked in environments where the legal team really took this question to heart and found "agile" and "creative" ways to be dealmakers, not dealbreakers. I think being known as a "sales enabling lawyer" has really helped to build trust in the organization and helps the organization grow. I like to "lead" others to follow these examples.
10. Any advice for making the most of your NECCA membership? Sure. Come meet us in person! Don't be shy or afraid to ask the questions that no one else is asking.?We're a friendly and collegial group and we love when people join us with a fresh approach. For example, we often have law firms present at our seminars but every now and then we mix it up and have a panel of in-house or academic experts on a new and emerging topic in the law. We only come up with new ideas because people have the courage to raise their hand and offer up new ideas! We welcome yours and look forward to seeing you at our next event.?
11. LinkedIn Profile:

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/suzanne-glick-gilfix-21953a3/

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