ACC: passing the baton between Richardson and Brown
The global association of corporate counsel enters a new phase. In Philadelphia, MAG met the two key figures behind the leadership change, gathering their views on how the profession is evolving and what the priorities for the future should be
by michela cannovale
After fourteen years at the helm of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) – the world’s main association of in-house lawyers, with almost 50,000 members across more than 100 countries, including 3,800 in Europe and 160 in Italy alone – Veta T. Richardson stepped down last November as president and CEO, handing over to Jason L. Brown, former general counsel of GE Appliances and an ACC member since 2003.
The leadership transition comes at a time when the role of the corporate counsel is becoming firmly established as a central function in decision-making processes, with growing responsibility and visibility. During her tenure, Richardson led the internationalisation of the association, strengthening its presence in major global markets, including Europe and Italy. Brown, for his part, inherits a larger and more diverse organisation, with the challenge of guiding in-house lawyers through a phase marked by technological transformation, new risks and rising expectations.
In Philadelphia, during the ACC Annual Meeting – Richardson’s last as president and CEO – MAG met both of them. The conversation helped shed light on how the association has evolved in recent years and what direction the new course will take. It also offered a close look at the dynamics reshaping the in-house profession, with increasingly visible effects across Europe and Italy.
The Richardson era: ACC goes global
…
