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Alumni Connections

Mintz Levin Alumni Newsletter

Summer 2015

A Note from Bob — Managing Member

Welcome to the second edition of Alumni Connections. In this issue we feature distinguished alumna Flora Feng, now Senior Director & Legal Counsel for PepsiCo’s Asia Pacific region. In addition, we introduce you to the firm’s new lateral Members and bring you news of recent alumni who have undertaken challenging roles in various industry sectors.

Over the past year we have had the pleasure of connecting with many of you at industry and firm events, including a reception for our New York alumni and a celebration of our Project Analyst Program’s silver anniversary; you’ll find some photos from that event here. We value our relationships with our alums and hope you enjoy our newsletter.

Stay in touch and have a great summer.

 

 

Contents

Alumni Profile: Flora Feng

New Laterals at Mintz Levin

Alumni on the Move

Project Analyst Program Celebrates 25 Years!

Survey: Name That Pet!

Alum Nanette Fridman Publishes On Board

Alumni Resources

 

 

Flora Feng

Alumni Profile — Flora Feng,
Senior Director & Legal Counsel,
Asia Pacific Region, PepsiCo

Narges Kakalia, a Member in the firm’s New York office, caught up with Flora recently to reconnect and learn where life has taken her since she left our New York office in 2006.

 

How does one go from being an IP lawyer at a Fortune 50 company in Purchase, New York to the general counsel of its Asian business units in Bangkok, virtually overnight?

I have no idea! I wouldn’t say it was overnight either! But I think it’s a combination of being open to opportunities and having mentors — and they don’t have to be formal mentors, just people who help you grow and develop professionally. I had previously discussed with my boss, the SVP for Global IP & Regulatory Law, the possibility of working in Shanghai, where PepsiCo has a large R&D center, if the opportunity ever arose. In the meantime, PepsiCo had been trying for a while to hire someone for the position I now hold, but hadn’t been successful and decided to look for candidates within the company. The Deputy General Counsel of PepsiCo at the time asked if I might be interested in moving to Bangkok and taking on this role. I had not really considered living anywhere other than the US or Shanghai, nor had I ever practiced anything but IP law, but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and she was so convinced that I could do this, that she convinced me. Plus the fact that when I asked my husband about it, the words “How would you feel about moving to Bangkok?” were barely out of my mouth when he emphatically said “yes.” The rest is history.

 

And so you and your family moved to Thailand about a year ago so you could take over the position of general counsel to three of PepsiCo’s Asian business units. What has it been like?

It’s been very exciting and also a little surreal. Life in Bangkok is very different from life in the New York metropolitan area. I have learned (the hard way) that sometimes I can’t control the timing of things because Bangkok traffic is just unpredictable and worse than any traffic I’ve ever seen in New York. Some days that’s a good thing, as it forces me to slow down. Other days — well, it sends my blood pressure through the roof!

 

Was it a big adjustment for you and/or your kids?

We all adjusted differently. My oldest son, for example, went from a school in the US where he had been with the same class of kids from kindergarten through fourth grade, to a school in a foreign country where he didn’t know anyone. What’s worse, he’s at a British school, which means there’s no baseball and no Yankees fans. But we managed to find a baseball league here, he’s made friends, and Skype has been a great way for him to stay in touch with his friends back home. My husband is a partner in his own company, so he had to adjust to working from home every day (which isn’t a bad thing considering the Bangkok traffic). He has been a much better student than me and picked up a lot more Thai, but there are a lot of ex-pats here and most of the Thais in Bangkok can speak at least a little bit of English. I’m also lucky to have a wonderful assistant at work who has helped me and my entire family, making the adjustment so much easier. We also have some dear friends who have lived here in Bangkok for six years and have provided invaluable advice. The entire ex-pat community here is really helpful. One thing we’ve all taken very quickly to, though, is the delicious Thai food (my son is a big fan of green curry now, my daughter loves pad thai, and my youngest loves morning glory, which is a very common Thai vegetable). What we’re all still trying to adjust to is the heat and humidity — although it does allow us to go swimming almost all year round!

 

Tell me more about your current position and responsibilities.

As you know, I’ve been a patent lawyer for most of my career. I knew one specific area of law, and I knew it really well. But most of what we do as lawyers does not require exhaustive knowledge of a single subject matter; rather it requires the ability to spot issues, figure out solutions, and know when you need to consult with experts. As an in-house lawyer, no matter if you’re a specialist or a generalist, you have to understand the business and be able to balance the legal requirements with business needs. In my current role, I have responsibility for South Korea, the Philippines, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Mongolia, Brunei, East Timor, and a few other countries/territories that I have to look up on a map. Within these countries, we have franchise operations, company-owned operations, joint ventures, licensees — pretty much any business structure you can think of. On any given day, I may be confronted with a lease issue in Hong Kong, an employee issue in Manila, a trademark issue in Japan, an immigration issue in Thailand, or a regulatory issue in Malaysia. I can practically recite the FCPA by heart now, and am becoming much more familiar with competition, corporate governance, and labor laws across Asia. I am constantly learning something new, and there never, ever, EVER is a dull moment. When I travel for meetings, sometimes I forget what country I’m in and I’ll say “hello” or “thank you” in the wrong language. I’m also managing a team of eight people, which is the most people I’ve ever managed, and we’re sitting in two countries.

 

What has it been like culturally?

In the US, I’ve always identified as Chinese-American. Here in Asia, I’m not “hyphenated.” I’m “the American” in the office (there actually aren’t very many Americans in our Bangkok office). My legal team is comprised of an American (me), five Thai, two Vietnamese and an Indian. We have Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and atheists. It’s been an adjustment living in a non-Judeo-Christian-based country. We have gay, lesbian, straight, and transsexual employees in our office. Almost everyone speaks at least two languages. The native English speakers are from many different English-speaking countries, so even understanding English was a challenge for me at first. You can’t assume anything about anyone here — most people have lived in multiple countries and have fascinating backgrounds. Americans have the luxury of being able to do everything in their home country — get an education, go on vacation, etc. Most of the people I’ve met have gone to school or worked outside of their home country, and in many cases, they’ve done so in a foreign language. It makes us Americans seem so inferior in a global sense. But on the other hand, it makes me appreciate what a great country the US is and obviously I miss being home. Professionally, one of the challenges of my job is integrating local customs and practices with the culture and policies of an American company, without alienating either side. It’s hard to achieve that balance, but it’s a win-win when you can take the best of both and combine them. Oh, and the food is fantastic here! Not just Thai food — there’s fantastic Japanese, Italian, Mexican, Lebanese, Indian, Chinese — you name it! It rivals Manhattan, but the prices are much better!

 

What is one thing you wish you had known when you were graduating from college? Grad/law school? Would you have done anything differently? Any advice you would give 1990-Flora?

That they hire chemical engineers at wineries. My career could have gone in a completely different direction! Seriously though, I think that one thing you always wish your younger self had would be more confidence. But that’s something that comes with experience, at least for me. And honestly, sometimes it’s just better NOT to know too much or you might be overwhelmed or intimidated by overthinking. I think that is one of the advantages of being young — you don’t know that there are limitations and you believe that anything is possible.

 

You’ve achieved an impressive amount in a short span. We hear increasingly about the fact that women can’t have it all, that it’s harder than ever to balance high-stakes careers and family. How do you make it work? Is there a secret to your success? Can you share your strategies for negotiating work and life and succeeding at both?

It doesn’t feel like a short span. It’s been a lifetime in the making. And I don’t think that you can have it all, either as a man or a woman. The “successful” people that I know all have one thing in common: a supportive partner and/or network of friends and family. It really does take a village. The fact that I have both a happy home life and a satisfying career is very much due to the fact that my husband, Jeff, has been supportive, that we have shared equally in domestic responsibilities, and that we have valued each other’s careers. He started his own company 10 years ago and I encouraged him to do it. Now he’s supporting me by coming here to Bangkok with our kids. He had to handle a lot on his own because I had to come out here ahead of them. We wanted to make the move as painless as possible for the kids, so he stayed to let them finish the school year before we moved them. Work/life balance is like a see-saw. Sometimes one side is heavier than the other and very rarely do you get it to balance perfectly. It’s more of an averaging of the overall picture. I was talking to someone recently about this and about how we redefine what our idea of “success” is as our lives change. I think that’s important. If you get stuck on one inflexible ideal, I don’t think you ever can achieve “balance.”

 

What are you reading these days?

I’ve just started reading Game of Thrones. I haven’t watched the show yet, but am planning to when I have time! I’m also reading We’re Going On A Bear Hunt (over and over again), Dr. Seuss books, Clifford The Big Red Dog books, and fairy books.

 

If you weren’t working as the general counsel of a Fortune 50 company’s Asian business unit, what would you be doing instead?

Driving my kids crazy.

 

Best part of waking up every morning?

Seeing my kids and my husband, especially if the kids haven’t woken me up in the middle of the night. And knowing that I have no idea what new experience I might have today.

 

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New Laterals at Mintz Levin

The following attorneys have joined the firm as Members since our last issue.

 

Click here to view a quick presentation introducing these new teammates.

 

 

Marc Abrams

Marc Abrams
Insurance & Reinsurance, Boston

 

 

Kathleen Carr

Kathleen Carr
Intellectual Property, Boston

 

 

David Conlin

David Conlin
Intellectual Property, Boston

 

Peter Corless

Peter Corless
Intellectual Property, Boston

 

 

David Cotta

David Cotta
Intellectual Property, Boston

 

 

Seth Davidson

Seth Davidson
Communications, Washington, DC

 

Matthew Gardella

Matthew Gardella
Corporate & Securities, Boston

 

 

Craig Gilley

Craig Gilley
Communications, Washington, DC

 

 

Christopher Jeffers

Christopher Jeffers
Intellectual Property, DC

 

Kenneth Jenkins

Kenneth Jenkins
Intellectual Property, San Diego

 

 

Steven Jensen

Steven Jensen
Intellectual Property, Boston

 

 

Kongsik Kim

Kongsik Kim
Intellectual Property, Boston

 

Dionne Lomax

Dionne Lomax
Litigation, Washington, DC

 

 

R.J. Lyman

R.J. Lyman
Corporate & Securities, Boston

 

 

Peter Manso

Peter Manso
Intellectual Property, Boston

 

Christie Martin

Christie Martin
Public Finance, Boston

 

 

Kevin McNamara

Kevin McNamara
Immigration, Boston

 

 

William Meunier

William Meunier
Intellectual Property, Boston

 

Antony Nash

Antony Nash
Real Estate, Zoning & Land Use Litigation, Boston

 

 

Joseph Price

Joseph Price
Corporate & Securities, New York

 

 

Mark Robinson

Mark Robinson
Litigation, Boston

 

Adam Samansky

Adam Samansky
Intellectual Property, Boston

 

 

Christopher Stephens

Christopher Stephens
Real Estate, San Diego

 

 

Thomas Wintner

Thomas Wintner
Intellectual Property, Boston

 

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Alumni on the Move

Since last summer, the following Mintz Levin alumni have taken on new responsibilities in the corporate sector, government, and education. Use the links below to reconnect or to congratulate them via LinkedIn.

 

Darren Abernethy is now Chief Financial Officer for Get Fresh.

Jamie Arterton is Associate Director & Corporate Counsel for Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

Barbara Balter is Regulatory Operations Associate at Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

Crystal Barnes is Associate General Counsel at Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Christi Braun has joined the University of Florida as Deputy General Counsel for Health Affairs.

Mike Brown is now Counsel for Securities and Financial Reporting at NRG Energy.

Megan Capasso is Attorney Advisor at the FCC.

Brian Corrigan is Vice President of Regulatory Policy at Greenleaf Health LLC.

Chris Difo is Senior Associate Editor at Practical Law.

Tawfik Goma is IP Counsel at Phillips IP&S.

Helen Guyton is Assistant General Counsel at the Legal Services Corporation.

John Koss is the Director at Counsel on Call and a consulting attorney at Mintz Levin.

Mary Lovejoy is Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at the American Cable Association.

Nate McConarty is Counsel & Assistant Vice President at Brown Brothers Harriman.

Joel Nolan is Assistant Vice President and Director of Employee Relations at Liberty Mutual Insurance.

R. Robert Popeo, Jr. is Chief Legal Officer & Senior Vice President at Jay Cashman, Inc.

Courtney Quish is Vice President of Patent Strategy at Rovi Corporation.

Peter Rands is Director of Small Pharma LTD.

Kara Romagnino is Director of Regulatory Affairs at CTIA – The Wireless Association.

Jake Romero is Corporate Counsel for Amazon's web services division.

Leo Sorokin is a judge at the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Ari Stern is General Counsel at Mobile Market Monitor.

Jonathan Urbon is Assistant Vice President and Legal Counsel at Old Mutual Asset Management.

Manual Vazquez is Counsel for the Enforcement Division at the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Adam Veness is now Corporate Counsel at Acceleron Pharma.

Brandon Willenberg is General Counsel at San Diego Rock Church.

Valerie Young is an MBA Candidate at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Andy Zimmerman is Chief Marketing Officer at Evergage.

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Project Analyst Program Celebrates 25 Years!

Mintz Levin recently celebrated the 25-year anniversary of our very successful Project Analyst Program. Program founder Fran Meaney joined us and many Project Analyst alumni at simultaneous receptions in our Boston, New York, Washington, and San Francisco offices. The event served as a valuable opportunity to reconnect with scores of former analysts who now hold influential positions in the private and public sectors. Bob Popeo, Peter Biagetti, and George Atanasov, a former project analyst, shared highlights from the program's history.

Click here to view photos from the event!

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Alumni Book Covers the Ins and Outs of Nonprofit Board Service

Nanette (Loebenberg) Fridman, a former Associate in the Public Finance Practice, has published her first book, On Board: What Current and Aspiring Board Members Must Know About Nonprofits & Board Service. With over 20 years of experience working with nonprofits, Nanette wrote On Board after seeing firsthand the frustration that comes when people are asked to serve on a board without understanding how nonprofit organizations and boards work, what is expected of them, and how they can best contribute. Even seasoned board members can lack specific knowledge areas and skills to successfully govern and champion their organizations. The book presents a clear roadmap to best-practice nonprofit governance and rewarding board service. Find On Board on Amazon or visit www.fridmanstrategies.com for information about special offers.

Nanette Fridman is the founder and principal of Fridman Strategies, a nonprofit consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, financial resource development, board governance, and leadership coaching.

 

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Alumni Resources & Offerings

New Job Opportunities

 

If you would like to include a job posting in this newsletter or on our LinkedIn group, please let us know. We love connecting alumni with new opportunities!

 

 

General Counsel, College of the Holy Cross

College of the Holy Cross is looking for a general counsel to join its growing legal team. For details, please visit the Holy Cross website.

 

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Bob Bodian

Bob Bodian

 

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