Carolyn Herzog is a business leader and Chief Legal Officer that has worked in a variety of U.S. and international companies predominantly in the technology and SaaS industries. She has exercised broad c-suite leadership, having been responsible for advising the CEO and board on global business expansion, licensing strategy, cybersecurity, data privacy, M&A and enterprise risk management. With over 25 years of experience, Ms. Herzog has expertise in corporate governance, regulatory compliance, crisis management, strategic planning, ethics, stakeholder engagement, human capital strategy, and business sustainability. Ms. Herzog’s experience extends globally, providing her with a deep understanding of the distinct cultural and business practice differences that impact shareholder value creation.
Career Chronology
BOARDS-Present
Association of Corporate Counsel, Audit, NomGov, Advocacy
Business Software Alliance, Executive Committee
EndGame Systems LLC, Inside Director
Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, Finance Committee
Prior
Arm Subsidiary Governance Board / President, Arm France
IPWatch Systems Corp., Advisory Board (company sold)
National Cyber Security Alliance, Director
Association of Corporate Counsel Europe, Director
Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (SV2), Partner
International Experience
Board access experience in US, UK, China, France and Japan
Board Advisor on Governance, Compliance, Strategy, Operations, ESG, Human Capital, Cybersecurity
HONORS AND LEADERSHIP
American Leadership Forum, SV, Senior Fellow, 2024
OnCon Icon Awards, Top 10/50 Global Corp. Counsel (2022/24)
Silicon Valley Business Journal C-Suite Awards
American Legal Technology Awards, Exceptional Achievement
Distinguished General Counsel, Directors Roundtable
Attorneys That Matter, Ethisphere Magazine
SECTOR EXPERIENCE
▪ Technology/ SaaS / Cloud / AI/ cybersecurity / Semiconductor IP
▪ International Development
▪ International Policy / International Relations / Government
Technology and Operational Experience
▪ Cybersecurity, SaaS, AI, Cloud, Semiconductor IP
▪ IP Licensing, Services, Trade Compliance
▪ Incident Response, Crisis Management, Government Affairs
Transactions
M&A, Divestitures, Publicly Traded, Privately Held; Technology tuck-ins, Outsourcing, Insourcing, Global Expansion, Startup, JVs
EDUCATION
▪ Wilderotter, Corporate Directors Academy
▪ Stanford Directors College
▪ J.D. University of Wisconsin, Madison – Sorbonne, Panthéon-Assas (exchange)
▪ B.A. Washington University, St. Louis
– Vanderbilt-en-France, Aix-en-Provence (3rd year)
OTHER BUSINESS EXPERIENCE:
▪ Nearly three decades as a global business executive
▪ Seasoned leader of global high performing teams, including human capital management and executive and board succession
▪ Managed budgets up to $90m, including leading license compliance P&L of < $40m
▪ Frequent keynote speaker, including Gartner, WSJ, Economist, RSA, DAC, WebSummit, CyberlawCon
▪ M&A transaction/integration leader including + 30 acquisitions and divestitures at Symantec, leading the acquisition and integration of AXENT by Symantec for $1b, the acquisition of and the $8b divestiture of Veritas from Symantec, and leading for Arm the acquisition by NVIDIA for approximately $40B+ (to ~$80b, transaction terminated in favor of IPO due to regulatory concerns)
CURRENT EMPLOYER:
▪ Elastic NV, May 2022 – Present, Chief Legal Officer, Corporate Secretary
▪ Legal & Company Corporate Strategy Leader; business initiatives, including Board of Directors Advisor on governance and risk matters
▪ Chairs/ Exec Sponsor for committees including Disclosure, ESG, Compliance, Crisis Management
PRIOR EMPLOYMENT:
▪ Arm Ltd., January 2017- February 2022, EVP, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary & Chief Compliance Officer
▪ Symantec Corporation, December 2000-January 2017 Deputy GC & Chief Compliance Officer (immediate prior role was VP, EMEA Legal, UK)
▪ AXENT Technologies, Inc., December 1997-December 2000, General Counsel (from 1999) – led acquisition by Symantec
▪ International Law Institute, December 1996-December 1997, Staff Attorney
▪ The World Bank, December 1990-August 1993, Africa Department, Project Coordinator