Appointments: October 2016

Sean Markowitz

Sean Markowitz moves up at Cheniere Energy

Sean Markowitz has been appointed general counsel and corporate secretary of Cheniere Energy after joining the company a year ago and acting as interim general counsel since June 2016.

He previously served as general counsel and corporate secretary for Sizmek (and its predecessor, Digital Generation) from August 2012 to May 2015, after being chief legal counsel for commercial at Alon USA Energy from August 2010 to August 2012, and assistant general counsel from December 2008 to July 2010. From January 2006 to December 2008 he was counsel for corporate acquisitions & finance at Electronic Data Systems, which was acquired by the Hewlett-Packard Company in August 2008.

Markowitz’s earlier career includes service with law firms Fulbright & Jaworski, Hughes & Luce and Andrews Kurth. He holds an honors JD from the University of Texas School of Law and graduated magna cum laude with a BS in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Meredith Lackey

Georgia Power’s board of directors has appointed Meredith Lackey as general counsel, senior vice president and corporate secretary of the utility. She is also the company’s chief compliance officer, serves on its management council and oversees Georgia Power’s corporate compliance, risk management, security and legal services functions.

‘Meredith will be a tremendous asset to our leadership team, bringing a wealth of regulatory and compliance experience and a proven track record of helping companies successfully manage complex legal issues,’ says Paul Bowers, Georgia Power’s chairman, president and CEO.

Lackey comes to the utility from Colonial Pipeline Co, where she served as vice president and general counsel since 2012, having joined as a senior attorney in 2008. Earlier she worked at international mining company Imerys after several years as a litigation associate with Jones Day and a year with Baker Botts.

Lackey holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Louisiana State University and a law degree from the University of Mississippi.

Joshua Horenstein

Innophos promotes Joshua Horenstein to chief legal officer and corporate secretary

Joshua Horenstein has been promoted to vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary of Innophos Holdings where he is now the company’s general counsel and provides strategic legal direction and execution.

He serves on the executive committee and reports directly to the company’s president and CEO, Dr Kim Ann Mink. ‘Josh is an experienced legal professional with an impressive track record of sound business judgment, effective leadership and a persistent drive, making him a strong asset in setting the direction and vision for the company’s legal activities going forward,’ she says.

Over the past six years at Innophos, Horenstein has been variously M&A counsel, assistant general counsel, deputy general counsel, general counsel for specialty ingredients & nutrition and, most recently, acting chief legal officer and corporate secretary for Innophos nutrition.

Before joining the group, he practiced law at Ballard Spahr, Pepper Hamilton and Flaster/Greenberg. He was also vice president and chief legal officer at Rock Your Phone, a tech start-up. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science from Penn State University.

Russell Elmer

Russell Elmer joins Lending Club as general counsel

Lending Club, the world’s largest online marketplace connecting borrowers and investors, has named Russell Elmer as general counsel, reporting to president and CEO Scott Sanborn. Elmer succeeds Jason Altieri who has held the position for seven years and will be helping Elmer during the transition period.

Elmer is returning to Lending Club where he worked from 2012 to early 2014, before becoming deputy general counsel and corporate secretary at PayPal Holdings. In his new role, he oversees all legal matters, including corporate securities, M&A, corporate governance, government and regulatory affairs and litigation.

‘I’m thrilled to welcome Russ back to Lending Club as general counsel,’ says Sanborn. ‘I believe his deep legal experience at the intersection of technology and finance as well as his hands-on knowledge of our business will allow him to be incredibly effective as we enter Lending Club’s next phase.’

Previously, Elmer was general counsel at Pricelock and at E*Trade. He was also a partner at Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich (now DLA Piper) where he spent nearly a decade.

Elmer has a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law and a BA in political science and international relations from Stanford. He is also a member of the State Bar of California.

Jason Alexander

Former Georgeson veteran Jason Alexander joins Okapi

Okapi Partners, the rapidly expanding proxy solicitation and investor response specialist, has hired Jason Alexander to be its new managing director. He comes with 18 years of extensive experience at Georgeson.

‘Jason brings experience working with hundreds of companies across sectors on a wide variety of corporate governance and investor response issues,’ says Bruce Goldfarb, president and CEO of Okapi Partners.

Earlier in his career, Alexander worked as an equity analyst at Thomson Financial and DF King after graduating from SUNY Albany with a BA in sociology in 1991.

Gerald Quirk

Gerald Quirk named as first chief legal officer at Syros Pharmaceuticals

Gerald Quirk has been named first chief legal officer for Syros Pharmaceuticals. Quirk now holds broad management responsibility for all legal aspects of the business, including corporate and securities law, intellectual property matters, business development transactions and compliance.

‘Gerald brings a wealth of legal experience, from negotiating strategic partnerships to setting patent strategy, as well as a deep understanding of drug development and commercialization,’ says Nancy Simonian, Syros CEO. ‘I’m thrilled to have him join our team.’

Quirk was previously executive vice president of business operations and general counsel at Tokai Pharmaceuticals, before which he was a partner and co-chair of the life sciences practice at Choate Hall & Stewart. Prior to that, he was vice president of corporate affairs and general counsel at Infinity Pharmaceuticals, following a stint as managing corporate counsel at Genzyme Corporation. He began his career with Palmer & Dodge in the biotechnology practice group.

Quirk has a BA in political science from Swarthmore College, a master of education degree in educational administration from Harvard, and a JD from Northeastern University.

EJ Wunsch

Wendy’s appoints EJ Wunsch as general counsel and secretary

Fast food giant Wendy’s has appointed EJ Wunsch as general counsel and secretary.

He has also joined the senior leadership team and reports to president and CEO Todd Penegor, who says: ‘EJ is a strong business leader with broad experience in the consumer packaged goods industry, both domestically and internationally. We’re excited to have him join us as a member of the senior leadership team, as his broad experience advising on strategic business matters will help shape the future growth of Wendy’s.’

Wunsch joins from a 17-year tenure at Procter & Gamble (P&G), where he served as vice president and general counsel of the company’s North America business, as well as leading its global antitrust and M&A practices. Before that he was in Singapore as associate general counsel for P&G’s Asia innovation, commerce and brand equity matters, with overall legal responsibility for the company’s patent, trademark and advertising issues throughout Asia.

Before joining P&G in 1999, Wunsch was an associate in the law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister and was law clerk to Judge Suhrheinrich on the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. He has a BS in finance, magna cum laude, from Miami University and a JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.