Appointments: September 2013

Sempra Energy

Sempra Energy has announced that Martha Wyrsch has joined the company in the role of executive vice president and general counsel.

Wyrsch, who reports to Sempra chairman and CEO Debra Reed, is now responsible for the company’s legal affairs and compliance oversight. She will also serve as the firm’s chief environmental officer. Wyrsch succeeds Javade Chaudhri, who earlier this year announced his upcoming retirement from the company.

Most recently, from 2009 to 2012, Wyrsch served as president of Vestas American Wind Systems, the Portland-based affiliate of Danish-owned Vestas Wind Systems. As president, she had direct responsibility for all North American sales, construction, service and maintenance. As chair of the Vestas North American Regional Council, she also had co-ordinating oversight of North America-based manufacturing, supply chain and other support functions.

Previously, Wyrsch spent nearly 10 years at Duke Energy and its spin-off, Spectra Energy. She joined Duke in 1999 as senior vice president of legal affairs and deputy counsel, and was later promoted to group vice president and general counsel. In 2005 she moved to Duke Energy Gas Transmission as its president and CEO. Subsequently, she became president and CEO of Spectra Energy Transmission, overseeing its natural gas transmission and storage business in the US and Canada as well as its gathering, processing and distribution businesses in Canada.

Prior to joining Duke Energy, Wyrsch worked at KN Energy from 1991 to 1999 in a variety of senior roles, including vice president, general counsel and secretary. Previously, she was an attorney with Davis Graham & Stubbs in Denver, specializing in corporate law, with a focus on oil and gas, real estate transactions and securities and finance filings. From 1980 to 1983 she was a legislative assistant to former US senator Alan Simpson, responsible for matters in the areas of energy, environment, health and safety, transportation and banking.

Wyrsch currently serves on the boards of directors of SPX and Spectris. Her past board memberships include the American Wind Energy Association, the National Infrastructure Advisory Council Board, the National Petroleum Council, Spectra Energy and the Interstate Natural Gas Association.

Auction.com

Auction.com, the world’s largest online real estate marketplace, has announced that Michael Callahan has been named executive vice president, chief legal officer and secretary. He now oversees the company’s legal, regulatory, intellectual property, government relations, compliance, ethics and corporate governance matters. Callahan has nearly 20 years of corporate legal experience; most recently he was executive vice president, general counsel and secretary at Yahoo!, and he served there in a variety of capacities from 1999 to 2012. 

While at Yahoo!, Callahan built a legal, public policy, ethics and compliance and intellectual property department that grew threefold to more than 200 professionals under his leadership. He was also a key adviser to the executive team and board of directors through numerous significant acquisitions, investments and divestitures, including the strategic investment and restructuring of Yahoo!’s holdings in the Alibaba Group and the development of Yahoo!’s significant intellectual property assets.

Callahan began his career as a corporate mergers and acquisitions associate with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom in Boston and San Francisco. He has been a board member of several non-profit organizations and the NASDAQ Stock Market Listing and Hearing Review Council and is a founding member of the Georgetown Technology Alliance board of directors.

The Hartford Financial Services Group

The Hartford Financial Services Group, a leader in property and casualty insurance, group benefits and mutual funds, has promoted Patricia McEvoy to chief ethics and compliance officer. In her new role, McEvoy is responsible for leading enterprise compliance and reports to Alan Kreczko, executive vice president and general counsel.

McEvoy is a 13-year veteran of the Hartford’s law department, previously serving as vice president and assistant general counsel in the corporate and property and casualty litigation unit, overseeing a group of lawyers and staff responsible for complex corporate litigation. Since joining the Hartford in 2000, she has served in a variety of roles within the law department, including vice president and assistant general counsel of the select litigation unit, and assistant vice president and managing counsel of the complex claim group. Prior to joining the Hartford, McEvoy served as counsel in the law departments at Travelers Insurance and United HealthCare. Earlier in her career, she was a partner in the litigation department of a major Boston law firm. 

Zale

Zale, a leading specialty retailer of diamond and other jewelry products in North America, has announced the promotion of Bridgett Zeterberg to senior vice president, general counsel and secretary. She joined Zale in September 2010 and became general counsel and secretary in February 2012.

Zeterberg is responsible for all legal, compliance and contractual matters, as well as corporate and board governance. She continues to report to Theo Killion, chief executive officer.

Zeterberg has more than 20 years of business and legal experience. Prior to joining Zale, she was vice president of human resources and training for Accor North America, where she also served as vice president and assistant general counsel. 

The ACE Group

The ACE Group, one of the world’s largest multiline property and casualty insurers, has appointed Eric Larson as chief compliance officer. In this role, Larson has direct oversight of ACE’s compliance staff in all regions and responsibility for implementing the company’s worldwide compliance strategy. He works directly with senior management, division presidents and regional management, as well as with the chairman and chief executive, providing counsel on a wide range of compliance-related matters. Based in New York, Larson reports to Joseph Wayland, general counsel.

With more than 30 years of legal experience in the financial industry, Larson most recently served as chief compliance officer for HSBC’s North American businesses after holding senior legal and compliance leadership roles with Standard Chartered Bank and Willis Group. Previously, he had a 21-year career with Citigroup and its predecessor firms, where he advanced through a series of legal and compliance roles of increasing responsibility.

The ACE Group

The ACE Group has also announced that Ashley Mullins has been named global compliance counsel. In this new role, Mullins is responsible for the co-ordination of global, regional and local compliance policies and standards, providing guidance to compliance counsel in all regions as well as providing counsel in connection with significant compliance-related internal investigations and government examinations. He continues to be based in New York and reports to Joseph Wayland.

Mullins previously served as ACE’s global compliance officer since 2011. He joined ACE in 2002 as legal counsel to ACE’s Asia-Pacific operation. In 2006 he was appointed company secretary and general counsel of ACE’s Australia and New Zealand operations.

BankUnited

BankUnited has announced the promotion of Susan Wright Greenfield to senior vice president of investor relations and corporate secretary, responsible for overseeing corporate governance matters and communications between the board of directors, senior management and the company’s shareholders. Greenfield reports directly to BankUnited chairman, president and CEO John Kanas at the bank’s Miami Lakes headquarters. 

Greenfield joined BankUnited in 2006 as vice president of investor relations. She has worked in the banking industry for nine years. Previously she was vice president of investor relations and corporate communications for RailAmerica.

Weyerhaeuser

Weyerhaeuser, one of the world’s largest private owners of timberlands, has announced that its board has elected Devin Stockfish to serve as corporate secretary. Stockfish continues to serve as assistant general counsel and his responsibilities include corporate governance, securities law compliance, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance matters.

Before joining Weyerhaeuser, Stockfish was vice president and associate general counsel at Univar, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and securities law. Prior to Univar, he was an attorney in the securities and corporate law group at Starbucks and practiced corporate law at K&L Gates.

Insmed

Insmed, a biopharmaceutical company, has announced the appointment of Christine Pellizzari as general counsel and corporate secretary.

Pellizzari joins Insmed with nearly 20 years of senior-level leadership experience in the global biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Insmed, she was with Aegerion Pharmaceuticals from 2007 to 2012, where she served as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. Among her accomplishments and responsibilities at Aegerion, Pellizzari oversaw all the legal aspects of the company’s successful IPO and secondary public offering and served as a member of its executive management committee. 

Prior to that, between 1998 and 2007, Pellizzari was senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Dendrite, a NASDAQ-listed leading provider of sales and marketing solutions to the pharmaceutical industry. Before joining Dendrite, Pellizzari was an associate in the corporate and healthcare departments at New Jersey-headquartered Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer from 1996 to 1998.