MCCA’S 14TH Continued from page 22 Seven of these 84 women are minorities: six African
Americans and one Hispanic. T e seven represent an increase of two from last year. Among newcomers,
A.Verona Dorch, an African
American, got promoted to general counsel at Harsco (704), which serves steel mills, railroads, industrial plants, natural gas fi elds, and other heavily male-dominated businesses. Additional GCs new to the list hail from a variety
of industries, such as Tracy Preston of Neiman Marcus (547), Marcia J. Mason of Esterline Technologies (949), and Bridgett Zeterberg of Zale (983). Meanwhile, other women join this year’s list because
their companies either climbed into the Fortune® 1000 rankings for the fi rst time or re-entered them. T ey include A. Lynne Puckett of Colfax (599), Patricia Whaley of Rexnord (951), Brandi Galvin Morandi of Equinix (966), Denise Cade of SunCoke Energy (970), Aimee Weisner of Edwards Lifesciences (976), Cynthia
Raposo of Under Armour (992), and Cheri Holley of Titan International (997).
HATS OFF TO THOSE WEARING HARD HATS T e 189 women chief legal offi cers at the nation’s 1,000 most prosperous companies represent concrete progress in achieving diversity and inclusion. Although this year’s roster is only three higher than the 186 a year ago, the proliferation in recent years of women in hard hat industries is reason enough to believe that parity can one day become reality. Besides, if women can nail down the highest-ranking
lawyer jobs in traditionally male-dominated industries, they can certainly continue doing so in other fi elds, too. “A net gain is still a net gain,” says MCCA’s West,
referring to the 189 women. “T ese GC positions do not become available every day. I think the overall trend will continue in a positive direction for women GCs.”
Ivonne S. Cabrera
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL DOVER CORPORATION | CHICAGO, IL
24
Electronics, a Dover subsidiary. “Our CEO suggested that I go to
“ONE OF MY EARLIEST CHILDHOOD MEMO- RIES IS OF SEEING MY GRANDMOTHER LEAVING FOR WORK BEFORE DAWN, AND FEELING AMAZED BY HER RESILIENCE. My parents and grandparents had emigrated from Cuba and worked hard to rebuild their lives in America. I worried about our circumstances and searched to understand them. I was privileged to have such strong role models. They taught me not to dwell on what could stop me, to defi ne myself by what I wanted to accomplish, and they counted on me to do well.” In January, Cabrera was named senior
vice president and general counsel at Dover Corporation, an $8 billion, publicly- traded, diversifi ed global industrial manu- facturer based outside of Chicago, after a two-year stint as vice president of business affairs and general counsel for Knowles
Knowles to learn about our operations. He knew that Knowles would give me the kind of experience that would prepare me well for the general counsel role at Dover. As general counsel, I have to do more than give legal advice, I have to understand the various elements of the issues we face around the world and provide advice from a broader perspective to help us make sound decisions. I have to help our CEO build value.” At Knowles, Cabrera managed the company’s global legal affairs and served in a quasi-business role. “I worked closely with the business, with our leadership around the world, to expand our global manufacturing footprint, help complete and integrate a major acquisition, and protect our intellectual property rights. It was an invaluable experience.” She very much likes her expanded per-
spective in her new position for a number of reasons. First, it helps her to contribute more to the enterprise. “Before going in- house, I was a litigator at a law fi rm in New York. When litigation on a matter ended, my dealings with the client would also end.
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
I thought that if I were in-house counsel, I would be able to use what I learned in the litigation and apply it to improve the busi- ness. To be a part of a company’s ongoing decision-making and evolution spoke to my entrepreneurial spirit.” And it also serves to provide new
challenges. After leaving the law fi rm, she moved in-house, joining the legal group at Bristol-Myers Squibb, a major player in the heavily regulated pharmaceutical industry. “In comparison, Dover is less regulated,” she explains. “But our businesses serve customers in many markets around the world and make a wide variety of products –products as diverse as highly-engineered solutions used in the drilling, produc- tion and downstream energy markets, refrigeration and food equipment, pumps, communication components, and printing, coding and identifi cation solutions. Even as we continue to evolve toward a more center-led, more synergistic operating model, our global footprint and the diversity of the markets we serve add a welcome layer of complexity to my job.” Given her background, it is no surprise she sees opportunity in complexity.
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