MCCA’S 14TH


MCCA MGC 500 COMPANIES COMPANY


PepsiCo PetSmart


PG&E Corp. Praxair


Publix Super Markets Spectra Energy Symantec SYNNEX


Targa Resources


United Continental Holdings United Parcel Service WellCare Health Plans Xerox


¹New to List John G. Chou 32


EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL AMERISOURCEBERGEN CORPORATION | CHESTERBROOK, PA.


related services in the United States and in selected global markets. “At this juncture in my career, my


JOHN CHOU CALLS HIMSELF THE ACCI- DENTAL LAWYER. After graduating from Harvard College with a B.S. in biochemis- try, Chou was unsure of his next move. He had heard law school would prepare him for anything, so he earned a J.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. “Turns out that tale was untrue,” says Chou. “Law school is a professional school where you learn to practice law so I headed to New York City and went to work at Weil Gotshal. Today, Chou is executive vice president


and general counsel of AmerisourceBergen Corporation where he heads a legal team of 25 lawyers. Headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa., the pharmaceutical services company has over $80 billion in annual revenue, is ranked #32 on the Fortune® ® 500 list, and provides drug distribution and


role is that of an executive who has legal training,” says Chou. “As a participant in the company’s leadership, I bring both an experienced legal fi lter and valued strate- gic legal input to the job. “Some general counsel have the


opportunity to move strictly into the busi- ness area. And that can work if you can take off your lawyer hat; the training and discipline that comes from law can make an analytical business executive. In my case I’ve always tried to work at adding value by doing both. I’ve exercised the muscle of knowing when to remove my lawyer hat and when to put it back on.” Prior to joining AmerisourceBergen,


Chou was a partner with the law fi rm of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott in Philadelphia. Before that he held senior legal positions with CIGNA Corporation and ARCO Chemical Company, where he served as chief corporate counsel and then chief European counsel, and was based in London, a position he especially enjoyed.


DIVERSITY & THE BAR® SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 When Chou joined AmerisouceBergen


in 2002 as associate general counsel, he had already set his cap on one day being named general counsel. “In addition to familiarizing myself with the corporation, I also began working on the additional skills that the position required like improving my public speaking skills, and focusing on bud- gets and planning. I have always been able to handle pressure calmly and have never minded taking on people management and administrative responsibilities.” Because there are few minority general


counsel who are also executives, Chou considers himself a role model. “It’s important not only to conduct myself in the best way pos- sible, but also to be approachable to younger attorneys. In terms of promoting hires or use of outside counsel, we consider diversity a positive factor among many fact ors, but our ultimate objective is to get the job done.” For Chou, having aspirations and not


becoming too settled have proved an inte- gral part of his success. “You must want to do more and do it better or you become stagnant, and no company or department wants a complacent person as its leader.”


MCCA.COM


ANNUAL MINORITY GENERAL COUNSEL SURVEY


GENERAL COUNSEL Larry Thompson Paulette Dodson Hyun Park


James Breedlove John Attaway


Reginald Hedgebeth Scott Taylor Simon Leung Paul Chung Brett Hart


Teri Plummer McClure Lisa Iglesias Don Liu


2013 RANK


43


377 183 241 108 475 379 262 435 79 53


345 131


2012 RANK INDUSTRY


41 Food Consumer Products


400 Specialty Retailers: Pet Supplies 179 Utilities: Gas and Electric 238 Chemicals


106 Food and Drug Stores 438 Pipelines


391 Computer Software


GROUPED BY INDUSTRY


J E C O D C A


253 Wholesalers: Electronics and Offi ce Equipment A 361 Pipelines 76 Airlines


C 52 Mail, Packaging, Freight


401 Healthcare: Managed Care Services 127 Offi ce Equipment


M T I


A


GENERAL COUNSEL


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