Disney appointed Richardson, the company`s first chief diversity officer and former attorney and chief human resources officer at ESPN, as chief human resources officer last year. ESPN has also promoted former Deputy Chief Counsel Rosetta Ellis-Pilie to Vice President of Talent Development and Negotiations effective May 1, 2021. ESPN uses a leading new lawyer as the network`s legal leader retires The executive succeeds Disney`s longtime chief legal officer, Alan Braverman, who will retire at the end of the year. The Walt Disney Co announced Wednesday that it has hired Spotify`s leading attorney Horacio Gutierrez to succeed Alan Braverman, Disney`s longtime executive and general counsel, who announced this summer that he is retiring after nearly two decades at the head of the media conglomerate`s legal department. „Horacio is an incredibly experienced lawyer and dynamic executive who joins Disney with 35 years of legal experience in markets around the world. Having worked for leading technology companies for more than two decades, he has a deep understanding of the complex legal issues that accompany technological disruption and rapid industry change,” said Chapek. „Horacio is an important addition to my leadership team, and I look forward to working with him as he builds on Alan`s exceptional legacy and leads our unparalleled legal organization.” Konstan joined Spotify in 2020, which battled controversy surrounding its popular podcast host Joe Rogan this year after serving as HBO`s general counsel. Spotify has hired Regan Smith, a former U.S. legal chief. Copyright Office, last summer as Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs. Chapek cited Gutierrez`s „comprehensive understanding of the complex legal issues that accompany technological disruption and rapid industry change.” Gutierrez, who joined Spotify in 2016 after 17 years in the internal department at Microsoft Corp., was the general counsel and head of global affairs for the podcast and audio streaming platform. Eve Konstan, Spotify`s general counsel, is now the company`s top lawyer. Disney appoints former Pentagon press secretary as chief corporate officer At Disney, Gutierrez will oversee the team of attorneys responsible for all aspects of the company`s legal affairs and serve as strategic advisor to management and the board of directors.
His responsibilities include litigation, compliance, transaction law, securities law, regulatory affairs, data protection, global ethics and patent, copyright and trademark matters. Gutierrez will oversee Disney`s legal team and legal affairs globally and act as strategic advisor to management and the board of directors, the company said. He joined Spotify as General Counsel and Vice President of Commercial and Legal Affairs and was promoted to Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel three years later, where he led a multidisciplinary team responsible for areas such as industry relations, content partnerships, public policy, and trust and security. „I am honored to have the opportunity to lead Disney`s global legal organization, work with Bob Chapek and his leadership team, and contribute to one of the world`s most admired and popular companies as it builds on its many strengths and changes for the future,” gutierrez said. „It is a special honour for me to succeed Alan Braverman, an iconic figure in the legal profession who has built one of the world`s largest and most admired legal services over the past two decades.” Spotify did not respond to a request for comment on who would replace Gutierrez as general counsel. Braverman has been a lawyer with the firm since joining ABC in 1993. He has been their general counsel since 2003, prior to Bob Iger`s tenure as CEO. With Iger`s departure from Disney at the end of the year, Braverman and his colleague Zenia Mucha have announced their intention to leave as well. Disney has appointed Geoff Morrell, a BP executive and former ABC News correspondent, as chief executive officer, which will include communications and lobbying. Olson joined Disney in 1996 and most recently served as deputy chief film consultant for Disney Live Action, 20th Century Studios, and Searchlight. She worked on the live-action films „Aladdin”, „The Lion King”, „Beauty and the Beast” and „Cruella”. She has handled legal affairs for Disney+, including the acquisition of Hamilton, and has contributed to Disney`s Launchpad program.
Disney has appointed Horacio Gutierrez as the company`s senior executive vice president, general counsel and secretary, succeeding Braverman, who will retire later this year. Guttierez comes from audio streaming giant Spotify, where he was head of global affairs and general counsel. The executive, who joined Disney on Feb. 1, previously served as general counsel at Microsoft. Disney noted that it had recommended to its board`s compensation committee that it give Gutierrez stock bonuses with a target value of $10 million. The value of Gutierrez`s total compensation depends on a number of factors achieved by the company`s new general counsel. He joins Disney after about six years at Spotify, where he most recently served as head of global affairs and general counsel for the podcast and music streaming platform. Gutierrez will join Disney after previously serving spotify as head of global affairs and general counsel. He will succeed Alan Braverman, who is retiring after nearly two decades as General Counsel, and will report to CEO Bob Chapek. At Spotify, he led a team of legal, business, corporate communications and public affairs, government, licensing and operations experts responsible for the company`s work in areas such as industrial relations, content partnerships, public policy, and trust and security.
Previously, he served as General Counsel and Vice President of Commercial and Legal Affairs at Spotify from 2016 to 2019. Braverman, who spent nearly two decades as Disney`s legal chairman, received nearly $16.7 million in total compensation from the Burbank, California-based company last year. Disney entered into a temporary consultation agreement with Braverman dated July 7. He will receive $40,000 per month for up to 20 hours of work, with an additional $2,000 for each additional hour of service. Gutierrez spent 17 years at Microsoft before joining Spotify, where he joined Morgan Lewis & Bockius as corporate lawyer, where he rose through the ranks in roles such as Associate General Counsel, EMEA and Deputy General Counsel, IP Group and Licensing before becoming Vice President and General Counsel in 2015. As the tech giant`s top lawyer, he has overseen its legal affairs around the world, including taking care of the entire lifecycle of Microsoft`s products and services, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, legal compliance, and cybercrime prevention. Xiumei Dong reports on the news of the legal industry with a focus on the strategy and growth of law firms, in-house legal counsel and the legal market in Washington, DC. Reach them by Xiumei.Dong@thomsonreuters.com.