Mary Cranston: "A Good Strategic Lawyer Should Be a Requirement on Every Board."
Welcome to the Boardroom Governance Podcast. I’m your host, Evan Epstein. In this episode, I talk with Mary Cranston, a seasoned corporate director and lawyer based in San Francisco. She is the retired CEO and Chair Emeritus of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. As CEO from 1999 to 2006, she expanded PWSP internationally, doubling its size and profitability. She currently serves as a director of Visa, The Chemours Company and TPG. She previously served on the public boards of MyoKardia and McAfee Corp. In addition, she serves or has served on several private and non-profit boards. She has been recognized by the National Law Journal as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in the United States, and by the National Association of Corporate Directors as one of the 50 most influential and effective public company directors in America. Mary has served as an advisor and investor to numerous startups in technology, financial technology and pharmaceuticals. In this podcast, we talk about her career as a lawyer and corporate director. We address diversity in law firms and boards, lawyers serving as corporate directors and the evolution of shareholder engagement. Among other topics, we discuss ESG, shareholder and stakeholder governance, the current downcycle and its impact on board service. We also address some of the distinctions between serving on public and private company boards, including private equity and venture-backed companies. If you like this show, please consider subscribing, leaving a review or sharing this podcast on social media. You can find all the show notes on the website boardroom-governance.com and please feel free to subscribe to the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at evanepstein.substack.com