“We touch so many parts of the business that our visibility into the depths of the business are unlike the other C-suite roles.”

An interview with Allyson Guy Krause, Executive Vice President & General Counsel at Mynd.ai/Promethean in USA.

How would you describe the state of the GC Community in your region? 

I am in the U.S. in the Atlanta region. I would say that the state of the GC community is quite strong. I find that the requirements of a GC have only grown overtime not just for their legal acumen but also as a trusted business advisor to the C-Suite and the Board of Directors. I am part of the TechGC community and the Women’s General Counsel Network and both of those communities are quite robust and willing to share experiences, share ideas, and even share templates/memos etc. It doesn’t matter the industry, the job is pretty much the same so the shared experiences are plentiful.

How has it changed since you first moved in-house?

For me, my role has only grown since I started, not just because I went from overseeing the company’s North American legal work to becoming GC globally but also in terms of my advisory role. Again, I think the responsibilities of the GC role and the expectations of the GC by the CEO and Board of Directors have grown tremendously. The need for the GC to play a stronger business role and advise on business and legal risk, ethics, and company strategy has increased. I think that is because we touch so many parts of the business that our visibility into the depths of the business are unlike the other C-suite roles. I touch HR matters, operations, sales, R&D, Product and see all of the contractual relationships in ways that my peers do not. I think we are also held to a higher standard with respect to our judgment and ethical responsibilities.

Why is expanding your network important to you? 

Not terribly important for me personally. I am at the back end of my career now so I worry less about my future, but I do enjoy getting to interact with other GCs because we do have so many shared experiences. I do participate in some of the TechGC events locally and enjoy the camaraderie, but I do not feel the need to network from a career perspective as much.

What kinds of connections or discussions would be most valuable to you?

Certainly, local connections in Atlanta. Also women GCs and public company GCs more than private because I am a new public company GC.

What do you want to achieve by collaborating with other GCs and senior in-house lawyers? 

It’s always helpful to be able to get recommendations for certain external legal experts or external lawyers in other GEOs who other lawyers have found to be very good/efficient/cost effective. Any chance to have access to a document/template library is always useful although with AI these days, that is less of a need.