Tara FinleyAndrea Matiauda is someone who can do it all.
“I am the General Counsel at Calnetix Technologies. Calnetix develops and manufactures state-of-the-art, high-speed electric motors, generators and systems, based on our proprietary technologies, for a host of applications, from power generation, to motorsports, to medical, to defense,” describes Matiauda.
“I am responsible for all legal activities across the company, including intellectual property portfolio licensing and acquisition, commercial agreements, mergers and acquisitions, subsidiary formation and exits, equity/debt financings, tax restructurings and governance matters,” she continues.
Her responsibilities are many – including several cornerstones of company success. What was her path that led her to become such a trusted member of the executive team?
“I started my legal career at Latham & Watkins (LW), a first tier national law firm. All LW new associates were ‘unassigned’ which essentially meant that newbie lawyers didn’t have to specialize immediately, but instead were exposed to all types of work and clients. This broad experience gave me a strong legal foundation,” she explains. “I believe my willingness always to learn new areas of the law and to think strategically and creatively have enabled my long career as General Counsel of Calnetix.”
Matiauda is the kind of woman you want on your team. Never one to back down from challenge, proving herself was just another rung to ascend on her ladder to personal success.
“The legal profession, in general, is very embracing of women. However, at least when I started, the billable hours culture at the big law firms was not in line with my expectations for a work/life balance. And while that balance has continued to be elusive at times, it was in search of that balance that pushed me to pursue a career in-house where I felt I had more control,” she asserts. “When I started at Calnetix … there were few women, and none on the executive team. So, I do think I had to work hard to prove my capabilities, and to expand the management team’s expectations of the type of work and strategic advice that I could provide.”
Her strong, calm leadership has paved the way for other female lawyers not only looking to get a seat at the executive table in predominantly male-dominated industries, but for general counsel as a whole to be included in the executive team fold.
“I believe that I am an example of a more integrated, strategic general counsel, one focused on the whole arc of the company, not just its pure legal contracts,” she says. “I am also a strong advocate for workplaces and positions that promote flexibility.”
This ties into Matiauda’s key advice for young professionals: “Seek a job that enables flexibility! I find that women who have achieved great success in their fields often had positions that enabled flexibility. Ironically, I think that COVID’s acceleration of the remote workforce and video technologies will make this easier for women and men.”
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