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Sanil Padiyedathu has enjoyed over a decade in the legal profession as a corporate law, M&A, and strategic transaction expert, but his career could’ve easily gone another way.
As an undergrad, Padiyedathu contemplated pursuing a post-graduate degree in medicine or law. Growing up, with most of his family and friends in healthcare, medicine was a familiar path. But there was something about the corporate world and the legal profession that had always fascinated him. “Growing up, I didn’t know anyone who practiced in the legal field, but it was something that always interested me,” he says.
After graduating from undergrad with a finance degree, Padiyedathu began working at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in New York City where he developed a passion for business and the thrill of complex corporate projects. That early work experience prompted him to ditch the MCAT for the LSAT.
It’s one of the best decisions he made, he says.
“Verizon was at the forefront of 5G during a transformative time in telecom, the tech industry, and our economy. It was, and continues to be, a very exciting time to be in telecom.”
Sanil Padiyedathu
After leaving PwC, Padiyedathu received his law degree from Boston University and began working at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP where he developed a diverse transactional and corporate counseling practice with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, advising clients on general corporate matters, and other strategic considerations.
Padiyedathu continued to develop his expertise in-house at Goldman Sachs and Citibank before ultimately landing at Verizon. In each of these roles, Padiyedathu had the opportunity to work on very complex and sophisticated transactions and to help his clients navigate through regulatory, economic, and other internal and external pressures. He learned the importance of being organized, working hard, and being open to new challenges.
“No matter how long you do this job, there’s always something new to learn, and you’re constantly being challenged,” he says. “While there are some similarities from deal to deal, no two transactions are the same. There’s always issues that come up in one deal that you may not have seen in another, and there’s always new things you’re being exposed to. It’s a very fast-paced environment, and while that can make it stressful at times, it also keeps it exciting.
“When you’re working on complex deals that have a lot of different workstreams, you have to be very intentional and deliberate,” he continues. “You have to constantly be planning a few moves ahead and anticipate issues that may arise. And then you just have to roll up your sleeves and get the work done. Sometime there’s a lot to do in a short amount of time, and there’s no substitute for just putting the time in.”
As the son of hardworking immigrants who brought Padiyedathu to the US when he was two years old, the leader is no stranger to working hard, taking on difficult tasks, and exploring new frontiers. Those traits explain why he joined Verizon in 2017.
“I was in a really great place, working with an amazing team of lawyers and clients at Citibank, but it was a tough time to be an M&A lawyer at a big US bank. At that time, with the regulatory constraints, regulators wanted banks to be smaller, and there wasn’t a whole lot of acquisitions happening. And when I learned about the opportunity at Verizon, it seemed like a great fit. Verizon was at the forefront of 5G during a transformative time in telecom, the tech industry, and our economy,” says Padiyedathu, who currently serves as associate general counsel of strategic transactions. “It was, and continues to be, a very exciting time to be in telecom.”
“No matter how long you do this job, there’s always something new to learn, and you’re constantly being challenged.”
Sanil Padiyedathu
Since he joined, Padiyedathu has been instrumental in a wide range of transactions, including the sales of Verizon Media to Apollo, HuffPost to BuzzFeed, and Tumblr to Automatic. He has also been involved in the acquisitions of ProtectWise, Vidder, BlueJeans, and Bluegrass Cellular, as well as the venture capital investments and ongoing governance in Verizon Ventures’s portfolio companies, the acquisitions of, sales of, and swaps of spectrum licenses.
Carlo Zenkner, partner at Kirkland & Ellis, who has worked alongside Padiyedathu, says, “Sanil’s ability to lead successful outcomes in complex transactions comes from his ability to be on top of the detail while simultaneously analyzing the deal with a high-level strategic lens. There are very few lawyers who bring these complementary skills to the table, and it makes Sanil a superb deal lawyer.”
As a leader, Padiyedathu also believes in the importance of teamwork and leading by example. It’s a value he learned playing sports as a child and continues to practice as the parent of three kids.
“I’ve always been active and loved playing sports. From little league baseball as a child to playing Division I lacrosse in college, I’ve learned the importance of being part of a team and working together and filling in the gaps to get a job done,” he says. Those lessons and skills have directly translated to his approach at work as an in-house lawyer.
And Padiyedathu continues to develop his skills outside the office as a father of three young children. “My kids have taught me so much that applies to different situations at work. As I teach them about the need to make good choices, to understand consequences, and to be patient, I’m reminded to practice that in my own life,” he says. “They constantly help me to be a better version of myself and, in turn, a better lawyer.”
When Padiyedathu isn’t parsing through complex transactions, he’s focused on giving back to his community through pro bono and volunteering efforts. He participates in legal clinics which offer legal assistance to small businesses, helps introduce high school students to careers in law, and coaches his children’s soccer and baseball teams. He is also a volunteer with Meals on Wheels in his community and is on the board of trustees of his local library.
