|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
There was never any question in Lynn Gefen’s mind about what she would do for a living.
“I was very young—not even ten years old—and I just knew I wanted to be a lawyer,” she shares. “I always felt like advocacy and business relationships was where I was meant to be.”
After obtaining her bachelor’s from the University of Florida, Gefen graduated Summa Cum Laude from the American University Washington College of Law and landed in big law.
“I felt a real connection with business and lawyering, which led me to work in-house, where I’ve spent the majority of my career, working across several different industries,” she notes.
Her first job saw her working at Thacher, Profitt & Wood, a large firm in the World Trade Center, where she learned how to run a closing room.
“I like to say I cut my teeth on being the most highly paid paralegal, which is what you do when you’re a first- or second-year associate at a super large firm running billion-dollar deals, but that’s foundational learning,” she explains.
From there, she moved to Holland & Knight, doing general corporate work, where she did equity financing and M&A, learning the ins and outs of transactional matters.
In 2000, Gefen landed her first in-house role at publicly-traded technology company Citrix Systems, where she spent nine years working as the right hand to the general counsel, doing “everything there is to do” in managing work in a high-growth environment.
“I tell people, that’s where I grew up as an attorney, because there was no rest for the weary, and I was relatively young in my career,” she recounts. “I learned how to do more with less, how to grow and how to think through commercial problems.”
Over the next decade, other in-house roles followed, including senior roles at global public companies Diageo, and HomeServe USA.
“It was really interesting to go across different industries, and that helped me to get to where I am today and it’s given me the ability to see things from multiple perspectives,” she says.
For the past three-and-a-half years, she has served as chief legal officer for TerrAscend, guiding legal and regulatory strategy in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry. Her work is highly regarded by peers and clients alike. George P. Apostolides, Partner at Saul Ewing, notes, “Lynn has a unique ability to navigate legal, regulatory, and strategic issues thoughtfully, intelligently and tactfully. Saul Ewing is honored to work alongside Lynn and her team as she moves TerrAscend forward and manages the many legal and business considerations the company faces.”
Her journey to the position came from a combination of hard work, determination and a willingness to go the extra mile.
“My experience has brought me to where I am now, which is a highly regulated, extremely entrepreneurial, growing, nascent industry full of twists and turns, which is really fun,” Gefen exclaims.
On any given week, Gefen is pulled in a lot of directions, especially since adding chief people officer to her title about a year ago. Her job includes championing responsible cannabis reform and enhancing industry credibility through rigorous compliance and governance.
“Between managing the heart, soul and culture of the company and the team responsible to grow, develop and deliver the infrastructure, plus on the legal side being pulled in the direction of M&A, public company reporting, litigation—my day is frenetic,” she explains. “There are times when I’m super grateful that I work remotely, because those extra two hours that someone else might be commuting, I can be spending time with the team and cleaning out my inbox.”
Part of her job involves mentoring those who work under her. Given the size and breadth of the teams she manages, this is a vital component of the success of TerrAscend.
“I’m a strong proponent of emotional intelligence and the thing that resonates with me—something I have as a constant reminder on a sticky note in front of me—is ‘Listen to understand rather than listen to reply,’” she explains. “Getting the last word in doesn’t really work when you’re trying to motivate teams. I really work hard to listen to my teams’ perspective before I respond, giving everyone the opportunity to be heard.”
Since joining TerrAscend, Gefen has helped with numerous notable achievements—she’s been instrumental in the acquisition of four businesses in Maryland, renegotiating vital loan agreements and uplisting to the Toronto Stock Exchange.
“When I look back on my three years, I think I really brought a lot of foundation and infrastructure both to the legal team and people team that didn’t exist before,” Gefen says. “Things as simple as having all our historical agreements saved in the right repository. Sure, the deals are important, but I know my legacy will live beyond my being here because I’ve built a strong foundation for growth.”
Reflecting on her career, Gefen absolutely believes she made the right career choice, though she warns it’s not for the faint at heart.
“I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” she smiles. “What I love the most about this industry is not just the twists and turns, not just that every problem has anything but a straight line; as a lawyer, you don’t always get the opportunity to work for a company where the problems you solve acutely can help the business strategically expand. The company has allowed me to help them become a leader in the industry, both in terms of how we think about things and growing for change.”
“Lynn is one of the preeminent legal voices in the cannabis sector. Her compliance-first and people-focused leadership raises the bar for in-house and external counsel throughout the industry.”
–Tom Haren, Partner
“Lynn is an incredibly strategic thinker who is always thinking two steps ahead. TerrAscend has entrusted her with multiple leadership roles for good reason. Collaborating with her is an absolute pleasure.”
–George P. Apostolides, Partner
