Noah Hanft, who most recently served as general counsel, corporate secretary and chief franchise officer for MasterCard Worldwide, has joined the advisory and coaching division of BarkerGilmore, a New York-based boutique executive search firm. 

New dimension

BarkerGilmore say that as the newest member of a team of Fortune 500 general counsel and chief compliance officers, Mr Hanft brings his considerable financial services and technology sector expertise to the strategic counsel, leadership development, and other services BarkerGilmore advisors provide to legal and compliance departments, ceos, and boards across the country, including general counsel recruiting and placement. In making the announcement, Robert Barker, managing partner of BarkerGilmore, said Mr Hanft’s breadth and depth of experience adds another dimension to clients seeking to bring out the best in their people and take their organization to the next level.  “Noah Hanft is considered to be one of the most outstanding global corporate legal executives of his generation.  He is recognised by his peers for his legal expertise, business judgement, vision, and leadership, all while managing a complex legal team and advising the c-suite and board of a premier financial services organization.”

Career veteran

After he joined MasterCard in 1984, Mr Hanft held positions of increasing responsibility within the law department, including senior vice president, US counsel and assistant general counsel, ultimately becoming general counsel in 2001. He briefly left MasterCard from 1990 to 1993 to become senior vice president and assistant general counsel at AT&T Universal Card Services. His career began as a trial attorney with the criminal division of the Legal Aid Society in New York City. Most recently, Mr Hanft was the president and ceo of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR), a non-profit organization created by general counsel with a mission to find the most effective means to prevent and resolve business conflict. He is also recognised globally for his abilities as an independent arbitrator, mediator and advisor to companies on dispute resolution strategies, serving on a number of panels including the American Arbitration Association.