Lions Gate lands former O’Melveny lawyer as new GC 

Media and entertainment business Lions Gate Entertainment has hired Bruce Tobey as its new general counsel, according to a regulatory filing and first reported by Bloomberg.

Tobey joins from O’Melveny & Myers, where he was a partner and co-chair of its entertainment, sports and media practice in Century City. Tobey joined the company in March, replacing Corii Berg who left the company in December, according to the filing. Lions Gate Entertainment owns the Lionsgate movie studio and Starz pay TV and streaming business, which it says it intends to split. Lionsgate is responsible for movie franchises including the Hunger Games and John Wick and TV shows such as Mad Men and Weeds.

Tobey spent more than 10 years at O’Melveny & Myers, having previously been chief operating officer of CBS Films, where he oversaw all matters related to movie development, production and distribution. He was also formerly executive vice president of Paramount Pictures, where he oversaw its business, legal and administrative operations, and before that GC of Broadband Sports. He started out in private practice at Hill Wynne Troop & Meisinger (which later became Troop Steuber Pasich Reddick & Tobey before it merged with Akin Gump after Tobey’s departure).

The filing didn’t give a reason for Berg’s departure, who still lists Lionsgate as his employer on LinkedIn. He spent just under five years at the company, having previously spent more than 19 years at Sony Pictures Entertainment in a variety of roles, latterly as senior executive vice president of Sony Pictures Television. He also worked in private practice at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.

Beer giant Molson Coors ends three-month search for new CLO

Global beer-maker Molson Coors Beverage Company has appointed Natalie Maciolek as its chief legal and government affairs officer, replacing Anne-Marie D’Angelo who stepped down in April after just over a year in the job.

Maciolek joins from luxury bathroom and kitchen business Kohler, where she was general counsel and corporate secretary. At Molson Coors she will be responsible for all legal matters spanning corporate governance, securities law and compliance. She will be based in the company’s Chicago headquarters. Molson Coors owns beer brands including Carling, Cobra, Coors, Fosters and Grolsch.


Gavin Hattersley, Molson Coors’ CEO, said: “Natalie’s breadth of experience providing trusted and strategic counsel will be a tremendous asset to Molson Coors and our legal team across the globe. She’s an extremely people-centric leader and impressed me with her focus on supporting and growing employees, which has been a hallmark of her 20+ year career.”

Maciolek spent a decade at Kohler, joining as a senior staff attorney and working her way up to lead attorney, assistant GC and then GC in 2018. She started her career in private practice at Quarles & Brady, where she worked for nine years, around two of them as partner.

She said: “I am thrilled to be joining Molson Coors and its long history of uniting people in celebration. I was attracted to the company’s family roots, values and commitment to putting people first. It’s an exciting time for the company, and I look forward to working together to achieve our ambition.”


D’Angelo said that she was stepping down from the role for personal reasons, according to a regulatory filing. The company said she will provide legal consulting services until the end of the year, though D’Angelo was able to terminate the contract at any time from the middle of June, the filing said. She previously had in-house roles at NiSource, Global Brass & Copper and McDonalds. She started her career in private practice at Burke Warren MacKay & Serritella.

Ad company adm promotes legal director to GC as former GC promoted to regional CEO

Equistone-backed global marketing agency adm Group has named Yagiela Marius as its new group general counsel, replacing Sophia Malik who has been appointed CEO for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

Marius first joined adm back in 2018 as group legal director. In that role she was responsible for all of the company’s operational legal affairs, including commercial contracts, insurance, data protection and dispute resolution across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas.

Ed Colflesh, group CEO of adm, said: “Yagiela’s broad legal and commercial experience combined with her enthusiasm and technical expertise will serve her well in shaping our legal team into the future.”

Prior to joining adm, Marius spent six years at Colt Technology Services, most recently as head of employee relations and employment law. She also spent eight years as legal counsel at Interoute and before that was a contract manager at Applix and NEC.


Malik becomes CEO of the EMEA business after seven years as group GC. Like Marius, she was also previously at Colt. Prior to that, she worked in private practice at legacy firm Olswang, now part of CMS, and William Fry.

Colflesh said: “Sophia’s extensive leadership capabilities, strategic client focus and pioneering mindset make her the ideal candidate for her new role.”

Hotelbeds names former Grupo Dia GC as new legal head

Spanish traveltech business Hotelbeds has appointed Sagrario Fernández as its new general counsel.

Fernández arrives from Spanish supermarket chain Grupo Dia, where she GC and compliance officer. At Hotelbeds, she will lead the company’s legal, governance, risk and compliance teams and will also serve as company secretary and on its executive committee.

Nicolas Huss, CEO of Hotelbeds, said: “Sagrario will play a key role in leading our strategic initiatives and will take Hotelbeds to new heights. We are confident that, thanks to her extensive knowledge and experience, she will further strengthen our position as a leader in the global travel industry.”

Fernández spent just under four years at Grupo Dia, having joined from Spanish gaming and sports betting company Codere, where she was also GC and compliance officer. She previously had stints at security business Prosegur (as GC and board secretary), IECISA (as chief of legal), Iderbanda (as chief of legal and HR) and Indra (as manager of the corporate legal department). She started her career as a corporate lawyer at Spanish firm Garrigues.


She said: “Hotelbeds has established itself at the forefront of the traveltech sector, and I look forward to contributing to its continued success. I am confident that together we will lead strategic initiatives and strengthen governance to ensure we meet the highest standards.”

Andersen promotes long-time lawyer to CLO after veteran legal chief retires

US window and door-maker Andersen Corporation has appointed Andrea Nordaune as its new chief legal officer, replacing Alan Bernick who is retiring after 23 years with the company.

Nordaune has been with Andersen since 1998 in a number of legal roles, becoming general counsel and assistant corporate secretary earlier this year. She will oversee a team of more than 25 professionals across its legal, audit, procurement, compliance and regulatory affairs departments. She is the first woman to serve as Andersen’s legal head.

Chris Galvin, Andersen’s president and CEO, said: “Andrea’s deep understanding of our industry, coupled with her exemplary judgement, make her the perfect person to lead our legal department. I have no doubt that she will play a pivotal role in guiding and protecting our business interests as we continue to grow the business, expand employment opportunities and support our local communities.”

Bernick retired at the end of June after 23 years at Andersen, having previously spent 17 years at Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly.

Galvin thanked Bernick for his years of service, saying: “His expertise and unwavering commitment have played a significant role in shaping our organisation. Alan leaves behind a remarkable legacy, and we are grateful for the lasting impact he has made.”

Oportun promotes deputy GC to CLO role

US digital banking platform Oportun has promoted Kate Layton to chief legal officer, replacing Joan Aristei who has stepped down after around nine years with the company.

Layton has been with Oportun for almost eight years, most recently as deputy general counsel and corporate secretary.

Raul Vazquez, CEO of Oportun, said: “Kate has a long and successful track record of working closely with the entire board and leadership team at Oportun, and has already assumed the expanded responsibilities of chief legal officer. I look forward to continuing to work with Kate in the service of our members and our mission.”

Layton joined Oportun in 2015 as senior corporate counsel before working her way up to become assistant GC in 2017 and deputy GC in 2020. Her first in-house role was at cloud company ServiceNow, having worked in private practice as a corporate associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and McDermott Will & Emery.

Aristei was GC and chief risk officer at Oportun for five years, having originally joined as vice president for regulatory, legal and compliance. She was previously a director at Citi, where she was head of investment finance and banking product compliance for Citi’s private bank. She was also chief compliance officer and assistant GC at JPMorgan Chase and managing counsel at Toyota Financial Services before that.