Meet the Speakers

Walt Linscott, President COO and General Counsel, Business Development, Biotech Venture, USA
Walt Addison Linscott, Esq. is the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company (OTC:COCP) developing anti-viral drugs for a variety of human diseases. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, he is responsible for all legal, compliance and operational issues affecting the company. His experience spans three decades and he has led global legal teams in the pharmaceutical, medical device and healthcare IT industries for several international companies. In addition to his experience as a General Counsel, Mr. Linscott spent seventeen years in private law practice where he founded the Atlanta, Georgia office of an international law firm and served as the Chair of its global Life Science practice. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Linscott served as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps where he commanded an anti-terrorist force and had responsibility for the safety and security of nuclear weapons. He is a graduate of the University of Oxford with a Diploma in Global Business and holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Dayton School of law where he also served as Managing Editor of the Law Review. He has completed the program in Negotiation at Harvard Law School and the Global Strategic Leadership program at the University of Oxford.

Biotech Venture
Cocrystal is a clinical stage biotechnology company seeking to discover novel antiviral therapeutics as treatments for serious and/or chronic viral diseases. Cocrystal employs unique technologies and Nobel Prize winning expertise to create first- and best-in-class antiviral drugs. These technologies, including nucleoside chemistry expertise and market-focused approach to drug discovery are designed to efficiently deliver small molecule therapeutics that are safe, effective and convenient to administer. The company has identified promising, preclinical and clinical stage antiviral compounds for several unmet medical needs, including hepatitis, influenza and norovirus infections. Cocrystal has previously received strategic investments from Teva Pharmaceuticals, OPKO Health (NYSE: OPK), Brace Pharmaceutical, LLC, and The Frost Group. For further information about Cocrystal, please refer to www.cocrystalpharma.com
Debbie Feinstein, Director, Bureau of Competition, Federal Trade Commission, USA
Deborah L. Feinstein was appointed the Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition (BC) by Chairwoman Edith Ramirez on June 17, 2013. She oversees the Commission attorneys, investigators, and administrative personnel working to enforce the antitrust laws for the benefit of consumers. Feinstein joined the agency from Arnold & Porter, where she was a partner and Chair of the Antitrust Practice Group and specialized in representing clients before the FTC and DOJ. Feinstein began her career at Arnold & Porter and first joined the FTC in 1989 where she served as an Assistant to the BC Director and as an Attorney Advisor to former Commissioner Dennis A. Yao before returning to private practice. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School (1987) and the University of California at Berkeley (1983).

Federal Trade Commission
The FTC is a bipartisan federal agency with a unique dual mission to protect consumers and promote competition. For one hundred years, our collegial and consensus-driven agency has championed the interests of American consumers. As we begin our second century, the FTC is dedicated to advancing consumer interests while encouraging innovation and competition in our dynamic economy.
Mark Ohringer, Global General Counsel, Jones Lang LaSalle, USA
Mark J. Ohringer has been Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated since April 2003. He oversees the firm’s legal, compliance, ethics and insurance programs on a global basis. With over 80,000 employees in more than 80 countries, Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL; www.jll.com) provides comprehensive integrated real estate and investment management expertise on a local, regional and global level to owner, occupier and investor clients. It is an industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, with a portfolio of 3 billion square feet worldwide. Its LaSalle Investment Management subsidiary is one of the world’s largest and most diversified real estate investment management firms, with over $60 billion of assets under management. From April 2002 through March 2003, Mark served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Kemper Insurance Group, Inc., an insurance holding company. Prior to that, he served as General Counsel and Secretary of Heller Financial, Inc., a commercial finance company, since September 2000. He had previously served in various positions of increasing responsibility within the Heller Financial legal services function. Prior to joining Heller, Mark was a Partner at the law firm of Winston & Strawn. He has a B.A. in Economics (summa cum laude) from Yale College and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. In 2011, Mark was named by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the world’s “100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics.” In 2012, he was named by Corporate Board Member as one of America’s Top General Counsel.

Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle is a financial and professional services firm specialising in real estate services and investment management. More than 80,000 people in over 80 countries serve the local, regional and global real estate needs of those clients, growing the company in the process. In response to changing client expectations and market conditions, Jones Lang LaSalle assemble teams of experts who deliver integrated services built on market insight and foresight, sound research and relevant market knowledge.
Ronald Prague, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Synchronoss Technologies Inc., USA
Ronald J. Prague is Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Synchronoss Technologies, Inc., a publicly-held company based in Bridgewater, New Jersey, a position he has held since 2006, where he is responsible for all of the company’s legal affairs. Prior to joining Synchronoss, Mr. Prague held several positions with Intel Corporation, most recently as Group Counsel for Intel's Communication Infrastructure Group. Mr. Prague also practiced law with the New York law firms of Haythe & Curley (now Torys LLP) and Richards & O'Neil (now Morgan Lewis) where he focused on mergers & acquisition, securities, intellectual property, general corporate and litigation matters. Mr. Prague is a frequent speaker at various legal conferences and has written several articles on various legal issues. He has over 25 years of experience doing global transactions in the telecommunications and technology market. He was the recipient of the New Jersey Law Journal 2012 In-House Legal Work Management Award and a finalist for the NJBIZ 2012 New Jersey General Counsel of the Year. Mr.Prague is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Association Corporate Counsel, New Jersey, and is chairperson of the ACC New Jersey Small Law Committee and co-chairperson of the ACC New Jersey Technology Committee. He is also a member of the Livingston Youth Sports Council, the Board of the Livingston Lacrosse Club and the Board of the Livingston High School Girls Soccer Association. Mr. Prague is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Law and received a B.S., with distinction from Cornell University.

Synchronoss Technologies Inc.
Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNCR) provides carriers, broadband/cable operators, device manufacturers, retailers and more with flexible and scalable technology solutions to empower the mobile world. From activation and provisioning to mobile content management, personalized cloud services, location based services and customer care, Synchronoss enables a seamless connected experience regardless of channel, device or operating platform. Synchronoss solutions allow its customers to take advantage of mobility and cloud solutions on a global scale. With Synchronoss, businesses anywhere can offer a broad array of products and services and expand into new market opportunities, all while providing a best-in-class experience.
Philip Richter, Co-Head Mergers & Acquisitions Practice, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, USA
Philip Richter is co-head of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson's Mergers and Acquisitions Practice, resident in the New York office. Mr. Richter represents clients in mergers and acquisitions transactions involving both public and private companies, minority investments, proxy fights and unsolicited proposals, and strategic partnerships and joint ventures. He also advises on corporate governance issues, defensive strategy, securities law compliance and other corporate matters, and frequently represents investment banking firms serving in a financial advisory role. Matters in which he has been involved include Sinclair Broadcasting's pending $6.6b acquisition of Tribune Media; the pending merger of Knight Transportation and Swift Transportation; Media General in its $4.6b merger with Nexstar Media; Humana's $37b proposed sale to Aetna; the spin-off by SPX Corporation of SPX Flow; Media General's $1.6b acquisition of LIN Media; International Rectifier's $3b acquisition by Infineon Technologies; AB Acquisition's $7.4b acquisition of Safeway, representing Kimco Realty, a member of AB Acquisition's investor group; Cargill's $24b split-off and disposition of its 64% stake in The Mosaic Company; the sale of Abraxis BioScience to Celgene Corporation (for which he was recognized by American Lawyer as "Dealmaker of the Week"); the merger of Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough; the merger of BellSouth Corporation and AT&T; Merck & Co.'s spin-off of Medco Health Solutions; and American BioScience's merger with its affiliate, American Pharmaceutical Products, to form Abraxis BioScience. Mr. Richter was recently named an M&A Trailblazer by the New York Law Journal. Additionally, he was profiled by Law360 after being recognized as an "M&A MVP" by the publication. He was also profiled in "Up and Comers of the Deal Economy," a special report published by The Deal. Mr. Richter is consistently recognized by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business as a leading individual in Corporate/M&A. He is also recognized by Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business as a leading individual in Corporate/M&A. He is consistently recognized by Legal 500 in M&A: Mega-Deals and M&A: Large-Deals, and has been recognized in Financial Services: Regulatory. Mr. Richter received his JD from Columbia Law School in 1994, where he was an editor and senior editor of the Columbia Law Review, a James Kent Scholar, a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and a John M. Olin Law and Economics Fellow. He also received the law school’s 1992 Paul R. Hays Prize. He received his BA, magna cum laude, from Yeshiva University in 1991, where he was awarded the school’s economics prize. He is admitted to practice in New York.

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP advises the world's leading corporations and financial institutions on their most critical legal needs and business opportunities. The Firm's approximately 450 lawyers are based in North America and Europe. More information can be found at www.friedfrank.com.
Nishat Ruiter, General Counsel, TED Conferences, USA
Nishat Ruiter is General Counsel of TED conferences, a non profit organization that believes passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. Through creativity, and a deep respect for TED's mission, Nishat's work is centered on ensuring that TED's legal requirements are met through a combination of practical and creative solutions that meets its needs, while still retaining the authentic TED voice across every area where possible. She manages the legal issues with respect to TED's licensing, partnerships, TM, brand protection, TED's code of conduct, data privacy, copyright, transactions and all corporate legal matters. Prior to TED, she worked as Associate General Counsel where she spent ten years in a variety of roles including managing legal issues on all marketing and advertising, M&A integration, and led the North American legal team responsible for the legal review of $1B/year in licensing transactions at CA Technologies. She also worked as Managing Counsel at LivePerson, provided in house counsel legal support to Chubb Insurance, Binary Tree.com and Capco. She is a visiting guest lecturer at Fordham Law School (New York) since 2013, faculty for the Practicing Law Institute, and has served on the Editorial Board of the International In-house Counsel Journal (London). Inspired by a Bahá’í perspective on things, she loves resolving the most complex problems with an elegant solution, but always with coffee on hand. She enjoys music, tennis, hosting Spiritual Cafes in her community to foster meaningful conversations, and finding connectedness with people from all walks of life. She is married and mother of two teenagers. You can follow her on twitter @nishatruiter.

TED Conferences
TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.
Gunnar Wieboldt, General Counsel & VP of Corporate Development, Wearality Corporation, USA
Career mostly spent in-house in a variety of settings such as biopharma, universities, and high technology companies, including Talecris Biopharmaceuticals (now Grifols), UNC at Chapel Hill, and most recently, Wearality Corporation (VR/AR optics VC backed start up). As a corporate generalist had a wide range of responsibilities but always with a particular emphasis on managing and exploiting the intellectual property assets of the company or university and have designed and implemented novel and high impact IP management systems. Earned JD from Harvard Law School, MBA from Duke University, and BA from University of Rochester. Served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Wearality Corporation
Wearality Corporation is a venture backed virtual and augmented reality optics company based in Silicon Valley and Orlando, FL built on platform technologies exclusively licensed from Lockheed Martin.
Gerald Stein, Attorney, Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Competition, Northeast Region, Federal Trade Commission, USA
Gerald A. Stein is an attorney in the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission, Northeast Region, where he investigates and litigates enforcement actions involving merger and anticompetitive conduct matters in a wide variety of industries. Prior to joining the FTC in 2009, Gerald was counsel at the New York office of O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where he was a member of the Firm’s Litigation Department and Antitrust and Competition Group from 2004 to 2009. From 1997 to 2004, Gerald was a senior associate in the Litigation Department of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. From 1993 to 1997, Gerald practiced at Bower & Gardner and then Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker. While in private practice, Gerald represented major corporations in a wide range of antitrust actions, including class actions and multidistrict litigation, involving allegations of anticompetitive and deceptive trade practices. He has broad experience representing clients in state and federal actions. Gerald is in the leadership of the American Bar Association, Section of Antitrust Law, currently serving as a Vice-Chair of the Content Delivery Committee. His prior positions in leadership include Chair and Vice-Chair of Programs and participation in other task forces. Gerald is on the Executive Committee of the Antitrust Section of the New York State Bar Association, and is Chair of the Unilateral Conduct Committee. He formerly served as Chair of the Mergers Committee. Gerald frequently writes and speaks on various issues regarding antitrust law and litigation practice. He is an Adjunct Lecturer for Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining in Sports, Master of Science in Sports Business Program at the New York University School of Professional Studies. Gerald earned his J.D., cum laude, from Pace University School of Law, where he served on the Pace Law Review, and earned his B.A. from Tufts University.

Federal Trade Commission
The FTC is a bipartisan federal agency with a unique dual mission to protect consumers and promote competition. For one hundred years, our collegial and consensus-driven agency has championed the interests of American consumers. As we begin our second century, the FTC is dedicated to advancing consumer interests while encouraging innovation and competition in our dynamic economy. The FTC develops policy and research tools through hearings, workshops, and conferences. We collaborate with law enforcement partners across the country and around the world to advance our crucial consumer protection and competition missions. And beyond our borders, we cooperate with international agencies and organizations to protect consumers in the global marketplace. Competition in America is about price, selection, and service. It benefits consumers by keeping prices low and the quality and choice of goods and services high. By enforcing antitrust laws, the FTC helps ensure that our markets are open and free. The FTC will challenge anticompetitive mergers and business practices that could harm consumers by resulting in higher prices, lower quality, fewer choices, or reduced rates of innovation. We monitor business practices, review potential mergers, and challenge them when appropriate to ensure that the market works according to consumer preferences, not illegal practices.
Mark Whitener, Executive Counsel, Competition Law & Policy, General Electric Company, USA
Mark Whitener is Senior Counsel, Competition Law & Policy at General Electric Company, based in Washington, D.C. From 1993 to 1997 Mark was Deputy Director of the Federal Trade Commission?´ Bureau of Competition, where he was responsible for a variety of antitrust enforcement and policy initiatives and helped develop federal antitrust guidelines for mergers, health care, intellectual property and international enforcement. He received the FTC's Distinguished Service Award in 1997. A graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, Mark spent several years in private practice in Washington and London prior to joining the FTC. He has written, spoken, and testified before Congress on a wide range of antitrust issues. Mark is Editorial Chair of the ABA Antitrust Section?´ Antitrust Magazine. He is married and has three children.

General Electric Company
General Electric (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in New York and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. As of 2016, the company operates through the following segments: Power & Water, Oil and Gas, Aviation, Healthcare, Transportation and Capital which cater to the needs of Financial services, Medical devices, Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical, Automotive, Software Development and Engineering industries.
Ari Ferziger, Associate General Counsel & Director, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., Israel
Ari Ferziger is Associate General Counsel and Director at Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI). At IAI, Ari manages a team of lawyers involved in complex international sales. Ari also leads efforts in regard to global corporate transactions, including: M&A opportunities; new company structure and financing; and joint-venture formation. After studying law at Northwestern University, Ari began his career in the corporate department at Debevoise & Plimpton in NY, worked at Shibolet, Yisraeli in Tel Aviv, worked on venture capital investments in the tech sector in a large private equity group, and joined the legal department at IAI in 2005.

Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.
Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) is a leading aerospace company, selling a diversified range of products in the commercial and defense sectors around the world. IAI’s 15,000 employees design, manufacture and sell in over 90 countries. IAI is a world leader in robotics and unmanned systems, space / satellite systems and avionics/ radar/ sensor technologies. IAI also incubates technologies that transition across sectors and are part of Israel’s exciting “Start-Up Nation” economy.
Paul Coletti, Associate Patent Counsel, Johnson & Johnson, USA
Mr. Coletti is an Associate Patent Counsel of Johnson & Johnson, where he has been employed since 1987. At J&J, Mr. Coletti has overall patent responsibility for J&J’s Medical Devices companies. His practice extends over all fields of patent law, including prosecution, litigation and client counseling. He is also active in various patent and industry organizations, such as the US Chamber of Commerce, IPO, AIPLA and AdvaMed, and serves on the USPTO-EPO Bar Liaison Group. He is also active in giving presentations to various patent-related organizations, and has had various publications over the years, including in IICJ. Paul has a BS in Mechanical Engineering (1980) from Polytechnic Institute of New York (now part of NYU); an MS (1981), also in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University; and a JD (1985) from the University of Notre Dame. Prior to joining J&J, Mr. Coletti served as an associate in a patent boutique in Chicago, where he dealt with all aspects of intellectual property law. He also worked as an engineer for a brief time with Bell Laboratories.

Johnson & Johnson
World's Largest Healthcare Company
Mark Ohringer, Global General Counsel, Jones Lang LaSalle, USA
Mark J. Ohringer has been Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated since April 2003. He oversees the firm’s legal, compliance, ethics and insurance programs on a global basis. With over 80,000 employees in more than 80 countries, Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL; www.jll.com) provides comprehensive integrated real estate and investment management expertise on a local, regional and global level to owner, occupier and investor clients. It is an industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, with a portfolio of 3 billion square feet worldwide. Its LaSalle Investment Management subsidiary is one of the world’s largest and most diversified real estate investment management firms, with over $60 billion of assets under management. From April 2002 through March 2003, Mark served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Kemper Insurance Group, Inc., an insurance holding company. Prior to that, he served as General Counsel and Secretary of Heller Financial, Inc., a commercial finance company, since September 2000. He had previously served in various positions of increasing responsibility within the Heller Financial legal services function. Prior to joining Heller, Mark was a Partner at the law firm of Winston & Strawn. He has a B.A. in Economics (summa cum laude) from Yale College and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. In 2011, Mark was named by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the world’s “100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics.” In 2012, he was named by Corporate Board Member as one of America’s Top General Counsel.

Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle is a financial and professional services firm specialising in real estate services and investment management. More than 80,000 people in over 80 countries serve the local, regional and global real estate needs of those clients, growing the company in the process. In response to changing client expectations and market conditions, Jones Lang LaSalle assemble teams of experts who deliver integrated services built on market insight and foresight, sound research and relevant market knowledge.
Allison Brecher, Senior Assistant General Counsel & Director of Information Management & Strategy, Marsh & McLennan Companies, USA
Allison Brecher is a Senior Litigation Counsel and Director of Information Management & Strategy of Marsh & McLennan Companies, a global financial services company with more than 50,000 employees in over 100 countries. She started and oversees the Company's ediscovery program and handles complex litigation, subpoenas, government investigations, internal reviews. She also co-wrote a book eDiscovery Plain & Simple: a plain English crash course for attorneys, which explains information technology and electronic discovery which is used in several law schools. She speaks and writes about ediscovery, data privacy, employee benefits, and related topics.

Marsh & McLennan Companies
Marsh & McLennan Companies is a publicly-traded financial services company, focusing on risk management, insurance, outsourcing, investment consulting for clients globally.
Bob Hubbard, Assistant Attorney General, New York State Attorney General's Office, USA
I am an Assistant Attorney General in the Antitrust Bureau of the New York Attorney General’s office, where I have worked since 1987. This website (www.roberthubbard.net) specifies my employment, education, admissions, and memberships and lists my books, papers, and presentations. The website also includes some videos. I welcome your comments.

New York State Attorney General's Office
New York State Attorney General's Office
Stephen Tsoris, Vice President, Secretary & General Counsel, SPX Corporation, USA
Stephen A. Tsoris was named vice president, secretary and general counsel of SPX FLOW, Inc. in September 2015. Prior to that, Ms. Tsoris was named vice president, secretary, general counsel and an officer of SPX Corporation in April 2015. Mr. Tsoris joined SPX in 2008 as the assistant general counsel, corporate development, where he played a major role in many significant acquisitions, divestitures and strategic ventures. Prior to joining SPX, Steve was a partner at Gardner Carton & Douglas LLP where in addition to working with a wide spectrum of clients across most industries, he supported SPX on over fifty M&A transactions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from Marquette University, and earned his JD degree from Cornell Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Cornell International Law Journal.

SPX Corporation
Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, SPX FLOW is a global multi-industry manufacturing leader with approximately $2.5 billion in annual revenue, operations in more than 35 countries and over 8,000 employees. The company's highly-specialized, engineered products and innovative technologies are helping to meet rising global demand for electricity and processed foods and beverages, particularly in emerging markets. SPX FLOW, Inc. 13320 Ballantyne Corporate Place Charlotte, North Carolina 28277
Bruce Fox, Retired Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary, The Main Street America Group, USA
Bruce R. Fox is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary with The Main Street America Group headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Mr. Fox’s duties include state and federal regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions, complex transactions, corporate governance and litigation management. After a long career as an insurance defense litigator, handling civil trials and appeals in US state and federal courts, Mr. Fox became in-house counsel with The Main Street America Group, first by managing its staff counsel operations in Massachusetts before moving into a corporate counsel role and eventually becoming general counsel. Mr. Fox spent many years as an adjunct professor at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts and is the author of several legal articles published in US national law journals.

The Main Street America Group
The Main Street America Group is a US-based property/casualty insurance company providing insurance products to individuals and businesses throughout the US. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, The Main Street America Group offers a wide range of commercial and personal insurance products, as well as fidelity and surety bond products, to "Main Street" individuals, families and businesses through eight property/casualty insurance carriers. In addition, The Main Street America Group participates in a global catastrophe reinsurance program that provides reinsurance coverage to direct insurance programs world-wide. A.M. Best Company gives the Main Street America Groups insurance carriers a financial strength rating of "A" (Excellent) and an issuer credit rating of “A+.” The Main Street America Group is the founding company partner of Trusted Choice®, the branding program of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America.

 

Participants' Opinion