Cerence hires next GC, Lenovo's former litigation head

Cerence hires next GC, Lenovo's former litigation head

The world's top automotive law firm hires an AI software developer with a strategy background for top legal position

Lenovo's former litigation head has been hired by Cerence, a voice-powered AI company developing digital assistants for automotive customers.

Earlier 2022, Nasdaq-listed Burlington, Massachusetts-based company Sanjay Dhawan left to head enterprise firm Symphony AI. Jennifer Salinas joins during the company's leadership shake-up under new CEO Julian Curtis.

Stefan Ortmanns has hired Salinas to succeed Leanne Fitzgerald, who resigned in Feb 2022 to "pursue another opportunity," according to a public filing. A new CFO is also on board.

A Massachusetts federal court filed a class-action suit against Cerence, alleging the company misled investors about how a global semiconductor shortage would impact demand for its products. Salinas will assume her new responsibilities from 4th April, 2022.

Salinas was described by Ortmanns as "an excellent, key addition to my leadership team as we continue to drive the business forward, create a high-performance culture and produce better results for our stakeholders".

In his previous position, Salinas spent two years at Troutman Sanders in California, specializing in intellectual property and patent litigation before moving to Lenovo's US headquarters in North Carolina. In 1998, she began her career in private practice at Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth and in 2008 joined Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton. At Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, she focused exclusively on intellectual property law.

Her career at Lenovo spanned just over four years and she described herself as both a "lawyer by trade" and a "strategist by heart". Following her appointment as general counsel of the company's infrastructure solutions group in 2020, she joined the tech giant to lead its global litigation department in 2018.

Salinas' responsibilities at Lenovo included overseeing joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, brand protection and securities law disclosure documents, among others.

Cerence's general counsel, Fitzgerald, started working with the company when it was launched in 2019 from local rival Nuance Communications. To assist the transition of her responsibilities, she agreed to stay till the end of the financial year after her resignation.

Earlier March 2022, Tesla has employed three people to lead the legal department. Its head of compliance currently serves as acting head of legal and corporate secretary.