“Future of Technology: Issues for Washington and the World” with Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer of Microsoft
February 16th, 2017 7:00AM -8:30AM
We are at the dawn of an era of profound transformation. A new generation of technology innovation is delivering capabilities that promise to expand economic opportunity and address some of humanity's most pressing problems. But cloud computing is creating disruption as well. People question the safety of their communities, the future of their jobs, and the prospects for their children. To ensure that technology benefits everyone in the world, and not just the fortunate few, will require new steps by tech companies, the non-profit community, and forward-looking government policies and laws.
Please join the World Affairs Council and World Trade Center in welcoming Microsoft president and chief legal officer Brad Smith for a discussion on Microsoft’s vision of the need to create a cloud-based technology era that is trusted, responsible, and inclusive – a cloud for global good.
This event is part of the 2016-2017 Community Programs Local Leaders on Global Issues Series
Seattle is a global brand, known for its innovation and entrepreneurialism. From personal computing to coffee, from how we travel to how we shop, greater Seattle has changed the world. Global challenges—whether in the economy, trade, or politics—are inherently local challenges. Join the World Affairs Council and the World Trade Center Seattle for a new series exploring how Seattle’s business leaders are addressing some of the global challenges they and their peers face.
A hot breakfast will be provided at this event.
About the speaker:
Brad Smith is Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer. In this role Smith is responsible for the company’s corporate, external, and legal affairs. He leads a team of more than 1,300 business, legal and corporate affairs professionals working in 55 countries. These teams are responsible for the company’s legal work, its intellectual property portfolio, patent licensing business, corporate philanthropy, government affairs, public policy, corporate governance, and social responsibility work. He is also Microsoft’s chief compliance officer. Smith joined Microsoft in 1993, and before becoming general counsel in 2002 he spent three years leading the Legal and Corporate Affairs (LCA) team in Europe, then five years serving as the deputy general counsel responsible for LCA’s teams outside the United States. Smith grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, where Green Bay was the big city next door. He attended Princeton University, where he met his wife, Kathy (also a lawyer), and graduated summa cum laude with a concentration in international relations and economics. He earned his J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law and studied international law and economics at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. Prior to joining Microsoft, he was an associate and then partner at the Washington, D.C.-based firm of Covington and Burling, where he is still remembered as the first attorney in the long history of the firm to insist (in 1986) on having a personal computer on his desk as a condition for accepting a job offer.
About the moderator:
Adriane Brown is President and Chief Operating Officer for Intellectual Ventures (IV), the leader in the business of invention. Before joining Intellectual Ventures, Ms. Brown served as President and CEO of Honeywell Transportation Systems. Prior to Honeywell, Ms. Brown spent 19 years at Corning, rising to the position of VP & General Manager of Corning’s Environmental Products Division. Ms. Brown holds a Doctorate Degree in Humane Letters and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Health from Old Dominion University. She holds a Master’s Degree in Management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was a Sloan Fellow. Ms. Brown currently serves on the board of directors for the Washington Research Foundation, the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Harman International Industries, Inc., Pacific Science Center, and Jobs for America’s Graduates. Ms. Brown is the recipient of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award, the Grace Hopper Award for outstanding achievement, and recognized as Women of Influence by the Puget Sound Business Journal, among others. Ms. Brown is also recognized for mentoring emerging talent from all walks of life and for developing future leaders.