The GC's Role in Creating an Ethical Business Culture

Howard S. Lavin uses a risk-management approach to help clients navigate complex, always-changing employment laws. He provides practical, business-savvy advice on employment issues involving discrimination and harassment, diversity, discipline and discharge of problem employees, downsizings, wage-and-hour matters, and the labor and employment ramifications of mergers and acquisitions.

Howard counsels a diverse group of clients across various industries, including insurance, entertainment, health care, finance and manufacturing. He also serves as outside general counsel for several not-for-profit organizations in the workers’ compensation area, including a rate service organization. Howard represents clients in labor and employment litigation, managing workforce change, negotiating compensation and severance packages, and developing personnel policies and procedures. He regularly conducts management and supervisor training seminars on topics including sexual harassment, employment discrimination, conducting investigations and worker classification issues.

Howard serves as an officer and board member of several not-for-profit organizations, counseling small businesses and conducting workplace training.

Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers both have recognized Howard’s stature within the labor and employment bar.

Penny Tehrani is a Managing Director & Head of Corporate Legal for Nomura Holding America Inc., supporting Nomura’s global investment banking and financial services operations in the Americas. Nomura is headquartered in Japan and has over 27,000 employees globally. Ms. Tehrani provides legal advice and services on a wide range of corporate matters to Nomura and Instinet group companies in the Americas.

Prior to joining Nomura in 2005, Ms. Tehrani worked as a Litigation Associate at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan in New York and represented many multi-national companies in the financial services, insurance, real estate and other industries. Prior to her tenure at Stroock, Ms. Tehrani held various corporate roles in compensation and benefits with Oppenheimer Funds and Cowen & Company (a.k.a. SG Cowen).

Ms. Tehrani graduated with high honors from Brooklyn Law School (J.D.) and with honors from Binghamton University (B.A.). She is a member of the Bar in the State of New York.

Christine M. Castellano is the Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer for Ingredion Incorporated, a NYSE listed company. In this capacity, Christine is responsible for the worldwide management of the company’s legal affairs. Christine provides advice and counsel to the company’s Board of Directors, officers and management, and directs activities of internal and outside legal counsel around the world.

She is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel, the Illinois State Bar Association, The Conference Board Council of Chief Legal Officers, the MAPI Law Council, and the North Shore General Counsel Association. She has served as a member of the American Bar Association International Section Publications Committee and Corporate Counsel Committee, and was formerly Communications Officer and Division Chair of the Americas and Middle East Division of the Section. She was named by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the 2016 Attorneys Who Matter and by the Illinois Diversity Council in 2017 as one of the Top 15 Business Women in Illinois. In April 2017, Christine received the Anti-Defamation League’s Women of Achievement Award.

Christine serves on the Board of Trustees of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation (Chair of Grant Committee), and The John Marshall Law School, and is a member of the Womens’ Board of the Chicago Zoological Society (Co-chair of Education and Outreach Committee). She is a member of The Economic Club of Chicago and The Chicago Network.

Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR) is a leading global ingredients solutions provider specializing in nature-based sweeteners, starches and nutrition ingredients and bio-material solutions. With customers in more than 100 countries, Ingredion serves approximately 60 diverse sectors in food, beverage, brewing, pharmaceuticals and other industries.

Stephanie is the Labor, Employment & Compliance Counsel at Brunswick Corporation.

Meredith has had a diverse legal career in Chicago starting out in private practice where she litigated tort actions. A large portion of her litigation included defending a Fortune 100 petroleum company.

Meredith then served as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Cook County, Illinois in both the civil and criminal divisions. She then took her experience to the State of Illinois where she contributed to the Illinois Department of Public Aid and then served as Deputy General Counsel to the Department of Central Management Services.

Meredith then served as in-house counsel for Accenture, an international technology consulting firm.

Currently, Meredith is VP, General Counsel & Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer for Alliant Credit Union, an $8.5 billion dollar financial cooperative, in Chicago, Illinois. There, she oversees the Legal & Compliance Department, the Ethics Program and is a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Meredith is known for bringing pragmatic and creative business and legal solutions to her clients. Her consultative approach, coupled with her energy, positivity and thorough knowledge of the law, enable her to add value to the management team of her organization. Meredith enjoys leading her diverse team and helping them realize and maximize their potential.

Meredith chaired the Standing Committee on Women and the Law of the Illinois State Bar Association as well as the Young Lawyers Division. Currently, Meredith is on the Board of Directors of the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law, the Board of Managers of the Chicago Bar Association, the Board of Directors of the Alliant Credit Union Foundation and is a co-chair of the Operations Sub-committee of the American Bar Association Credit Union Committee.

Meredith Ritchie, a Chicago native, graduated from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY and obtained her JD from DePaul College of Law in Chicago.