Alice Eldridge brings more than 25 years of expertise to her role as general counsel and secretary of BAE Systems, Inc., one of the world’s largest aerospace, defense and security companies. In this role, she sits on the company’s senior leadership team and board of directors.
Helping lead a company of 35,000 U.S. and international employees through a difficult and dynamic year was no small feat. The legal organization — which includes legal, international trade compliance, ethics, security and contracts — required agility, flexibility, creativity and resilience to respond to 2020’s unique challenges. Along the way, the team honed its video-conferencing skills and mastered the mute button.
“There is no doubt that last year was a tough one for so many organizations and people alike,” Eldridge said. “I’m incredibly proud of how our team came together to support each other and our employees as we helped our customers meet their critical national security missions.”
Why Watch
In addition to working to improve efficiencies, remain proactive and stay abreast of upcoming risks and opportunities, Eldridge and her team are doubling down on driving diversity, equity and inclusion deeper into the organization and the legal profession.
“Our commitment to DE&I has been and remains a core value,” Eldridge said. “We are increasing our efforts to ensure that our external law firms understand this commitment and support us with diverse teams.”
Read the rest of the “Top 15 General Counsels to Watch in 2021” list here.