Houston speakers 2026

PRESENTS

Houston

Stop Presenting. Start Connecting.

Houston, are you ready to lead the next legal conversation? We’re not looking for polished slide decks or generic talks. We want real legal leaders – General Counsel, Managing Partners, and Legal Tech builders, who’ve navigated regulatory shifts, scaled with automation, and built solutions that actually work. After the caliber of speakers from Google, Zendesk, McAfee, and global privacy and AI leaders in San Francisco, we’re bringing that same bold energy to Houston, a city built on grit, growth, and global impact. This is your moment to share hard-won insights and shape what’s next for the legal industry.

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SPEAKERS

Monica Romelina Sijabat

Founder & Managing Partner at MRS Business Professional

Charles N. Bowen

Adjunct Professor at Georgia State University College of Law, USA

Brian Hinman

Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Cote Global, Inc.

Akash Gobardhan

Legal Partner at KGL Tax & Legal NV

Zackery Wavrusa

Senior Counsel, Texas Health and Human Services Commission – Office of the Inspector General

Alejandro Galván

Head of Legal & Data Privacy Officer at Petco Mexico

Gabriella Neal

Global Sanctions & ITC Counsel / Data Privacy Counsel at Halliburton

Joe Valentine

International Trade Compliance Counsel Licensed Attorney (Washington D.C., Florida, North Carolina)

Hanna Steinbach

General Counsel at Harness

Suneet Gautam

Assistant General Counsel, at Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

Mark Chavez

General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Applied Digital

David Klaponski

Legal Counsel at Vancouver Coastal Health

Flora A. Francis

Managing Legal & Compliance Counsel, Americas at Burckhardt Compression (US) Inc.

Taylor Smith

Regional Sales Manager at FindLaw & Super Lawyers

Monica Romelina Sijabat

Founder & Managing Partner at MRS Business Professional

Monica Romelina Sijabat is the Founder & Managing Partner at MRS Business Professional, based out of Jakarta, Indonesia, with an office in Washington DC, USA. MRS is a specialised Tax Consultancy Organization with expertise in Transfer Pricing, Tax Advisory, Audit, Review, Litigation, Compliance, and Review. Her professional background is as a Chartered Accountant, Tax Attorney & Tax Consultant with more than 20 years of experience. She has currently a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics & Business, University of Indonesia (FEB UI) since 2018 until now & at the Faculty of Administrative Sciences, University of Indonesia (FIA UI) in 2017. In 2011, she was also a Brevet C Tax Instructor as well as a Main Member in the Association of Indonesian Accountants. She has an educational background and is an alumna of the Economics faculty at the University of Indonesia and an alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School in the field of Economic Development with the Executive Certificate.

Charles N. Bowen

Adjunct Professor at Georgia State University College of Law, USA

Charles Bowen is founder and principal at Legal Path LLC, providing legal and advisory services in M&A, commercial contracts, GRC (governance risk and compliance), and technology implementation. Charles also is an adjunct professor at Georgia State University, where he teaches at the College of Law on Innovation in the Practice of Law, and at the Robinson College of Business on the Legal and Ethical Environments of Business. Charles has worked for the past 25 years with Cox Enterprises and the Cox Family Office, where he served as General Counsel, Compliance Officer, and a member of the Audit & Risk Committee. He also serves on the Advisory Board of CoreCLM, a contract automation platform.

Brian Hinman

Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Cote Global, Inc.

Brian Hinman is Chief IP Officer at Cote Global, investing IP capital into growth-stage tech companies. With over 30 years in intellectual property, he has held senior roles at Aon, Philips, IBM, Verizon, and InterDigital, and co-founded Unified Patents Inc. At Philips, he led a global team of 400+, managing IP strategy, litigation, standards, and monetization. At Aon, he helped establish market standards for IP valuation, securing $2B in IP-backed loans. Inducted into the IP Hall of Fame in 2023, Brian also received the Q. Todd Dickinson Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a published author, speaker, and industry advisor.

Gabriella Neal

Global Sanctions & ITC Counsel / Data Privacy Counsel at Halliburton

Gabriella Neal is a dual licensed attorney in Mexico and in the state of New York, with vast experience in the legal and compliance landscape for multinational companies while understanding the cultural nuances and business mindsets. Gabriella is currently the Global Sanctions & ITC Counsel, as well as Data Privacy Counsel for Halliburton while also assisting with investigations. She was the former Latin America Compliance Counsel and Sr Counsel for Mexico at Weatherford for 8 years. Prior to that she was at Halliburton for 11 years holding various positions including Counsel for Mexico and Northern Latin America Counsel. Gabriella holds an LLM degree from the University of Houston and the Universidad Anahuac of Mexico City and a law degree from the Tecnologico de Monterrey.

Joe Valentine

International Trade Compliance Counsel Licensed Attorney (Washington D.C., Florida, North Carolina) Licensed Customs Broker, Certified Global Sanctions Specialist, Intel

Joe is an experienced international trade compliance counsel, licensed in DC, FL, and NC with over 25 years of experience in EAR and ITAR export controls, OFAC sanctions, and Customs compliance as well as trade remedies. He is also a Licensed Customs Broker and Certified Global Sanctions Specialist. His work experience includes working in trade regulatory positions for two Governments viz. the United States and India, as well as in-house Counsel for several major corporations, and lead Trade/Sanctions/Customs Counsel for a large Washington DC based international trade law firm. His experience spans the manufacturing, technology, telecommunications, energy, mining, automotive, semiconductor, and reinsurance business sectors. He has developed import and export compliance policies, provided expert guidance in resolving complex issues, conducted investigations, filed disclosures, and conducted training in customs, sanctions, and export controls. He has published a Customs compliance textbook and has presented at various national and international conferences.

Hanna Steinbach

General Counsel at Harness

Hanna is Harness General Counsel and oversees the company’s global legal function. At Harness, she launched the company’s global AI compliance program, led several M&A initiatives, and oversaw its most recent Series E financing round. Prior to joining Harness, Hanna served as Medallia’s Chief Legal Officer, leading the company’s Legal, Policy, and Compliance functions. During her tenure, Medallia grew from under 1,000 to over 3,000 employees, completed a successful IPO, and was ultimately taken private through a private equity buyout. She secured several significant litigation wins, oversaw the acquisition and integration of multiple companies, and played an instrumental role in both the IPO and the take-private transaction. Before Medallia, Hanna practiced with international law firms in Vienna, San Francisco, and Berlin, focusing on antitrust and competition law, privacy, and international corporate matters. She also worked at the World Intellectual Property Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, directly sponsored by the German government. Hanna holds law degrees from the Vienna School of Law, Stockholm University, and Berkeley School of Law.

Akash Gobardhan

Legal Partner at KGL Tax & Legal NV

Akash Gobardhan is a seasoned legal and tax professional with over a decade of experience advising leading organizations across Suriname and the wider Caribbean. His career began in 2011 as a legal officer within the insurance sector, after which he transitioned to KPMG Meijburg Caribbean as a Tax & Legal Compliance Officer, supporting major players in the natural resources industry. Following the closure of KPMG Suriname, Akash joined EY Dutch Caribbean, where he was instrumental in establishing and leading the firm’s Suriname practice, managing advisory and compliance services for international clients. In 2019, he advanced to Kenswil & Co as Senior Manager, specializing in Oil & Gas, Mining, M&A, corporate structuring, and labor law advisory. He continued these responsibilities after the firm’s merger with HBN Law & Tax in 2022. In July 2023, Akash co-founded KGL Tax & Legal, where he now serves as Legal Partner, supporting both tax and legal engagements with a strong focus on Suriname’s Oil & Gas sector. Known for his leadership, strategic insight, and multidisciplinary expertise, Akash has built a respected reputation across industries including natural resources, construction, insurance, banking, and telecommunications.

Zackery Wavrusa

Senior Counsel, Texas Health and Human Services Commission – Office of the Inspector General

Zack Wavrusa is an experienced trial advocate. He has tried more than 100 felony criminal cases to verdict as a prosecutor for Rusk County, Texas, and he has recovered millions of dollars for Medicaid that would have otherwise been lost to fraud, waste, and abuse in his current role at the Texas Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General. Zack has also produced numerous articles and presentations on trial advocacy topics for the Texas District and County Attorney’s Association. He has served as a faculty advisor for Baylor University School of Law’s voir dire bootcamp, and is a member of the State Bar’s Criminal Pattern Jury Charge Committee.

Alejandro Galván Illanes

Head of Legal & Data Privacy Officer at Petco Mexico

Mexican lawyer with over 20 years of experience in administrative law, regulation, data privacy, compliance, anti-corruption, and ethics. Currently, responsible for Legal, Regulatory, and Government Relations for Mexico and Chile at Petco Mexico. Former Director of Transparency for the Secretariat of the Interior in the Mexican Federal Government. Professor and lecturer at various academic and professional institutions, with knowledge and experience on topics such as compliance, anti-corruption, personal data protection, government regulations, strategic planning, public administration, and constitutional and administrative law. Opening speaker at the IV National Congress of Public Management in Brazil, representative of the Federal Executive Branch in forums on transparency and access to information, co-author of a book on municipal regulations, and a contributor to a journal specializing in public service.

Suneet Gautam

Assistant General Counsel, at Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

Suneet Gautam is Assistant General Counsel for Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., where he serves as lead product and commercial counsel for the Server‑Enterprise business unit and the Server Solution Group engineering organization. Previously, Suneet was lead counsel for the Graphics R&D Engineering Organization, where he advised on AI, hardware, and software development, hardware IP development and licensing, and served as the legal lead for open‑source compliance. Before joining AMD, Suneet was a Staff Attorney with P180 Investments, supporting legal matters for its portfolio of software companies. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and the University of Kentucky.

Mark Chavez

General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Applied Digital

Mark Chavez is the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Applied Digital, bringing over 23 years of legal experience across energy, technology, and renewables. He leads the company’s legal strategy, ensuring compliance and managing risk to support growth. Before joining Applied Digital, Mark served as in-house counsel for multiple leading energy companies, handling complex matters in litigation, regulatory investigations, mergers and acquisitions, debt refinancing, and corporate governance. His background includes guiding organizations through environmental emergencies, restructurings, and high-stakes transactions. Known for his ability to navigate multifaceted legal challenges, Mark plays a critical role in driving operational excellence and safeguarding the company’s interests.

David Klaponski

Legal Counsel at Vancouver Coastal Health

His work focuses on data protection, privacy, and legal issues related to the use of technology, including artificial intelligence. Before joining Vancouver Coastal Health, he worked in private practice advising Canadian, US, and international technology clients on corporate, commercial, privacy, and regulatory matters. He also teaches business law at Douglas College in British Columbia.

Flora A. Francis

Managing Legal & Compliance Counsel, Americas at Burckhardt Compression (US) Inc.

Flora A. Francis is an accomplished legal and compliance executive with deep experience across federal law enforcement and global corporate environments. Born in rural Georgia as one of five siblings to educator parents, she graduated with honors from Glenn Hills High School in Augusta before earning a Psychology degree from Oberlin College and a JD from Cornell Law School. Flora began her career as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, trying more than 20 cases, including work in the Sex Crimes Bureau. She then represented the FDA in administrative, civil, and criminal matters, later serving at the U.S. Department of Justice, where she advised the FBI, DEA, and the Office of the Inspector General. In the private sector, she held senior roles at Microsoft, GE, Wood Group, and Fluor, leading investigations, compliance, and international arbitration matters. Flora now serves as Managing Legal and Compliance Counsel for Burckhardt Compression, supporting legal and compliance operations across the Americas.

Taylor Smith

Regional Sales Manager at FindLaw & Super Lawyers

Taylor Smith is a Regional Sales Manager at FindLaw & Super Lawyers, where he leverages over a decade of technology experience to help law firms and attorneys enhance their brand awareness and visibility in local markets. A University of Georgia graduate with a degree in Finance, Taylor specializes in guiding legal professionals through the evolving digital landscape, helping them connect with clients when it matters most. At FindLaw & Super Lawyers, a legal technology leader at the forefront of AI innovation, Taylor works with cutting-edge directory solutions that ensure legal customers appear prominently in search results. Their expertise bridges the gap between technology and legal marketing, empowering attorneys to build stronger practices through strategic digital positioning and enhanced online presence.

Diane Borges de Carvalho

In-House Lawyer at PRIO

Diane Carvalho is a Tax Executive and leader with over 20 years of dual-track experience in Big Four consulting and multinational Oil & Gas corporate leadership. Currently serving as the Head of Tax for PRIO S.A., she specializes in complex Brazilian and international tax planning, M&A structuring, and corporate restructuring, ensuring legal certainty and fiscal optimization for influential national and global groups. Diane is deeply committed to shaping the future of tax regulation, actively contributing as an author of multiple Tax Law publications and an engaging speaker at major international and Brazilian events. Her multidisciplinary background includes an Executive MBA (COPPEAD/UFRJ), a Law Degree (PUCRS), and an Accounting Degree (Cândido Mendes), providing a robust foundation for strategic leadership. Diane is a passionate, highly proactive leader dedicated to promoting a meritocratic, collaborative, and inclusive culture.

Fernanda Garza Magdaleno

Founding Partner at Garza Magdaleno, S.C.

Fernanda Garza is a founding partner at Garza Magdaleno, S.C., specializing in Antitrust and International Trade Law. With over 20 years of experience, she advises national and multinational companies, combining private practice with public service, including roles at COFECE, the Mexican Ministry of Economy, and the WTO. She has led high-profile antitrust cases, international trade disputes, and free trade agreement negotiations. Recognized by Chambers & Partners, Legal500, and Best Lawyers, Fernanda has authored books and lectured on WTO and international law. Since 2025, she coordinates the Antitrust Chapter of the Mexican Bar Association and champions inclusive professional development through AbogadasMx and Women at Competition.

Daniel E Quitian Rodriguez

Supplier Contracts & Legal Counsel, SLB

Daniel Quitian is an LL.M‑qualified lawyer with 14 years of experience in corporate governance, commercial and corporate law, foreign exchange regulations, and tax law. Formerly with Schlumberger (SLB) for seven years, he has built a strong track record supporting global contracting operations, complex negotiations, and cross border compliance frameworks. Based in Houston and originally from Colombia, Daniel brings a global and business aligned perspective to legal risk management and strategic operational support. His work focuses on integrating legal insight into organizational decision making, ensuring that commercial objectives are achieved within sound governance and regulatory structures. Daniel advocates for an evolved view of the General Counsel role one that balances strategic leadership with rigorous compliance stewardship. Recognized for his pragmatic judgment and collaborative approach, he is committed to empowering legal and business teams to navigate emerging risks, strengthen ethical practices, and drive sustainable, well governed growth.

Davina Amiri

Senior Counsel at TE Connectivity

Davina Amiri is Senior Counsel at TE Connectivity’s Digital Data Networks business, supporting hyper-growth in data center and edge/IoT hardware. She leads commercial transactions and provides strategic legal advice, ensuring compliance while enabling business expansion. Previously, she advised AI startups on commercial and regulatory matters at Presidio Legal, a top-25 VC law firm, and served as Senior Legal Counsel at Dell Technologies, earning awards for closing the company’s largest deals. She also led her own practice supporting high-growth tech companies, was US Head of Legal at fintech World First, and practiced at Sidley Austin. Davina is a two-time Super Lawyers Rising Star.

Sean Parker

Head of Sales, SmartAdvocate

Sean Parker is a legal and business professional with a strong foundation in both law and technology. He graduated pre-law from Florida Gulf Coast University and earned his Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. After law school, Sean spent many years working with one of the largest personal injury law firms in Colorado, where he gained deep, hands-on experience with high-volume litigation, complex case management, and the operational realities of modern law firms. Through that work, Sean developed a passion for improving efficiency, accountability, and outcomes through better legal technology. Today, he serves as the Head of Sales for SmartAdvocate, a leading case management platform used by law firms nationwide. In this role, Sean partners with attorneys and legal teams to help them streamline workflows, scale their practices, and leverage technology to deliver better results for their clients.

Dawn Tezino

Senior Corporate Counsel, Labor & Employment, and Investigations at CITGO Petroleum Corporation (“CITGO”)

Ms. Tezino is Senior Corporate Counsel, Labor & Employment, and Investigations at CITGO Petroleum Corporation (“CITGO”). Her primary responsibilities include counseling multiple stakeholders including C-Suite Executives, Vice Presidents, General Managers, and senior HR business partners on a wide range of commercial and labor and employment issues under Title VII including but not limited to employee discipline, terminations, employee leaves under long-term and short-term disability, FMLA and ADA. She also has experience in labor relations, including arbitration, collective bargaining, unfair labor practice charges, and providing advice regarding the National Labor Relations Act. Moreover, Ms. Tezino works in close partnership with the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer and his team to supervise privileged investigations and efficiently manage external counsel and their budgets to guarantee compliance with the Company’s fiscal policies, core values and ethical standards. Her dedication to meticulous legal service has been instrumental in navigating intricate legal landscapes, reinforcing CITGO’s corporate integrity.

Nikki Chriesman‑Green

Senior Employment Counsel, Amdocs Inc.

Nikki Chriesman‑Green is Senior Employment Counsel at Amdocs, a global technology company, where she partners with executives and HR leaders worldwide to address complex employment and labor law issues. She plays a key role in the company’s global mergers and acquisitions activities, leveraging AI‑driven tools to enhance due diligence, assess employment‑related risks, and support strategic business decisions across jurisdictions. Nikki also serves as an adjunct professor at Texas A&M University School of Law, coaching moot court teams and mentoring future lawyers. A respected leader in the legal community, Nikki is a director on the Executive Board of the Tarrant County Bar Association and chairs its Diversity Committee. She has previously chaired the African American Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Texas and served as president of the L. Clifford Davis Legal Association.

Kelline Linton

Senior Legal Counsel – Sustainability & ESG at Shell USA, Inc.

Kelline Linton is Senior Legal Counsel, Sustainability & ESG at Shell, one of the world’s largest energy companies. At Shell, Kelline serves as the Americas focal for the corporate Sustainability & ESG Legal team. She advises on a broad range of ESG-related legal matters impacting Shell, including sustainability governance, regulatory and voluntary ESG reporting and climate-related disclosures, carbon mechanisms for decarbonization, US and Group energy transition strategies, ESG policy and advocacy, and sustainability claims and messaging. Prior to Shell, Kelline worked as an attorney in the Houston offices of Baker Hostetler and Locke Lord. A graduate of Pepperdine University School of Law, Kelline is licensed to practice in both California and Texas. She also serves on the Board of Houston Volunteer Lawyers, the largest provider of pro bono legal services in Harris County and the surrounding areas.

Chad Nicholl

General Counsel at Aptia Group

Kelli Clester Wayland

Senior Corporate Counsel at Baker Hughes

Kelli Clester Wayland is Senior Counsel for Digital Industrial & Energy Technology at Baker Hughes, a leading global energy technology company. In this role she leads legal strategies for digital and industrial energy technologies, focusing on complex commercial and sourcing projects that support the company’s innovation and growth in energy and industrial markets. Her primary focus supports Baker Hughe’s digital innovation priorities while ensuring compliance and effective risk management across dynamic technologies and industrial ecosystems. Baker Hughes is a global energy technology provider headquartered in Houston and London.

Sabrina Tulon

Senior Corporate Counsel at CITGO

Sabrina Tulon serves as Senior Corporate Counsel at CITGO Petroleum Corporation. She advises cross‑functional teams on cybersecurity, data privacy, and responsible AI; supports the Lubricants business with contract drafting and negotiation, marketing initiatives, and day‑to‑day legal needs; manages corporate procurement agreements and counsels on credit, bankruptcy, and tax. Born and raised in France, Sabrina is licensed to practice in France and in Texas, has negotiated contracts in 60+ countries, and holds an LL.M. in Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Law from the University of Houston Law Center.

Marianne Ibrahim

(former) Chief Compliance Officer at ChampionX

MARIANNE IBRAHIM was the Chief Compliance Officer at ChampionX with operations in over 60 countries, which was recently acquired by SLB. She was responsible for global ethics & compliance and global trade compliance and sanctions across the enterprise. She managed internal investigations, compliance audits of foreign subsidiaries, joint ventures and commercial sales representatives in high risk and emerging markets, global risk assessments, and third party governance. She served as the Co-Chair of the Enterprise Risk Management (“ERM“) Committee and provides guidance on inherent and residual risks. Marianne worked closely with the business and gatekeeper functions to monitor and continually improve governance and internal controls. She served as the Chair of the Artificial Intelligence Governance committee and was the executive sponsor for Human Rights. She enjoys working in a global jurisdiction and has travelled to 92 countries.

John Poliak

Assistant General Counsel, Commercial Law at Halliburton

John Poliak is Assistant General Counsel, Commercial Law, at Halliburton, supporting its global digital, AI, cloud, and software businesses for energy sector customers. He is a seasoned intellectual property and commercial attorney with deep business and engineering experience. As a trusted advisor, he advances evolving technologies and commercial strategies while effectively managing legal and operational risk.

Angeles Garcia Cassin

Partner at Sheppard Mullin

Angeles Garcia Cassin is a partner in Sheppard’s Houston office with extensive experience in corporate investigations, whistleblower defense, and crisis management for Fortune 50 companies. She has led more than 50 investigations into workplace misconduct and has defended employers facing whistleblower claims before OSHA. She is skillful at resolving high-stakes matters with significant PR risk before litigation arises. Drawing on her trial expertise, Angeles advises clients on how juries may interpret case facts and the adequacy of company investigations. She also counsels on compliance, policy development, corrective actions, and risk mitigation. Angeles has achieved early dismissals and defense wins in major discrimination, retaliation, and FLSA matters, and represents clients before the Department of Labor, DOJ, and EEOC. Named to Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America since 2021, she is Texas-admitted, fluent in Spanish, and frequently speaks on labor and employment law topics.

Guilhem Becvort

Partner at White & Case

Houston

Stop Presenting. Start Connecting.

SPEAKERS

Monica Romelina Sijabat

Charles N. Bowen

Brian Hinman

Akash Gobardhan

Zackery Wavrusa

Alejandro Galván

Gabriella Neal

Joe Valentine

Hanna Steinbach

Suneet Gautam

Mark Chavez

David Klaponski

Flora A. Francis

Taylor Smith

Monica Romelina Sijabat

Charles N. Bowen

Brian Hinman

Gabriella Neal

Joe Valentine

Hanna Steinbach

Akash Gobardhan

Zackery Wavrusa

Alejandro Galván Illanes

Suneet Gautam

Mark Chavez

David Klaponski

Flora A. Francis

Taylor Smith

Diane Borges de Carvalho

Fernanda Garza Magdaleno

Daniel E Quitian Rodriguez

Davina Amiri

Sean Parker

Dawn Tezino

Nikki Chriesman‑Green

Kelline Linton

Chad Nicholl

Kelli Clester Wayland

Sabrina Tulon

Marianne Ibrahim

John Poliak

Angeles Garcia Cassin

Guilhem Becvort

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