HONOREE

Manav Kumar

Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel
AECOM
Yale Law School

Manav Kumar is currently the senior vice president, deputy general counsel of AECOM, a leading infrastructure consulting firm delivering professional services throughout the project. In this role, he also serves as corporate secretary and oversees AECOM’s public affairs initiatives, including government relations and communications. He previously served as vice president and chief of staff to the chairman & CEO of AECOM.

In addition to his leadership position within AECOM’s legal function over the past two years, Kumar has led or played a key part in several of the company’s most transformative and critical projects. He co-led the multi-year process to spin-off and ultimately sell the company’s government services division in 2020, including its $4 billion in annual revenue and 19,000 employees. Similarly, he co-led a set of three subsequent transactions between 2021 and 2022 to divest a series of construction-related businesses and complete AECOM’s strategic shift into a professional services firm.

Kumar played an integral role as AECOM successfully navigated two years of public issues with shareholder activism and managed the governance and public relations aspects of the company’s transition of its executive leadership and board of directors. He continues to play a similar role in many of the company’s complicated or controversial initiatives, recently including the issuance of the first dividend in the company’s history, the move of the company’s corporate headquarters, and leadership of its government relations function during the legislative process that yielded the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Prior to joining, Kumar served both as deputy counsel to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and chief Olympics officer for the City of Los Angeles during its successful pursuit of the 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games. As the Mayor’s chief aide on the bid for the 2028 Games, he managed mayoral and city efforts related to the bidding process, including the substantive development of the proposed Games plan, drafting and negotiation of key legal agreements, coordination with the International Olympic Committee, and management of local, state, and federal relationships.

PUBLIC COMPANY: 1001-5000 EMPLOYEES FINALISTS

Eli Todd Chayet

West General Counsel
Skanska
Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

Todd Chayet has been West U.S. general counsel for Skanska, an international construction and development company, for seven years. Skanska completes $1 billion per annum transit and highway construction in the West Coast. In Southern California, Skanska is the largest transit builder including the LA Metro Expo2, Regional Connector, Purple Line Phase 1 Subway, and 6th St. Bridge. Chayet oversees all of Skanska's legal positions and teams and interfaces productively with LA Metro staff and has creatively made great partnerships in Los Angeles’ infrastructure delivery.

Previously, Chayet was at Cole Pedroza in San Marino. He has been practicing construction law in California for more than 20 years. Known by his peers and colleagues to have repeatedly proven himself to be a great leader, Chayet mentors many within Skanska as well as outside the company. As his team attests, he is a “true infrastructure legal professional.”

Rebecca Marquez

General Counsel
Ring
UCLA School of Law

Rebecca (Becky) Marquez’s depth of experience navigating complex areas of law and crafting impactful solutions sets her apart as a leading in-house attorney. She is a key leader at Ring, the company dedicated to making neighborhoods safer with a smart home security product line and the Neighbors app. Bringing nearly 25 years of legal experience to her current role, Marquez joined the Ring team in 2017 and oversaw the acquisition of Ring by Amazon in 2018. As a trusted leader, she manages an extensive legal team in addition to products and services offered globally. Her diverse responsibilities include strategic initiatives, product development and launches, and privacy matters, among others.

While Ring is well-known for its video doorbells, the company continues to innovate whole-home security. Marquez is intimately involved in launching and exploring new products and services, assessing key considerations for offerings and overseeing any international expansion.

Phuong Phillips

Chief Legal Officer
Zynga
UCLA School of Law

As the chief legal officer for Zynga, Phuong Phillips oversees all legal affairs and government relations for the company. She has more than 18 years of experience in Silicon Valley, serving as legal counsel for notable technology companies and law firms, including Tesla, SolarCity and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

Phuong decided to take the position at Zynga nearly five years ago because of the company’s mission for positive change and the four women board directors (Zynga’s board is 50% women). As a refugee who escaped Vietnam by boat decades ago, the cause aligned with her passion to give opportunities to the underprivileged. At Zynga, Phuong aims to change the perception of women in gaming. Recognizing the underrepresentation of women and people of color in the industry, she has taken measurable steps to close the diversity gap, beginning with the composition of her legal team.