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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented global crisis, including notable disruptions of international trade and supply chains, which have presented new challenges and risks to companies doing business internationally. During the program, speakers highlighted key weaknesses that have been exposed in food system supply chains in the wake of the pandemic including, among other things, a lack of diversity in suppliers, vulnerabilities in off-shore sources of supply and a lack of contractual remedies to effectively deal with interruptions in the supply of key products and services.

 

Author

Gloria Santona is Of Counsel in the Chicago office of Baker McKenzie. Gloria served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of McDonald's Corporation. Since 1977, she held positions of increasing responsibility in McDonald's legal department, serving as US General Counsel from December 1999 to June 2001 and corporate General Counsel from June 2001 until 2017. As a member of the company's executive leadership, she was actively involved in the company's growth strategy. She led the company's worldwide legal, risk, compliance and regulatory function. Widely respected in the legal profession, Gloria was named an Outstanding General Counsel by the National Law Journal and has been recognized as one of America's Top General Counsel by Corporate Board Member magazine. Under Gloria's leadership, McDonald's legal department won numerous awards for its commitment to diversity and pro bono.

Author

Scott D'Angelo is a member of Baker McKenzie's International and Commercial practice in Chicago. Prior to joining the Firm, Scott was vice president, deputy general counsel and chief compliance officer for Fortune Brands Home Security, providing strategic leadership and guidance on a broad range of complex business transactions, regulatory compliance issues and corporate governance matters. Prior to this role, he served in a variety of different roles of increasing responsibility for McDonald's Corporation, including general counsel for McDonald's US west and east divisions and its Asia, Pacific, Middle East and Africa business unit. In each such role, Scott was a key member of the senior leadership team, providing guidance on international franchising matters, licensing and distribution transactions and international regulatory compliance. Scott also worked for more than seven years as a litigator in private practice, with an emphasis on commercial and employment litigation and arbitration matters, and has served as an adjunct professor at North Central College and John Marshall Law School, teaching Business Law and Legal Writing.

Author

Christina Conlin is a member of Baker McKenzie's International and Commercial practice in Chicago. Prior to joining the Firm, Christina was chief compliance officer for McDonald's Corporation's European operations, providing strategic leadership and guidance on regulatory compliance and corporate governance for 39 markets across Europe, Central Asia and North Africa. She also previously served as general counsel in McDonald's US central division, where she led a legal team that advised the company and senior leadership on franchising, supply chain, real estate and operational matters. Christina also worked for more than a decade as a trial lawyer in private practice, representing franchisors, distributors, real estate developers, manufacturers and others in court and arbitration. Christina has been named to the 2017 Crain's Chicago Business List of Most Influential Women Lawyers in Chicago and 2018 Crain’s Chicago Business List of Most Notable Women Lawyers in Chicago.

Author

Geert Bovy is a partner in the International Commercial & Trade and Dispute Resolution Practice Groups in the Brussels office. He joined Baker McKenzie in 2001. Geert was a teaching assistant in procedural law at KULeuven from 2006 to 2009.