The secrets of women rainmakers – how to become one and how to create a culture that develops them

As the chief marketing officer at two of the world’s most successful law firms, and as a national marketing professional at a global management consultancy, Deborah Farone has mastered the skills of professional services marketing, business development and communications. With expertise in creating strategic firm-wide marketing programs in the U.S. and abroad, Deborah brings a diverse range of skills to each unique situation her clients face. She is also the author of the book "Best Practices in Law Firm Business Development and Marketing" (PLI 2019) and is a regular columnist for Forbes. Deborah was the first person to be hired to create and operate a marketing program for Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, acknowledged as one of the country’s most admired law firms and is one of the CMOs recognized for helping to found the business development and communications profession at law firms. Her clients have included some of the country’s leading law firms, jury consultants and professional advisors. In addition to her highly regarded work for law firms in the strategic marketing and communications counseling spheres, she has established and led marketing and business development efforts in management consulting, advertising and public relations firms. Deborah was nominated by her peers as the first recipient of the Legal Marketing Association’s Legacy Award in recognition of her contribution to the profession. She has lectured in the U.S. and in Europe, taught numerous marketing classes and has served on the faculty of New York University.

Naana is a partner in DLA Piper’s white collar defense group, the U.S. representative to DLA Piper’s Africa Board, a board member of DLA Piper’s Global Scholarship Program, and a member of Yale University President’s Council on International Activities. As a former U.S. federal prosecutor with over 15 years of experience conducting a broad array of investigations both in private practice and in public service, she has extensive experience defending companies and individuals in high-profile civil and criminal matters brought by various prosecutors and regulators in the U.S. and all over the world. Her practice includes white collar criminal defense, internal corporate investigations and government enforcement actions, including violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, compliance consulting, international arbitration, and international disputes. While Naana's practice is global in its reach, she has a particular focus on Africa and is spearheading DLA Piper’s US/Africa business engagement. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago), she served as lead counsel on dozens of felony investigations and prosecutions, including various financial fraud schemes and transnational narcotics trafficking matters. She obtained federal grand jury indictments on dozens of cases, successfully tried several financial fraud jury and bench trials to verdict, and briefed and argued appeals before the US Courts of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Naana obtained a B.A. from Amherst College, a J.D. from Yale Law School and an LL.M. in International Crime and Justice jointly from the University of Torino and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute. Naana is a dual US/Ghana national, was raised in Ghana and Botswana and her native language is Twi/Ashanti. Naana regularly speaks, writes and trains on topics related to anti-corruption and good governance, white collar crime, corporate compliance, trial advocacy, international arbitration, and Africa-related issues generally.

Nadège Nguyen is a partner in Gide's Mergers & Acquisitions/Corporate practice group. Her practice covers domestic and cross-border acquisitions and corporate matters, in particular in the industrial, hotel and agribusiness, food & beverage sectors, as well as private equity. Nadège Nguyen recently advised KPS Capital Partners on the acquisition of Winoa, Angelo Gordon on the acquisition of a portfolio of hotels from Gecina and AccorHotels in relation to its joint venture with SNCF on the brand Orient Express. She also advises on a regular basis Pernod Ricard and Air France. Nadège has been elected Chair of Lex Mundi in 2013 and is a member of Gide's Management Committee.

Described as “incredibly intelligent” and “impressive” by interviewees in Chambers USA (2019), Lande Spottswood is an accomplished corporate lawyer who focuses her practice on large and complex strategic transactions, often in the energy and industrial sectors. Her clients include public and private companies, as well as private equity firms. Lande advises on mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, restructurings, spinoffs, and joint ventures, as well as preferred investments and other capital-raising transactions. She also provides counsel on general corporate issues and she advises boards of directors and special committees with respect to conflicted transactions. Since the beginning of 2010, Lande has advised participants in more than 30 public company mergers or change-of-control transactions. She also counseled clients involved with many of the largest MLP transactions of the last decade. Lande is regularly recognized as a leading M&A practitioner by legal trade publications, including Chambers USA for her Corporate and M&A practice, and by Legal 500, Texas Lawyerand Super Lawyers. An interviewee cited in her Chambers 2018 profile noted that Lande “demonstrates depth of knowledge in her field” and “most importantly, has gotten good results no matter what the task.” In addition to her client work, Lande serves as head of talent for V&E’s Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Markets practice and she co-leads the firm’s Women’s Initiative program in Houston. She also serves as a Deputy Practice Group Leader of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Markets group and is a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Some of her recent experience includes representing Blackstone Infrastructure Partners in its $3.3 billion acquisition of a controlling interest in Tallgrass Energy and subsequent agreement to purchase all outstanding publicly-held, and RSP Permian in its $9.5 billion sale to Concho Resources, creating the largest unconventional shale producer in the Permian Basin.