Vanessa Watson joins JSL’s Chief Diversity Officer, Vickie Hubbard, for the sixth episode of Not Your Average DEI Podcast! In this episode, Vickie and Vanessa discuss Vanessa's decision to join the legal industry, the importance of mentorship and sponsorship to young lawyers, and the issue with retention at law firms.
Vanessa Kaye Watson is the Senior Vice President, Assistant General Counsel for Consumer Solutions at Mastercard. In this role, Vanessa manages a global team of attorneys responsible for Network and Digital Payment Services, Blockchain & Digital Currencies, Foundry, Consumer Products for Issuers, Acceptance Solutions, Segment and Fintech Solutions and Optimization and Economics.
Prior to her current role, Vanessa served as lead counsel for a few groups: Franchise, Public Policy, Compliance and New Customer Types, North America region of Mastercard’s Data and Services business, Services Lead for North American Markets, and global partnership counsel for Data and Services.
Before joining Mastercard in 2011, Vanessa was a senior associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges. Vanessa graduated from Fordham University School of Law and is a member of both the New York and New Jersey State Bar.
In addition to her day job, Vanessa enjoys and has spent her entire legal career giving back through not-for-profit board memberships, volunteerism, and mentoring.
