Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer & Corporate Secretary, Ciena
Search every verified David Rothenstein interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a 2018 appearance, David M. Rothenstein, then Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Ciena, described the legal department as a "strategic driver for the business" that balances moving the company forward with minimizing risks and liabilities. He stated that he "deeply believe[s] in the company and its strategy" and that he helps set and implement that strategy as part of the executive team, while also expressing a desire to continue "delivering value for our shareholders." Rothenstein noted that the legal team is involved in all aspects of the product lifecycle, including intellectual property and customer-facing deals, and that the company's leadership is "deeply involved in understanding the business" to enable an agile and flexible company. He also said he looked forward to Ciena "driving more deeply into next-generation software" as network operators change their approach to designing and operating networks.
“I deeply believe in the company and its strategy; as part of the executive team, I help to set and implement the strategy, and over the past couple of years, it's proven to be very effective. However, at the end of the day, I still think there's more to do in delivering value for our shareholders.”
“The legal department is a strategic driver for the business, moving the business forward while also making sure that we're minimizing our risks and our liabilities. It's a difficult balance sometimes, but it's something we do consistently quite well.”
“From our CEO to our executive team to our senior leadership on down, everyone is deeply involved in understanding the business, which enables us to be actively involved in making decisions and enabling an agile, more flexible company.”
“One thing I'm really looking forward to for CIENA is driving more deeply into next-generation software as network operators change the way they think about designing, architecting, and operating networks.”
“Our intellectual property lawyers are very much involved in all aspects of the product lifecycle, ensuring that legal considerations are integrated from a technology standpoint.”
“On the customer-facing side, we have teams sitting in front of customers every day making sure that we're not just doing deals cleanly but shaping creative, thoughtful deals that work for both CIENA and for our customers.”
“People like working here because of the professional development opportunities; if you're willing and able to do so, you can really move the needle and make a difference and effect change.”
Meet Ciena's David M. Rothenstein, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. For more on David M. Rothenstein, ...
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