Jhan Lennon
When describing his more than 20 years in law, Jhan Lennon characterizes it as a career that found him, and his lifelong passion for the field with the subject led him to where he is today—general counsel. As senior vice president and general counsel of a global consumer products company that delivers products to major retailers like Walmart and Lowe’s, Jhan handles the universe of legal issues, from licensing to acquisitions to intellectual property management, helping the company avoid infringement while also developing IP, protecting them on both sides of potential issues. Currently, much of his energy has been focused on navigating the company through the ongoing pandemic, specifically the issues surrounding supply chain paralysis and bottlenecks that have left no industry untouched.
As COVID-19 descended, the first priority was keeping the company’s staff safe while formulating policies that encouraged collaboration in an age of a remote workforce. Next, he addressed the challenges of the supply chain. This meant not only understanding the legal aspects of contracts, but developing a diplomatic, human approach to these extenuating issues to work together with their retail partners to come up with the best possible solution. “We started the conversation with our partners early on because we knew it was real,” he says. “That was key to our success. We provided real boots-on-the-ground analysis, worked together, and came up with a solution for everyone.”
It’s the collaborative effort with people from different backgrounds and perspectives, all joining in pursuit of a common goal that gives Jhan the greatest satisfaction in his work, and one that he believes is the best way to get things done right. “It has to be a partnership approach,” he says. “We’re all in this together; let’s find a solution.”
As member of the Florida and Massachusetts bars, Jhan served as a guest speaker and panelist at the Foley Lardner Intellectual Property Conference Fall 2021.
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