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Want a peak behind the curtain into one of the best places to work in cybersecurity and the minds of the innovators behind the industry’s leading security operations platform? Tune in to The Howler podcast!
Hosted by Chelsea Lowman, People Experience Specialist, and Mary Newville, People Experience Senior Manager, the culture duo connects with pack leaders on leadership insights, mental health and overall wellbeing, and how they lead their teams to advance our mission of ending cyber risk.
The Howler
Episode 9 - Andy Hill
Chelsea Lowman 0:00
Hi, welcome back to the Howler Podcast. I'm Chelsea.
Mary Newville 0:03
I'm Mary.
Chelsea Lowman 0:05
And we are on episode nine of the podcast, which is wild. I feel like I say this every podcast episode because I do. But it's just so exciting that we're here. Like, I remember when we were dreaming this up like a year ago. And now we are already on Episode Nine plus our bonus episodes. So we're really on episode 11.
Mary Newville 0:28
That's wild. Yeah, we continue. It's been fun to get good feedback from Pack members. Right before we hit record on the podcast. Chelsea was just telling me what a conversation she had with a colleague who was listening to the podcast with Andrew, last month. And we love that conversation as well. I think we were just talking about how Andrew was so natural. And it was fun to learn more about who he is and his family and his personal life because he was just so easygoing. Yeah,
Chelsea Lowman 0:58
for sure. So thank you all for continuing to listen, we're really enjoying doing this, and getting to know people better. And we hope that we get to keep doing this for many, many months and years to come. There's a lot of pack members. Like, there's a lot of people to introduce, you know, and get to know. Well, actually,
Mary Newville 1:18
Chelsea and I mapped out one interview a month to get through our entire executive team. And well, our President's Council team, and I think our plan goes through fiscal year 26. Right? Yeah, it goes into actual calendar year 2026, which is 27. Yeah, oh, my gosh, that's wild. Yeah. But we'll see with your listener feedback, like we want to make sure if you're listening in Switzerland, or South Africa, or Australia that you feel connected to the PAC community, regardless of where you are back in the day, everyone knew each other because we'd walked down the same offices and halls and beyond town halls where everyone knew everyone. So this is kind of a way to stay connected, and really get to know our leaders personally, even if you're not walking the halls with them, wherever they are. Well, should
Chelsea Lowman 2:06
we get to know our next leader?
Mary Newville 2:07
I think we should. I'm genuinely so excited for this conversation. Because Andy Hill seems like the nicest person ever. Yeah,
Chelsea Lowman 2:17
I've only I actually just interacted with him in person for the first time. Last week, I think, um, and he was just so friendly. Just like emitting positive energy. Like it was a quick walk by but I was like, oh, Andy seems like a nice guy. So I'm like, looking forward to getting to know him better.
Mary Newville 2:36
Yeah. And I feel like while he probably can't tell us really any of his cool stories and secrets. I'm like, I'm so curious. Just to get a peek into though mind in the world of a chief legal officer.
Chelsea Lowman 2:48
Mm hmm. Yeah, same way. I'm
Mary Newville 2:51
like, Andy, I want you to tell us some juicy stories. But he brought like at Glasgow, we're gonna see what could happen maybe from like a prior workplace. True.
Chelsea Lowman 3:02
It's, it's his birthday. Maybe he'll be a little more open to have some fun. We'll see. Okay,
Mary Newville 3:11
so we're so excited to sit down with Andy Hill. He's our chief legal officer and General Counsel. Andy brings more than 25 years of executive leadership and legal experience with a focus on helping technology disruptors effectively manage rapid expansion and scale. In his role, Andy leads the legal team and Arctic Wolf bringing significant experience advising both private and publicly held companies on technology transactions, corporate governance, security, compliance and international expansion. Previously, he served as the SVP general counsel and security and secretary at RMS Inc, and as general counsel at C three, formerly C three energy, and prior to that, a ton of other experience as well. He holds a bachelor's degree from Brown University and a Juris Doctor and Masters of Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the Wharton School. Okay,
Chelsea Lowman 4:06
Andy, welcome to the podcast. We're so excited to have you here.
Andy Hill 4:10
Now. Well, thank you. I'm excited to be here.
Chelsea Lowman 4:15
And he was telling us just before this that were his first podcast, and I must say, I'm really honored to be your first podcast interview ever.
Andy Hill 4:23
I'm excited. This is a first so yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
Mary Newville 4:27
Yeah, I keep saying Andy, I'm genuinely so excited because you seem like the nicest human ever. And also tonight, we're talking about you know, being the chief legal officer, we don't see you, you know, at all hands and the things as much as we see like Nick and some of our other executive, so I'm genuinely so excited to get to know you better and learn about your world. Great. Great.
Andy Hill 4:50
Happy to be here.
Mary Newville 4:51
Okay. I'm noticing you have an American flag on your shelf. Were you did you serve?
Andy Hill 4:58
No, no, I didn't. My father did though. And he died a few years ago. And I got the flag from his service. Oh, that's nice. Yeah. So I like to keep it. It's a nice, a nice memento of my father and the work that he did. So,
Mary Newville 5:14
absolutely. Well, we're grateful for your father's service. Yeah,
Chelsea Lowman 5:19
thanks. Thanks. Um, and before we jump into the questions, we'd be remiss not to say we are recording this on Andy's birthday. So happy birthday to
Andy Hill 5:30
you. Thank you. Great way, great way to celebrate. It's a great way to celebrate. Love it. Yes.
Mary Newville 5:36
Okay, actually, I feel like this is not planned. But Andy, we have a tradition in HR on people's birthdays, or we make them share their rose buckthorn for the last year of their life. So rose is a highlight of the last year. Thorn is kind of like a negative from the last year. And but it's something blooming in the next year that you're excited about.
Andy Hill 5:59
Oh, wow. That's crazy. I've never heard this. So let me see. So rose would be from the last year, my wife and I bought our new house, which I'm in now. And it's wonderful. We moved up to the Pacific Northwest. And it's something we'd been thinking about for many years. Our kids are all grown up. We wanted to sort of start that new chapter in our lives. So we we've made the plunge moved from Northern California, the Bay Area, up to the Pacific Northwest, and it's been a real highlight. It's been wonderful. And then then the thorn. Is that the next one?
Mary Newville 6:40
Yes. We never want to end on the thorns. Okay, so the negative
Andy Hill 6:44
Oh, okay. So the negative is actually related to that to dooring. Right. After the New Years, we went down to California to visit family, there was a freeze up here, and there was a flood in our kitchen. And it actually, we were away for two weeks, and it ruined the entire first floor. So buckled the floors. So my wife and I have been living in the little inlaw unit for the last four months, but a it's we have at least a roof over our heads. So the bloom then is they're going to fix it up and it'll be as good as No. So that's what we're looking forward to.
Mary Newville 7:24
Oh, my goodness, well, congratulations. I can only imagine it's a big change of pace going from the Bay Area to the Pacific Northwest. It
Andy Hill 7:32
is it is we still go back and forth a lot. We have kept a foothold down there because we have a lot of friends and family. So we do go back and forth a fair amount. Um, but it's nice. It's a nice change.
Chelsea Lowman 7:45
Well, thanks for participating Andy and maybe Rosebud Thorne will be a tradition that you can continue on next year with your friends and family.
Andy Hill 7:54
Yeah, I like that. I like that. I definitely will. Okay, great.
Chelsea Lowman 7:57
Well, now we're gonna continue to have some more fun. Not that the whole interview isn't fun. But we always start our podcast with some sort of like trivia, or would you rather just something again to get us like relax and get to know you better? So we're going to do a would you rather so I'll give you like this or that. And Mary and I did our best to kind of nod to like the legal beer. QUESTION We did. Um, so this is a very basic like, tell us which one would you rather? Okay, the first one, would you rather be reported to your state bar or and lose your license? So reported to your state bar and lose your license or never win a case?
Andy Hill 8:46
never win a case. Okay.
Chelsea Lowman 8:49
Yeah. I'm saying yeah, like, I know, I would have picked that one too. I'm okay. Would you rather be asked every single day for the rest of your life when a company will go IPO? Or have to attend just one locks little class every day for the rest of your life?
Andy Hill 9:13
Rather be asked about the IPR every day.
Chelsea Lowman 9:16
Okay. We didn't know if that was too annoying.
Andy Hill 9:19
No, no, no, not at all.
Chelsea Lowman 9:23
Okay, it's been been fun. Okay. Would you rather get a late night call from your CEO? Or from your chief people officer? Or like chief HR officer? Oh,
Andy Hill 9:35
I'd rather get a call from the chief HR officer.
Mary Newville 9:41
That'd be the opposite. Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
Chelsea Lowman 9:49
Yeah, we thought maybe if it's the people officer it Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I guess all things could be really serious. None of the fires would be fun. I guess they If you're getting a late night call. Okay, the last one, would you rather be able to read minds or be able to see the future?
Andy Hill 10:09
Oh, that's a good one. Wow. Um, I'd rather be able to read minds. I'm not sure how much I'd really like to know about the future.
Chelsea Lowman 10:20
Yeah. Well, and reading minds, I feel like would be really helpful as a lawyer.
Andy Hill 10:25
Yeah, that's true. That's true. Exactly. When you're negotiating. Yeah, where they're coming from.
Chelsea Lowman 10:30
Right. Exactly. Okay. Well, thank you for indulging us. Would you rather game? Um, but I think, yeah, to your point about being a lawyer and reading minds would be really helpful. I feel like that's a really nice intro into just learning a little bit more about your career journey. And like, just tell us Yeah, did little Andy always want to be a lawyer? How did you kind of end up where you are? Yeah,
Andy Hill 10:57
well, no, I did not always want to be a lawyer. When I was younger, I actually wanted to be an architect. I loved I love designing houses. I love art, and drawing. And it was something that always just appealed to me, the aesthetics, the beauty. And then I realized, well, gee, it's a lot of a lot of math, a lot of schooling. And at the end of the day, you know, it's hard to get an architecture job. And I've always loved reading and writing, especially. And so I sort of gravitated more towards law. But that really wasn't until I'd say, like, senior year in college, that I decided, okay, I'll, I'll apply to law school. It's not like I went in thinking, Oh, I definitely want to go to law school. But I really enjoyed, and always do enjoy writing, and coming up with arguments. And I love history, too. I was a US history major. So a lot of a lot of that revolved around learning about some of our founding fathers and founding women who not so much back then, but who were lawyers. And it inspired me, I thought, What a great career I could write, it could read. And you can do a lot of things with a law degree. So I thought, okay, maybe maybe I'll go to law school. So that's why I ended up in law school. And then when I was in law school, it became really apparent, I loved the word business and law intersect. And so after my first year of law school, I actually applied to the business school, as well. And I was lucky and I got in, so I ended up doing a joint JD MBA. So I got both degrees over a course of four years. So it was a lot of a lot of grad school, but I loved it, because there was a group of about 10 of us that were doing the joint program, he spent one year in the law school, then one year in the business school, and then two years sort of mixed. And you get a great a great education in business law and how to be practical, because a lot of times people that are lawyers tend to get a little too analytical. And with the business overlay, I found it was very good, because you have to be practical. Yeah, we had one, one teacher, I remember in a seminar, and he was great. He said, Look, I'm going to ask you a question. And when I when I want the answer, I don't want to say, well, on the one hand, this and on the other hand that he said, I want an answer. And that's very much like what you you know, what I, what I have to do when when I'm at the company, at any company, you know, the CEO doesn't want to hear well, there's on the one hand, on the other hand, they want a real practical answer of well, this is, this is what I think the right thing to is so so I've always enjoyed that intersection of law and business.
Mary Newville 14:03
I'm curious when you say you always enjoy that. And you said you found that in undergrad? How did you find it? And what about it? Did you like so much?
Andy Hill 14:12
Oh, so um, yeah, so I was a history major. And I actually sort of concentrated a little geeky, but in economic history, so I studied a lot of the how businesses grow throughout history and the impact of various movements on industry. And that's really where I got the the interest in business and then layering law on top of that, just made a lot of sense.
Mary Newville 14:43
It's so interesting. Yeah, my
Andy Hill 14:47
my senior thesis was on organized labor in the Rhode Island textile industry at the turn of the century. It was a best seller. Yeah. Really,
Chelsea Lowman 15:02
I was gonna say I also love history, but that feels like a different type of history I haven't dove into. I was gonna say a quick aside, it's so interesting that you originally, were interested when you were younger and being an architect, because I have three people in my life that went to school to be architects and are now lawyers. So I feel like there must be something about those two professions like something about the way you guys see the world or have similar interests, there must be some sort of connection, because that's really interesting. thing interesting. Yeah,
Andy Hill 15:38
I guess. Yeah, I guess I've run into a few myself, maybe it's the way of structuring and organizing, there's a lot of logic involved in law. So maybe that's overly I don't know. Interesting. And
Chelsea Lowman 15:50
I know you, you talked a lot about really enjoying writing. So I'm just curious, like, Do you do any sort of like writing on the side? Like, personally, like, what type of writing Do you enjoy? Like, have you ever written like, short stories or like, anything like that? It's more like business writing?
Andy Hill 16:08
Well, I've done some of both. So in grad school, I actually wrote a book that was published, but it was on Yeah, and it was on, it was advising HR managers on how to avoid wrongful termination lawsuits. So it was another riveting riveting piece of work. Actually extraction so fairly well, quite frankly, okay, good for you not, you're not going to find it that easily. I do. Like I do, like personal writing. And I have actually written some short stories. And I was really fortunate at one point in my career, I was able to take a sabbatical. And, and I wrote a novel. You know, it was a crime novel, like a lot of lawyers to write crime novels. It never had never quite finished it. And I never tried to publish it. But you know, maybe one day, that's sort of a dream. I'd love to go back. I really do enjoy writing. So wow, let us read it. Oh, no, no, no, I'm not that good.
Chelsea Lowman 17:22
Oh, my gosh. That's so cool. So cool.
Mary Newville 17:26
We're learning so much about you already. Yeah. I want Oh, go ahead. Andy. were you gonna say something? No,
Andy Hill 17:32
no, it's just something that I always I always like, in fact, I'm, I'm taking a class now on on writing. So just on the weekends, yeah. I
Mary Newville 17:41
love that more of like, creative writing, or copywriting. Or,
Andy Hill 17:46
No, this is a guy he lives on. He lives in the same town where I am now. And it's actually pretty interesting. He was an English teacher. And he always wanted to be a novelist. And so he finally jumped off and quit his job, and dedicated a year. And he's now published several crime novels. And they all take place on this on this area where I live. So he sets them in local jurists, dictions. And they're really good. In fact, my wife has read about six of his novels. And so he's teaching us basically how to publish your novel. So it's sort of in the back of my head of again, one day, maybe I'll take that old manuscript out and dust it off and try to do something with it. That would be a dream.
Mary Newville 18:34
Wow. Okay. I love that as well. Everybody. Keep an eye out for Andy Hill on Amazon's best seller. There
Andy Hill 18:42
we go. He's a pen name.
Chelsea Lowman 18:43
I gotta use a pen name. So okay, okay.
Mary Newville 18:45
Yeah. Okay. Well, I guess we'll never
Andy Hill 18:49
know, in the meantime, but you know, I've got to pay the bills. So that's why I have a lot. No. I do like being a lawyer. It's nice. Because you do get to write it's a different kind of writing, but it's solving problems. And, you know, sometimes they're mysteries, but that's what I've always enjoyed about it. And getting back to your original question. So I, I graduated law school and I, I joined a law firm. I was in a law firm, a big law firm for several years. And I moved out to California. I'm from the DC area, Washington, DC, but my wife is from California. So an argument and I moved out to the West Coast. And I was really fortunate I was at in Silicon Valley. dating myself now this was like in the mid 90s, when it was just really starting to explode. And I was very fortunate. I helped raise venture capital funds for a lot of startups out there and help them grow. And then eventually someone public some were sold, and at 1.1 of my clients said, Would you like to come in house from a law firm. And I did that and never looked back. And I've been a an in house lawyer for the past GE, like 30 years. So it's been a great, a great journey. And it's been a wonderful I've worked for, you know, small, primarily tech companies, I just gravitated towards those. And I love I love companies that have talented individuals and a great product. And I help them sort of scale and grow. So obviously, when I, you know, ran into Arctic wealth was like, wow, this is a great company, and so happy to be here. So it's just the natural progression of my career over the years.
Chelsea Lowman 20:43
That's awesome. Just like so many interests, how you found a way to leave your interests into your career, while still like, keeping your passions alive. And it sounds like you're like a lifelong learner.
Mary Newville 20:56
It's just so cool. And am I putting the story together correctly that it was because of your wife winning the Let's Move to the west coast that landed you in this hot spot where your career we were able to find this niche? Um,
Andy Hill 21:12
yeah, well, she she was from California. So she was from the San Francisco Bay area, we met in college. And then I stayed on the East Coast, and she went back to California. And when we decided to get married, you know, it's like, which Coast do we live on? Yeah. And I was I was ready for a change. I like trying new things. And yeah, it was, it was great. I moved out and was able to, to be part of all the Silicon Valley tech boom. And then the bust. You know, sometimes, that was, that was sort of a rough time, too. But there's always a lot of a lot of energy out there a lot of innovation. And a lot of great companies have been started out there. So yeah,
Mary Newville 21:56
so cool. It's so cool. How stories play out and like one decision leads to another that impacts the structure of your life and how it all plays out.
Chelsea Lowman 22:05
Yeah, that's right. Um, well, you had just mentioned, you have helped some companies go public. And there's always a lot of like, energy and excitement, especially internally, usually, from staff around like going public. And and what is what did that like? And since you've been involved in that process before, just curious, like, maybe what's something that people would be surprised to know about? Kind of like helping take a company through IPO? And what that's like,
Andy Hill 22:37
oh, sure, sure. Um, I mean, it's a very involved process. There's a lot of legal compliance issues you need to work through. But I think, I think the most sort of interesting thing that maybe people don't truly appreciate, or know about is, it's, it's not a destination in itself. I mean, it's, it's a great milestone, but it's just sort of in some ways, which sounds surprising is, it's a wonderful milestone, but it's just the beginning of the next phase. And there's always a tremendous growth after that. And, you know, in, that's why I really like the phase of young companies and helping them scale and get to that stage. And then I've been GCM publicly company, publicly traded companies. And there's always a lot of growth beyond that. So that's what's exciting about Arctic Wolf, having been here now, about two and a half years, I feel in some ways to make a metaphor. It's like this wonderful, growing child that's got full of energy and a lot of talent. And we've been growing, and where, you know, we'll, we'll go public. And we'll just turn into this, you know, mature, responsible, wonderful adult. So it's all sort of a trajectory. And the IPO is just sort of one stop along the way. It's obviously really important. And it opens up a lot of new doors for us. But it is not a not an end goal all by itself.
Chelsea Lowman 24:14
Yeah, I love that reminder. And I feel like it's something I've just heard in general, but that like, is a really exciting, obviously, time, but that like, it's just now the next phase and the work doesn't stop once we hit this goal. Yeah, that's right.
Mary Newville 24:33
Well, let's switch gears a little bit here and talk about leadership. You've had several roles, like you've been a general counsel VP legal for many, many times throughout your career we read in your bio, so how do you define leadership? And how has your philosophy of leadership evolved throughout your career?
Andy Hill 24:55
Wow, um, yes, so I would define leadership. In the simplest terms, it's, for me, it's really about doing the right thing, even when that's not easy. And as a lawyer, as you can imagine, that's very much what it's important to me. And I think that's a leadership principle that I try to instill in my team and that I try to live my life by and do my job by. And over the years, it it has evolved, in there have been some situations where practicing that has been more challenging than than other times. But I think trying to instill that in others, is really what I think leadership is all about. So
Chelsea Lowman 25:46
love it, what's the best piece of leadership advice you've ever received? Oh,
Andy Hill 25:54
I think it's from it's I think Stephen Covey said it originally. But it's, it means a lot to me, which is, Seek first to understand then to be understood. And it's the idea that the importance of really active listening, and for for my role, that's really critical. Because so often, you know, I'm dealing with a situation, whether it's trying to negotiate an agreement, or come to some sort of meeting of the minds for a dispute. And it's important to really try to understand where the other side is coming from before you start getting on your soapbox and saying, Well, this is what we need. And this is ABC important things. And I found over the years that that's really been the most useful piece of advice to, to try to come to agreement.
Chelsea Lowman 26:47
Yeah, do you have any, I guess, like skills or tips to be able to better? Kind of like, seek to understand first and be an active listener, as opposed to kind of jumping the gun and being like, we need to do this, we need to do that. Because I feel like that's something that maybe, for most people, you kind of learn along your career journey?
Andy Hill 27:10
Yeah, no, I think one sort of way, and you probably have had this, maybe it's even been one of the Arctic Wolf training classes, but the whole idea of sort of active listening and where somebody's gone on, and then you'll say, you sort of recap, you know, it's like, so if I understand you correctly, you know, these are what's really important for you, and then sort of restate their position and make sure you got it right. And then they'll be like, well, not quite, you know, it's a little bit more like this, I found that very useful. When in negotiations, it's a great way to, to let them know, to it's sending a message that I am listening, and I really want to try to understand where you're coming from. And then you can present your position, and hopefully get them to also understand, but it shows a level of respect for the other side. And I think it usually helps to come to some sort of meeting of the minds. So
Mary Newville 28:09
yeah, I love that too. Because I feel like everybody just wants to be heard and seen, feel valued. And so having the space like hearing someone say, Yeah, I heard you, or did I hear you correctly and giving a space for them to validate is is important.
Andy Hill 28:26
Right, right. Exactly. Exactly.
Mary Newville 28:30
Okay, selfishly. Andy, I want to double click on something you said earlier in the podcast how you talked about in being in law for a business, you have like that practicality that overlays law where you can't come and be like, well, there's this on this side. And, and but the other side is this and I feel like there has to be so much confidence in just coming to a recommendation without an just saying, here's what we're gonna do, or here's what it is. Because there are always there always are multiple sides. And I sometimes can be the person that get lost in like, Well, I do see this side and I see this and there's this option and this and risk on both sides. So how have you developed? I don't know I'm so open to any thoughts you have on that. And like how you've developed confidence in making your recommendations and accepting the risk that comes with that and get get me wrong sometimes. And how, yeah, just anything and around that topic, I think is so interesting, because I know that I do the opposite where I'm like, well, there's this side, but we also could do this but there's also this
Andy Hill 29:39
No, it is hard very and believe me I struggle with that myself. I don't think there's any one you know, magic answer. I think it's for me, it's really sometimes as simple as doing pros and cons of like, here's this decision, and then trying to keep in mind What's most important for the business? So I think lawyers, at times want to be perfectionist, and so they want everything. And at times maybe the right answer is, it's not 100%. Right. But it's, it's right for this situation, because it's the overwhelming the weight is on one side, and it's more aligned with maybe a larger goal. So maybe this isn't the right, perfect solution. And there are lots of reasons to undercut it. But if you look at what's most important for the company, or for a particular case, this might help you get closer to that goal, it'll, it'll advance the ball down the field. So it's, it's hard, and sometimes you're wrong. I mean, that's just that's sort of life. And then you need to own up to it and, you know, take responsibility and try to fix it. So
Mary Newville 30:55
totally. Well, I kind of when you said advance the ball down the field. It made me think of an IPO being just a milestone in the journey. And it's not the end, it's not a destination, it's just the beginning of the next stage. And that theme of like, the goal is imperfection, and then end, but just how do we keep moving forward? Kind of different things, but they reminded me of each other there. Because I can definitely stall in perfection, instead of like, let's just make some progress here, versus stalling and like, it has to be the right next thing, or the like, the end before I can take the next step.
Chelsea Lowman 31:32
I kind of have maybe a silly question. But I'm so curious, because I've really never talked in depth with anyone from like the legal department, or a legal department, from a corporate a corporation. So like, how collaborative is your team? Like, do you all work together to make some I mean, obviously, teams work together. But I know also lawyers can be really specialized. So you may have like one lawyer really specialized in this and then one in that. Um, so I'm just like, kind of curious how your team operates. And like how you tap into your team?
Andy Hill 32:08
Oh, yeah, no, we're happy to. We are a small team. We're the smallest department at Arctic Wolf. We have about 11 people, I think all together. And we do we do have to specialize to a certain extent, just because you need certain expertise. I'm really, since I've joined here trying to develop our bench. To a certain extent, you have to be a generalist. I mean, when the company was really young, and it was just, Jonathan, what at one point, it was just Jonathan, I mean, he had to do everything, which is I've been in that situation, and it's tough. But as we grow, we can be more specialized. So yeah, we have two teams in the legal department. There is the commercial team that's headed up by Deb. And she's got Georgina and Brooks and Ina, and Stacy, who are all dealing with anything dealing with customers, with partners, with resellers. And then Deb also handles privacy and some security issues. And then on the other side of the house, and the legal team, we've got the corporate group. So that's Jonathan, who deals with international expansion and insurance and litigation. And we've got the two mats, we got Matt Weber, who heads up m&a And anything dealing with stock. So he's working with the other Matt, Matt Anderson. And then we've also got Bonnie, who heads up our IP practice. So she's dealing with patents with trademarks. And she's our project product counsel. So she works very closely with Dan Chiapa, and his organization. And we've also got Anna, who deals with the HR team, as well as export and trade compliance. And then holding it all together is Katie R EA, and she keeps us all on track. So it's a little group, but that's that's the legal team. And we all have to wear a lot of different hats. But we try to, we try to we're starting to specialize in various areas, but we're still small enough that there are times where we need to be able to interchange so we developed one of the things I did is when I came in is we developed swim lanes of whose primary responsibility but then we have a backup person. So you know, if somebody's out sick or on vacation, there's somebody else on the team that knows enough about that they can step in and do it. So it helps us interact and and we've been working hard and QBRs to make sure that the corporate and the commercial art to to segregated because we do tend to really operate in different universes, but there's definitely overlap. I'm where we we deal with some of the same groups within the company.
Mary Newville 35:07
Yeah, so interesting. It really is. And Andy, we're putting on the spot. So if you don't have something that's totally fine, but I feel like Chelsea and I love a good these are these words gotta give credit where it's due but a Howler podcast exclusive. Like, we love a juicy story. Do you have like, a crazy lawyer story? Even if from a past life of like, the craziest case you worked on? Or the deal you're most proud or not deal, but case you're most proud of winning? Or? I don't know, just like a cool story from your career that you can share with us.
Andy Hill 35:41
Wow, okay, um, let me think about that one.
Yeah, I think I think I do, I think I do. Um, there was a one one time when I was working for a company, it was through a very difficult period, they were there a lot of things going on. And I got a call at that point I reported to to a CFO, sometimes the General Counsel does report to the CFO. And in this case, I did report to the CFO, and he was really worried about that there could possibly be some, you know, something going on at the company that wasn't quite bright. And so he actually called me at home in the middle of the night, I do always get a little worried by that. And he asked if I could come into the office out in the middle of the night, in the middle of the night. This was like two in the morning. So I was like, and my wife was like, do you think you're safe, you know what's going on? And so I did go in. And I talked to him. And he just, that's often what happens with lawyers is, somebody just wants to unload. And so he was feeling very concerned about some things that were going on. And he, he just sort of wanted to share it with me. And he, you know, and I said, I had to sort of act some ways, like a, like a therapist, in some ways. It's like, you know, tell me what's going on. And, you know, and then you can deal with the issues. But that was sort of a dramatic moment, in a
Chelsea Lowman 37:24
very dramatic like this couldn't have waited till 8am 9am. Because
Andy Hill 37:28
she was very concerned about it. So he was, yeah, he's pretty worked up and wanted to talk about it. Like,
Mary Newville 37:33
was it worth that concern? Like, was it just he was so anxious, he was making a bigger deal of it than it was, and you were just like, it's okay, calm down. Are you like, Oh, this is actually pretty concerning.
Andy Hill 37:44
It was it was pretty concerning. Yeah, he was pretty concerning, but we ended up dealing with it. So I mean, that that does happen from time to time.
Mary Newville 37:51
Well, you might, because obviously, this is such a great segue into how do you prioritize while being like when you're getting you're such an urgently or, you know, like, people need you. And when they need you, they need you right now. And how you balance like having personal time and well being but also being available?
Chelsea Lowman 38:09
Mm hmm.
Andy Hill 38:10
Yeah, that's always that's when I, I struggle with all the time, quite frankly, it is hard, because often things are pressing, and, you know, company is moving very, very fast. And that's part of what makes, you know, any company and especially Arctic Wolf, such a wonderful place. But it is, it does come with its challenges. And I think what often helps is to I, first of all, I do respect when, when people take time off, like whether it's a vacation, that they really do try to take time off. And that's why I like having the resiliency within the within our group, so that when someone's out, they really can be out because you need to, it's important to disconnect every once in a while and really refresh your batteries. That's important. Because that way people you know, they're, they're just happier, and they're, you'll there'll be more productive and better situated. So I do definitely like to have people, when they take time off really have their time off, even if they're incredibly dedicated. And they say it's going to be okay, we'll, we'll keep we'll keep it going while you're out. And then the other thing is, sometimes I think it's, it's very important to take just a pause. It's and, and I tell my team, you know, take a pause and take a deep breath. And you know, think about what you're dealing with and then respond rather than sometimes if you just shoot right off off of the collar. It's, you might say or do something that's not quite right. So taking that time to reflect and you can still be very productive and very responsive. It's it works Hold on, I think it's very important to, to realize that yes, we are all moving fast. We all have a lot of demands on us. But it's important to think clearly. And so taking that, that sort of little pause, and thinking about it before you respond is often very, it's just very helpful.
Chelsea Lowman 40:18
Yeah, well, I will own handy that I still need to practice to take a deep breath sometimes. Especially when you get that email that's a little irritating, you know? So good advice. Great advice, actually. Um, well, before we get into the rapid fire, I had one more kind of silly question. But I'm curious. So often when we think about the law, right. And lawyers, we most people think about civil law, criminal law, where like, in the courtroom, or even when we're thinking about, like, contract negotiations, like what we see in shows, it's like Pence and that type of I'm just so curious, like, when you're maybe working on contract negotiations, like, does it get tense in the corporate environment? Like what like, kind of what is the vibes when you're like working on some of these things? Or is all of that just made up for TV for our enjoyment?
Andy Hill 41:12
Oh, yeah, sometimes I do get a kick sometimes watching these legal shows. It's like, Gee, the law firm, it's never quite like that. Right? But no, no, definitely there are, it depends on the negotiation, or what you're dealing with. But there, there are definitely some tense moments now where, where people really can't, can't come to an agreement. And I've been in conference rooms where people have literally, like, you know, slammed down books and walked out of the room just said, you know, this is over. Sometimes that's a negotiating tactic. And it can be very effective. But it does need definitely gets it definitely can get very tense. And I have been involved in some litigation as well. And that is always as much as I, I, you know, I chose corporate law versus being a litigator, being in a courtroom. The times that I have been involved in litigation, it is sort of exciting, I have to say, because it's very competitive. And you have one side against the other, and they've got their case, and, and I get why people go into litigation. So that that can be very exciting and very high stakes. Okay.
Chelsea Lowman 42:26
Well, in those types of situations, we can go back to your mental health and well being advice of taking some deep breaths.
Andy Hill 42:34
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. It helps. It definitely helps.
Chelsea Lowman 42:38
Okay, Mary, anything else from you? Before we
Mary Newville 42:43
go, I love this conversation. I feel like we got to learn so much about you from like, your personal hobbies and interest how you got to your career to more about the legal team and how it works, which I think will be super interesting for for everyone. That's part of the Pack is understanding that part of the org. So thank you so much, Andy, for being here.
Andy Hill 43:02
Oh, thanks for having me. This has been fun. It's been an honor.
Chelsea Lowman 43:07
Yes, we have our last questions. We always do rapid fire. So these are the same questions we ask everyone. So just first thought that comes to your head. Okay, best concert of your life.
Andy Hill 43:21
Rolling Stones, Oakland Coliseum.
Chelsea Lowman 43:25
I feel like we've had someone else say Rolling Stones now, Nick. I don't remember we'll have to we'll have to play back the tapes. I'm okay. Your favorite word.
Andy Hill 43:37
Up. It's actually two variegated pittosporum
Mary Newville 43:41
Wow, we're gonna need that.
Andy Hill 43:46
My wife is a garden designer and a horticulturist. Okay, it's the name of a plant that's like a shrub in your yard. And I just for some reason I like, I like that word. So you say well, yeah, variegated pittosporum. So it's like a it's a kind of shrub that has light and dark leaves. So it's varigated. And then it's pittosporum as some kind of plant. I guess it's slightly Latin.
Chelsea Lowman 44:11
Yeah, exactly. How often are you saying that word? Those two are?
Andy Hill 44:17
We see a plant? I don't know. And I'm like, Oh, it must be a pittosporum.
Chelsea Lowman 44:25
Yeah. Okay, so you find ways to use it? Yeah. I'm a place on your bucket list.
Andy Hill 44:34
Oh, the Dolomites in Italy.
Chelsea Lowman 44:37
I'd love to go there. Nice. Um, what is something that people often get wrong about you?
Andy Hill 44:46
I think because of you know, being a lawyer in my role, I sometimes have to be sort of serious. I have to be serious, and maybe they don't know or get wrong about me is that I I do X Julie I love I love to laugh. And um, I, I like to have I actually do have a sense of humor.
Chelsea Lowman 45:09
Well, I love this podcast shows really well you're like friendly, humorous personality. So they just, you can just send them this podcast in the future if there's a fusion. Okay. Um, Okay, last one. Give us a snapshot of an ordinary moment in your life that has brought you joy.
Andy Hill 45:29
Oh, what happened just recently. So we're new to this area. And I was taking a walk and looking out over Puget Sound. And a bald eagle just sort of flew in front of me, it was maybe 20 yards away. And then he came in, he perched on the bow of this cedar tree. And it was just like, you can see the profile and the white head and the gold beak. And it was, it was just this thing. I was taking a walk and this thing happened. And it was filled with a lot of joy. It was just wonderful. So
Chelsea Lowman 46:06
that sounds magical. It really does.
Andy Hill 46:09
It was it was Yeah, we didn't have Eagles down in California. So
Chelsea Lowman 46:15
this was so cool. Well, thank you again, Andy, so much for joining the podcast. This was so great getting to know you better. And as Mary said, we're really excited for the rest of the Pack to get to know you better as well.
Andy Hill 46:29
Well, thank you both. Thanks, Chelsea. Thanks, Mara. I really, I enjoyed this nice.
Mary Newville 46:36
I'm glad we could help you start the next year of your life with something new and hopefully, new and novel wonderful things come the rest of this year for you.
Andy Hill 46:44
Oh, thank you. Thank you. Sounds good. Thanks.
Mary Newville 46:47
All right. That was such a great conversation. Yeah,
Chelsea Lowman 46:52
like we said at the beginning, it was just so nice to get to know Andy better, right? He's not one if you are a Pack member, he's not one that's always presenting at like town halls and kickoff and things. So it's nice to be able to like get to know him and get inside his brain a little bit.
Mary Newville 47:08
I agree. I really enjoyed that. I'm excited for as we look forward to what comes next for the Pack in June. Yes, June
Chelsea Lowman 47:17
is an exciting month. It's the summertime for most of us. And it's also Pride month in North America. So proud wolves has a lot of exciting events, from a panel to virtual drag branch, all sorts of ways that you can tap in and be connected and celebrate Pride. So make sure you are in the Pack Pride Slack channel. That's the best place to stay updated on all the events and things that will be going on. And then as we head into the summer, just lots of opportunities to connect. We've got our summer caught cornhole tourney coming up later in the summer we're looking at doing some volunteer events in our offices so hoping we can all enjoy the nice weather and be together this summer. And the next couple months yeah, it's
Mary Newville 48:11
gonna be a good summer for the Pack. Well, another great conversation Chelsea I'll see you back at our desks Yeah, if you're not part of the Pack, but want to be part of this really one of a kind unique community. Check out our open positions at Arcticwolf.com/careers will talk to you in July just kidding to know in July
Chelsea Lowman 48:41
Can we please leave that