Mountain View, CA (November 14, 2016)– Fenwick & West is pleased to announce that partner Gordon Davidson has received the first Bill Campbell (Man Who Gets It) Award from Watermark, the leading community of top women executives, entrepreneurs and emerging executives in the San Francisco Bay Area whose mission is to increase the number of women in leadership positions.
“I have always tried to lead by example,” Davidson said in a Watermark profile announcing the award. “I helped to recruit the first woman to join our law firm in the very early days of the firm, mentored her throughout her career and advocated to elect her as our first reduced schedule partner.” He added: “I have tried to be a vocal leader in recruiting and promoting women, with the simple argument that, otherwise, we will miss at least half of the talent that is available.”
Davidson, former Fenwick chair, has been a driving force behind the firm’s commitment to building an open and inclusive work environment. In 2016, Euromoney’s Americas Women in Business Law Awards recognized Fenwick as the best national firm for women in business law in North America. The firm also continues to be recognized as an inclusive employer, ranking as one of the Best Places to Work by Silicon Valley Business Journal and San Francisco Business Times for 10 years and in the top 10 in the United States for diversity by The American Lawyer and Law360.
Davidson also advocates for diversity in the broader business and legal community, including through his engagement with the Watermark Entrepreneur Conference, which he has co-sponsored since its inception, along with Bill Campbell and Shellye Archambeau.
“At Watermark, we have a 23-year history of helping women reach the top of their careers,” said Watermark CEO Marlene Williamson. “And we recognize that, in most cases, women cannot reach their full potential without the support and buy-in of their male colleagues – especially those at the executive level. It’s men like Gordy Davidson who get it – who realize that gender parity and equal growth opportunities at all levels isn't just a ‘nice to have’ – it translates right down to the bottom line. The more gender equity at the top, the more successful the company. We’re thrilled to celebrate Gordy – and we look forward to celebrating more men who get it in the future.”
During Watermark’s celebratory event, Davidson shared some lessons he’s learned about women, including that women can be leaders of great companies, wonderful partners at law firms, and Supreme Court Justices. “And a woman can one day be President of the United States,” Davidson said. “But, as Bill Campbell would have said, we will need to work a little harder on that.”
All women need is the mentorship and the opportunity to demonstrate their talents, Davidson said. “Watermark has reminded us all of that.”
Davidson, a prominent Silicon Valley lawyer who represents some of the world’s most innovative companies, has guided more than 50 public offerings and acted as lead counsel for more than 100 mergers and acquisitions valued at more than $75 billion in aggregate. He is recognized by Chambers & Partners with numerous Band 1 rankings including top nationwide recognition in Startups & Emerging Companies. He is repeatedly named among the top 100 lawyers in California by the Daily Journal and was recently named to the Global Silicon Valley Hall of Fame.
Watermark celebrated the winners at its Make Your Mark Awards on Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Hyatt Regency SFO. The Bill Campbell award honors the legendary “Coach” to Silicon Valley executives and entrepreneurs and is Watermark’s first to recognize men “Who Get It.”
About Fenwick & West
Fenwick & West LLP provides comprehensive legal services to ground-breaking technology and life sciences companies – at every stage of their lifecycle – and the investors that partner with them. We craft innovative, cost-effective and practical solutions on issues ranging from venture capital, public offerings, joint ventures, M&A and strategic relationships, to intellectual property, litigation and dispute resolution, taxation, antitrust, and employment and labor law. For more than four decades, Fenwick has helped some of the world's most recognized companies become and remain market leaders. For more information, please visit fenwick.com.