ServiceNow names former Microsoft CLO Hossein Nowbar as chief legal officer and president
ServiceNow has appointed Hossein Nowbar as chief legal officer and president, succeeding general counsel Russ Elmer, who transitions to special counsel. The Santa Clara-based, business-focused AI platform said Nowbar will lead global legal, ethics, governance, compliance, risk and government affairs while partnering with the executive team on long-term growth.
Nowbar was most recently CLO at Microsoft, concluding a 28-year run that included roles as GC and deputy GC. He joined Microsoft in 1997 from Davis Wright Tremaine and brings more than three decades of experience across IP, privacy, internet governance, cross-border data regulation and geopolitical matters-issues that sit at the core of AI strategy and risk.
Bill McDermott, chairman and CEO of ServiceNow, said: "Hossein brings the leadership this moment demands as we accelerate our profitable global growth strategy. Having served as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to senior technology and policy leaders at Microsoft, he has seen firsthand what world-class legal and corporate governance looks like at scale. Hossein represents a strategic addition as we enter our next phase of growth while upholding the trust of our customers, shareholders and partners worldwide."
Nowbar added: "Bill's vision for ServiceNow's future and the scale opportunities he's driving are inspiring. I look forward to partnering with him and this exceptional team to strengthen a world-class legal, policy and governance framework that enables innovation and customer success while upholding the highest standards of integrity and accountability."
Elmer will serve as special counsel, continuing to provide strategic guidance on key legal and corporate matters. He became GC in 2018 after serving as GC at Lending Club and earlier as deputy GC at PayPal and eBay.
In related moves, C.J. Mahoney-formerly a senior legal leader at Microsoft-left to become CLO at Meta.
Why this matters for in-house legal leaders
- Signal on priorities: Elevates legal, policy and governance as core levers of AI growth, not back-office support.
- Regulatory readiness: Deep experience across privacy, IP and cross-border data points to heavier focus on data transfer, standard contractual clauses, and enforcement at scale.
- Board and policy interface: Expect tighter alignment between legal, government affairs and product teams as AI use cases broaden.
- Talent implications: Movement of top tech GCs/CLOs suggests heightened demand for leaders who can pair AI fluency with enterprise risk judgment.
Key takeaways for legal teams
- Reassess AI governance frameworks-ensure clear ownership across legal, risk, compliance and product.
- Pressure-test cross-border data flows, DPIAs and vendor risk programs against current and pending regulations.
- Strengthen IP and content policies for model training, outputs and licensing.
- Prepare board-level reporting on AI risk, controls and measurable outcomes.
Resource: Building AI fluency across legal roles? See curated AI courses by job.
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