Emily Babalas
Lexington,MA
Summary
Results-driven attorney with over 20 years of professional leadership experience and demonstrated success in financial services, with regulatory and healthcare experience. Highly collaborative, approachable and solutions-oriented attorney who leverages superb communication skills to provide pragmatic legal solutions and strategic input to ensure successful outcomes. Driven by new challenges and continuous self-improvement.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
Work History
Director, Client and Product Strategy
Wellington Management Company LLP
07.2023 - Current
- Client and Product Strategy, evolved from the Product Development Team, is a data-driven enabler intended to enhance coordination and improved decision making in support of net client growth
- Strategic partner to business leaders seeking to accelerate growth working closely with investment teams, relationship teams, and colleagues across the business
- Collaborate closely with the Product Innovation Committee, responsible for setting the strategic direction for product development, new product approvals, fund vehicle strategy and the closure of existing products and funds to redeploy resources for new initiatives
- Core responsibilities include product development, product strategy and client strategy, spanning a wide range of disciplines, geographies, industries, market capitalizations and styles.
Product Development Manager, Product Development Team – Investment Product and Fund Services
Wellington Management Company LLP
04.2020 - 07.2023
- Senior team member focused on maximizing our ability to explore innovative investment strategy ideas focusing our resources on those strategies with the highest probability of commercial success
- Conducted strategic gap analysis, idea generation and business planning, including leading research (individually and in groups) of key channels and markets to identify product gaps and evaluate readiness to fill gaps
- Partnered with investment and product platforms to identify relevant talent, helped prioritize among potential “gap-fillers” and drive execution/launch of new approaches consistent with the firm’s strategic priorities
- Facilitated informed and efficient evaluations of product/fund ideas from across the firm while also driving innovative, top-down strategic product development
- Developed robust evaluation metrics, collected input from key functions and generated market insights to support improved investment, business and operational outcomes
- Built consensus around product design, viability, and prioritization.
Counsel
Wellington Management Company LLP
01.2010 - 03.2020
- Counseled investment professionals in all matters relating to investments in securities, including equities, credit and derivatives
- Collaborated with portfolio company management teams and internal clients to structure and negotiate 100s of private equity investments, globally, across sectors including healthcare
- Developed and provided strategic support and oversaw internal private equity policies
- Advised on fiduciary and governance issues and conflicts of interest
- Developed inaugural private funds co-investment program
- Created and presented the firm’s Annual Compliance Training to investment professionals
- Partnered with business professionals to implement and oversee compliance policies and procedures on capital markets and investment advisory issues.
Deputy General Counsel, Senior Vice President
Stream Global Services, Inc.
03.2009 - 12.2009
- Responsible for all legal affairs of a publicly traded business process outsourcing company, including drafting and coordinating SEC filings, investor communications and correspondence with the SEC, corporate governance and board/committee preparation, evaluation of strategic business opportunities, employment matters and litigation
- Hiring, oversight and management of domestic and foreign counsel
- Managed legal processes, including due diligence and provided strategic advice related to the simultaneous closing of a stock-for-stock combination with a Philippines corporation, a $200m high yield debt offering and a $100m asset-based revolving credit facility
- Reviewed, drafted and negotiated technology agreements, including commercial contracts, service level agreement, NDAs, license agreements and consulting agreements
- Advised company during tax-driven restructuring of its 20+ foreign subsidiaries.
Associate and Counsel
WilmerHale LLP
10.2001 - 03.2009
- Counseled publicly and privately held buyers and sellers in mergers and asset acquisitions
- Counseled public issuers through the process of IPOs and follow on offerings
- Represented public and private companies on a wide range of corporate matters including compliance with securities laws, Sarbanes-Oxley and stock exchange listing requirements
- Advised boards and executive management on corporate governance
- Drafted annual reports to stockholders, proxy statements, SEC filings, including Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, Form 8-K, registration statements and beneficial ownership filings
- Oversaw teams of associates for large, complex M&A transactions and public offerings.
Education
Juris Doctor -
Honors: cum laude
Bachelor of Arts -
Honors: cum laude
Skills
- Capital markets (credit and equity) financing and M&A
- Drafting and overseeing policies and procedures
- Counseling C-suite executives and senior management
- Corporate governance and SEC reporting
- Regulatory compliance, research and training
- Leadership and team building
References
References available upon request.
Accomplishments
Private equity franchise launch and build
· Collaborated cross-functionally to launch Wellington’s first private equity fund in 2014 raising $1B and growing total assets to over $6B across four funds
· Developed a co-investment program for Wellington’s flagship late-stage private equity fund
· Established five strategic partnerships, adding over $400M in assets to the private equity co-investment program
· Structured and negotiated 100s of investments, globally, across sectors including healthcare, fintech and technology for Wellington’s private equity funds and financial and healthcare hedge funds
· Developed and oversaw internal private equity investment policies
Product Development Department
· Maximized Wellington’s ability to explore innovative investment strategy ideas focusing resources on high potential strategies with the highest probability of commercial success driving innovative, top-down strategic product development
· Successfully launched Wellington’s first early-stage venture fund raising $150m
· Pioneered Wellington’s first private equity climate-focused fund raising over $100M and its second private equity biotech fund raising over $475M
· Led research and gap analysis to identify product gaps and readiness for new approaches
· Partnered with investment and product platforms to drive execution aligned with strategic priorities
Timeline
Director, Client and Product Strategy - Wellington Management Company LLP
07.2023 - Current
Product Development Manager, Product Development Team – Investment Product and Fund Services - Wellington Management Company LLP
04.2020 - 07.2023
Counsel - Wellington Management Company LLP
01.2010 - 03.2020
Deputy General Counsel, Senior Vice President - Stream Global Services, Inc.
03.2009 - 12.2009
Associate and Counsel - WilmerHale LLP
10.2001 - 03.2009
Boston University School of Law - Juris Doctor,
Boston College - Bachelor of Arts,
Similar Profiles
Kristen LaBrieKristen LaBrie
Senior Executive-assistant at Wellington Management Company LLPSenior Executive-assistant at Wellington Management Company LLP
Gregory GalajdaGregory Galajda
Manager of Equity Product Reporting Analysts at Wellington Management CompanyManager of Equity Product Reporting Analysts at Wellington Management Company
Alexandra KingAlexandra King
Executive Assistant at Wellington Management CompanyExecutive Assistant at Wellington Management Company