Meredith Jackson is an innovative and resourceful executive with a distinguished career leading corporate transactions, growth initiatives, and governance. Meredith has a proven track record of more than three decades in driving business growth and serving as a high-stakes strategic advisor. Most recently, she served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary, and Senior Advisor to The TCW Group, a global investment management firm with assets under management increasing to over $200 billion during her tenure from 2013 to 2023. Meredith was instrumental in transforming TCW’s legal, compliance, and enterprise risk functions amid significant business expansion, global growth, and evolving regulatory landscapes.
In her role as General Counsel, Meredith provided comprehensive legal leadership for high-stakes transactions, including corporate financings, M&A, and strategic alliances. She played a critical role in TCW’s governance as an officer and advisor to both corporate and mutual fund boards, as well as serving as a director for both U.S. and international affiliate boards. She advised on and managed all significant corporate transactions, including securities issuances, shareholder rights, and employee equity incentive plans, and regularly engaged in high-level discussions with Board members and key stakeholders.
Meredith also drove significant internal initiatives, such as corporate restructuring efforts that reduced costs, optimized tax positions, and decreased regulatory risk. She took on the additional role of Global Chief Compliance Officer in 2014, and began developing robust compliance frameworks to support TCW’s global operations. Her oversight was further expanded to enterprise risk, cybersecurity and business continuity planning (BCP) by 2020. Her expertise in regulatory compliance and risk management ensured TCW remained resilient, compliant, and competitive in an rapidly-changing business environment. Her forward-thinking approach included creating policy frameworks to address cybersecurity, intellectual property protection, data privacy, and generative AI, ensuring the company’s preparedness for future challenges.
Before joining TCW, Meredith was a Partner at Irell & Manella, where she built and led the debt finance practice and later co-chaired the firm’s corporate and transactional group. In this role, she negotiated complex financial structures across various sectors, including technology, media, healthcare, energy, and aviation. She also advised public and private company boards on key transactions and restructurings, guiding companies through critical transitions. Earlier in her career, Meredith held leadership roles at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she was promoted from Associate to Partner and served on the Practice Committee.
Meredith’s educational background includes a Juris Doctor from the University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco, and a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University. In addition to her executive roles, she is a respected leader within the legal community. She has held key positions, including Chair of the Leadership Council and Steering Committee of SIFMA’s Asset Management Group, and is a Fellow and former Regent of the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers. She has also served on the Board of Governors for the Financial Lawyers Conference and is an active member of the Los Angeles Women’s Leadership Council and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Council.
Her achievements have been recognized by numerous accolades, including being named to The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist as one of the most influential general counsels, receiving the ADL Jurisprudence Award, and consistently earning AV Pre-eminent ratings from Martindale-Hubbell. She has been honored among Super Lawyers, Preeminent Women Attorneys, Chambers USA, and Best Lawyers in America, reflecting her dedication to excellence, ethics, and integrity in the field.
Her experiences leading global teams have taught Meredith to be a strong proponent of cross-functional collaboration. She is passionate about building for growth and values a culture of innovation, excellence, respect, and interchange of ideas. Outside of her professional pursuits, Meredith enjoys spending time with her family, travel, cooking, and vintage car events. As a guest lecturer at Stanford Law School and UC San Francisco Law School, she shared her expertise with upcoming generations of legal professionals. She continues mentoring former teammates.
Character: Meredith Jackson is a respected executive known for her integrity, adaptability, and high ethical standards in corporate governance and leadership.
Knowledge: She possesses deep expertise in M&A transactions, corporate governance, and risk management, with extensive experience advising, managing, and serving on corporate boards.
Strategic: Meredith is a visionary leader who effectively drives cost-saving restructuring, risk mitigation, and policy initiatives, aligning corporate strategies with regulatory landscapes.
Communication: She is a skilled communicator, adept at engaging with diverse stakeholders, including boards, investors, and regulators, to foster transparency and collaboration across all levels.
