The start of 2026 has brought news of a welcome series of female leadership appointments and promotions in the legal tech arena, including a new chief operating officer at Harvey; a new chief human resources officer at Elite; a new GC relationship director at Mishcon de Reya; and a new partner at AI venture capital firm Menlo Ventures, which has a broad portfolio of investments including in legal tech company Eve.
In the United States, Harvey has promoted Katie Burke as it’s inaugural chief operating officer. Burke joined Harvey in November 2024 as chief people officer, having previously held that same role at HubSpot. She told Legal IT Insider: “[At HubSpot] we were at about $52M in revenue and when I left we were at $2.6B revenue, and we went from 400 employees to 8000 employees, single product to multi-product, and private to public during that time. Joining Harvey, I saw the opportunity to be part of building an incredible company again, but this time at 3x speed given the growth curve of AI.
“In 2026, the Harvey team is spending a lot of time on investing in making our customers successful, and that includes a lot of work on community engagement and marketing as well as significantly more global expansion. In addition, we need to balance growing our existing base of law firm customers with increased demand from in-house corporates and with serving multinational firms while making it clear to mid-market firms how Harvey can help them compete with them at a broader scale. Both really fun problems to solve, all while opening new markets and hiring really great people to help support what our customers need. We won’t be bored, that’s for sure.”
Commenting on her promotion on 5 January, Harvey’s co-founder and CEO Winston Weinberg said on LinkedIn: “Today, we announced that Katie Burke is stepping into the role of chief operating officer at Harvey. Katie has been leading multiple functions since joining a year ago, and her impact goes beyond anything I could write here. Our customers, partners, and employees will benefit from her taking on this role, and on a personal note, I’m incredibly excited to see her play an even bigger role in helping us scale as a company. Congrats Katie, we appreciate everything you do!”
Also out of the US, Elite announced on 5 January the appointment of Diane Holman as chief human resources officer. Prior to joining Elite, Holman built a successful career as a senior HR leader at organisations including GE, Raytheon, and Capgemini.
“Elite’s growth and the leadership team’s commitment to investing in people immediately stood out,” Holman said. “The company understands that culture and leadership directly shape how we serve law firms, and I look forward to partnering across the business to support teams and help create an environment where people can do their best work for our customers.”
Mark Dorman, chief executive officer at Elite added: “Diane brings the experience and perspective needed to align talent strategy with our business priorities. She will be a critical partner to our leadership team as we strengthen our organization and continue to invest in our people.”
In her role as CHRO, Elite says that Holman will oversee all aspects of Elite’s global human resources function, including talent acquisition, employee experience, learning and development, total rewards, and organizational effectiveness.
In news out of San Francisco, Menlo Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in AI transformation and recently invested in legal tech justice startup Eve, has appointed general counsel Deborah Carrillo to partner. While promotions in the VC world aren’t unusual, this is an interesting one in that it demonstrates how central legal leadership is becoming to how VCs compete and scale.
Since joining Menlo in 2020 as GC, Carrillo has advised the firm across all aspects of the business, including portfolio investments, fundraising, fund structuring, and regulatory compliance.
Prior to Menlo, Carrillo was a corporate attorney at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, where she advised startups throughout their lifecycle, as well as venture capital funds and corporate venture arms investing in emerging growth companies.
“Deborah has been a trusted advisor to Menlo Ventures for many years, both as outside counsel and as a member of our team,” said Venky Ganesan, managing partner at Menlo Ventures. “She plays a central role in the architecture of the firm shaping our fund structure, governance, LP stewardship, and how we show up to founders. Her judgment and steady leadership are embedded in the way Menlo operates every day. Elevating her to Partner simply formalizes the impact she has already had on the firm and our portfolio.”
Carrillo said: “Since joining Menlo in 2020, I have had the privilege of working alongside an exceptional team, remarkable founders, and long-term limited partners who have trusted us for decades. This is an extraordinary moment in technology as AI reshapes industries and creates new opportunities across every sector. I am excited to help the firm navigate this next chapter and continue supporting our partnership and investors as we build for the future.”
And finally in news from the UK, Mary Bonsor, founder of flexible legal services provider Flex Legal, has taken on the role of GC relationship director at Mishcon de Reya, which acquired Flex Legal in January 2024.
This is a newly-created position focused on deepening Mishcon’s connections with its GC network and delivering initiatives such as its GC Academy.
Commenting on LinkedIn, Bonsor said: “During my earn-out, I’ve been incredibly impressed by the Mishcon leadership team and their entrepreneurial value and 2030 vision. It is a firm which is incredibly unique, has an amazing brand and is full of brilliant people and energy.
“Personally, this feels like a new chapter to learn about working in a much bigger organisation, stretching myself with new processes and people, being curious about what I don’t know yet, being out of my comfort zone and learning from some of the best: Elliot Moss, Nick West, Neville Eisenberg, Matt Hotson, James Libson – and I feel genuinely excited!” Bonsor will be reaching out to her GC network to understand their priorities.
The post Movers and Shakers: Senior female appointments at Harvey, Mishcon, Elite and Menlo Ventures appeared first on Legal IT Insider.