PONDERA INTERNATIONAL

Kristen Neller Verderame is the Founder and CEO of Pondera International.  With over a decade of experience managing and driving transformational processes for organizational change, business growth and mergers and acquisitions, Ms. Verderame has developed a unique methodology for providing value not just in achieving success but also turning the transformational process itself into a true business advantage resulting in increased profit and EBIT growth.

Services:

• Interim CEO
• Interim General Counsel
• Business Plan Consulting and Organizational Design
• Employment and HR Counseling
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Corporate Governance / Legal Review and Strategy
• Public Affairs / Government Relations   
           

Ms. Verderame has held a number of consultative and strategic business roles over the last several years.  Highlights of her accomplishments include:  

• Led legal and strategic review of US$25B in acquisitions over 4 year period

• Produced SG&A savings of over US$85M by driving programs and reorganization of market unit under corporate restructuring

• Central member of the management team that catapulted growth of regional division from US$500M to US$3B in revenues, quadrupled workforce and achieved double-digit EBITDA increase through organic and inorganic growth

• Set and drove successful strategy for development and commercialization of a start-up’s patented technology, including software design, prototype development and market placement, valued in excess of US$65M 

• Developed and implemented across 4 different organizations a radical innovation in commercial contracting vehicles that resulted in substantially-reduced contract turnaround time and enhanced up-sell opportunities

• Achieved more than a decade of success in lobbying and public affairs campaigns and recognized as a principal leader in the international business communities on policy issues, particularly with respect to the UK and Europe

• Served as CEO for one of the largest and most successful business organizations in Washington, instituting systematic reforms to raise the substantive level and profile of the organization over a 3 year period

• Achieved the top Employee Engagement score of board-level managers 3 years running

For one of her most recent clients, Ms. Verderame served as the Interim CEO for a technology company that is pioneering a unique form of digital and web-based communications.  At Sage Connex LLC, Ms. Verderame set the company’s business strategy and developed their plan for execution toward the full development and commercialization of their patented technology, including software design, prototype development, public affairs and market placement.  Ms. Verderame also helped to recently found The Laconia Group, a successful start up that screens and markets cutting edge security-related technologies for the US Government, and continues to serve as its General Counsel. 

Ms. Verderame spent the bulk of her professional career in a variety of roles within BT (British Telecom) Group plc.  Her last role was Vice President and General Counsel for the company’s US operations, where she was a leading member of the management team that drove 150% revenue growth and a quadrupling of the workforce (via organic and inorganic activity) over a three-year period in the US.  During her tenure, Ms. Verderame led the company’s Legal Department, and was also responsible for various operational areas such as Procurement, Security and BT Federal (BT’s US Government sales organization).  Ms. Verderame was a leader on the team that drove US$25B in acquisitions, and produced SG&A savings of over US$85 by developing reduction programs and designing effective corporate restructuring and integration methodologies. 

Throughout her tenure with BT, Ms. Verderame also served as the head of BT’s lobbying and government affairs office in Washington, D.C. in which she was the senior advocate for the company’s interests in front of U.S. Government agencies and Washington-based policymakers and led the company’s international trade policy efforts.  She has extensive experience in telecommunications regulatory matters and designing and running international lobbying campaigns and programs to support business objectives.

Ms. Verderame holds several advisory roles outside of her day-to-day professional responsibilities.  She has been actively involved in the network of British-American organizations in the US and UK for years, and currently serves as the general counsel to the British American Business Council, the international umbrella organization that represents over 2,500 British and American businesses across 25 chapters in the US and the UK.  She is also past president of the Washington, D.C. chapter.  Ms. Verderame currently serves as the general counsel to the European-American Business Council, and as a Non-Executive Director for UK Trade & Investment.  She holds membership in the Federal Communications Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the bars of the State of Illinois , the District of Columbia, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. Court of International Trade.  Ms. Verderame is an accomplished public speaker, and has presented in numerous fora on a variety of international telecommunications policy, security, trade, employment and business issues. 

Ms. Verderame received her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School, and her Bachelors of Arts degree from Albion College, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with Honors.  Ms. Verderame has also completed post-JD course work at the Georgetown University Law Center.

Contact Information:

kverderame@ponderainternational.com

+1 703 980 7690