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Gindi Vincent has a long and complicated title at Honeywell: General Counsel for Integrated Supply Chain and Procurement for Energy and Sustainability Solutions.
Her responsibilities are even longer. The Honeywell businesses that she advises in-house include UOP, Advanced Materials and STS; she handles complex commercial negotiations and disputes for global Integrated Supply Chain and Procurement.
Last year, she led Honeywell’s $670 million acquisition of Compressor Controls Corporation, a provider of turbomachinery control and optimization processes in service of LNG, gas processing, refining and petrochemical production.
She’s also a prominent voice in the ABA’s Commission on Women in the Profession and the mother of triplets.
The Texas Lawbook took advantage of an opportunity to ask her a wide variety of questions, both personal and professional, including what she looks for, and expects from, in outside counsel.
The Texas Lawbook: What have the biggest business or legal successes during your time at Honeywell?
Gindi Vincent: My favorite success was closing the CCC deal. I loved getting to know the CCC team, spending time in Iowa with them during the process and then getting to head the legal integration after closing. I’ve had lots of fun moments at Honeywell in two and a half years, but the CCC acquisition was the best.
Lawbook: What has been your best day working at Honeywell?
Vincent: Sort of silly, but my first day. It was such a huge move after nine years at Exxon. I was hired by a great GC, I thought, but you just don’t really know until you start. The first day I spent the entire thing with the GC, my new boss, going through everything I needed to know. From trainings to people I’d work with, all sorts of random info you don’t even know to ask. I had never had a new company spend an entire day with me making sure I knew where to go and what to do. It was very reassuring.
Lawbook: What are the factors you consider when deciding about hiring outside counsel?
Vincent: I love to hire people I’ve gotten to know over the years, so I have a trust relationship quickly. At Honeywell though, I’ve now worked with three law firms who were brand new to me. They have all killed it, and it’s because they are so responsive and insightful. I want to work with people smarter than me. There’s a lot I don’t know, and I love working with the experts who can see around the corners where I’m blind.
Lawbook: What does outside counsel need to know about you?
Vincent: Be brief and direct. Don’t sugar coat things. The best advice I got from a partner when I was at Pillsbury was to ask the client what result they want and then work backwards to figure out how to get there. I still use that today.
Lawbook: Tell us about your work for the Women’s Network and why it is important to you?
Vincent: The Women’s Energy Network combined what I love the most: building relationships, developing young leaders and arming women with the knowledge they need to succeed in industry. I’m incredibly passionate about investing in the next generation of women leaders. We should be making sure they’re building a network which will make them smarter and open doors. WEN also creates ways for current leaders to inspire, mentor and share their knowledge. I had the opportunity to lead WEN’s community efforts when I chaired the charity lunch, to connect executive women by chairing WEN’s executive membership, to develop the mentorship modules for the mentoring program as programs director, and then ultimately to lead all aspects of WEN’s offerings as president elect and president.
Lawbook: What pro bono efforts are you currently handling?
Vincent: I am the leader of Honeywell’s Houston pro bono activities. We have numerous events planned this year — the next one is serving veterans with [the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program] at the veteran’s clinic at the DeBakey VA Medical Center. My favorite pro bono project is our fall work with Street Law. I was so impressed with the students participating last year and loved supporting their team negotiations at South Texas College of Law.
Click here to read the full profile of Gindi Vincent.