Leadership in the Law: Fireside Chat with Fred Wolens, Chief Legal Officer of Recorded Future

We are delighted to share with you our latest “Leadership in the Law” discussion with Fred Wolens, Chief Legal Officer of Recorded Future. Given that October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it was especially fitting to have Fred join us to share his insights working for one of the world’s premier cyber threat intelligence companies. I am also pleased to introduce to you my partner, Adam Hickey, who interviewed Fred for this episode.

Fred shared his path to becoming Chief Legal Officer and offered practical advice for walking through a major acquisition, drawing from his experience navigating Mastercard’s acquisition of Recorded Future in 2024. He also discussed the art of advising leadership, highlighting the importance of providing context and anchoring legal advice to business goals. Finally, Fred offered great guidance for outside counsel, noting that the most effective partners are those “who take a position” and view themselves as long-term stakeholders in their clients’ success.

About Fred

Fred Wolens is the Chief Legal Officer of Recorded Future, the threat intelligence company acquired by Mastercard in December 2024. He leads the company’s global legal function, spanning commercial contracting, privacy & data protection, compliance, intellectual property, and corporate governance.

Before Recorded Future, he was a member of Facebook’s Public Policy team, managing public relations and policy for security, privacy, and safety issues, and worked with technology companies including Airbnb, Uber, and SurveyMonkey, as well as the Office of the Shadow Foreign Secretary in the United Kingdom on technology policy research.

Fred holds a B.A. from Stanford University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.