Amazon.com Inc., one of the world’s largest e-commerce companies, has recently seen a shift in responsibilities within its C-Suite. David Zapolsky, the general counsel for Amazon who oversees one of the largest corporate law departments in the world, has moved some of his responsibilities to Mark Hoffman, another lawyer for the company.
Hoffman, who was a former chair of the public company and corporate governance practice at DLA Piper, quietly took on Amazon’s corporate secretary role in January, a role previously held by Zapolsky for over a decade. According to a party familiar with the matter, Zapolsky handed over this title after assuming leadership for global public policy at Amazon last year.
The move was primarily designed to lighten Zapolsky’s increasingly busy schedule. Additionally, there was a change in roles for Michael Deal, another longtime Amazon lawyer. He became the associate general counsel for global media and entertainment last year, overseeing legal, regulatory, and compliance issues related to several significant sectors within Amazon like Music, MGM Studios, Games, Prime Video, and Audible, among others.
Interestingly, Amazon’s recent decision to separate the positions of the corporate secretary and the top legal executive is not common. A recent study released by the Association of Corporate Counsel suggests that companies which pair these two roles together often witness fewer instances of shareholder litigation, regulatory violations, and other penalties.
Despite not being explicitly detailed in Amazon’s recent proxy statement, a deeper examination of the document confirms the new titles for Hoffman and Zapolsky.