2006 Women to Watch: Anastasia Kelly
Posted On: Oct. 8, 2006 12:00 AM CST
Executive Vp, General Counsel
American International Group Inc.
New York
Age: 56
Before being appointed to her current position, Anastasia Kelly was executive vp and general counsel of MCI/WorldCom, where she helped the company emerge from bankruptcy and resolve all criminal and civil investigations after it filed a corporate financial restatement in April 2004.
Q: What advice would you give young women entering the industry today?
A: Young women should find a mentor and network within the industry. "Learn everything you can, stay flexible and don’t reject career paths out of hand because they may seem nontraditional."
Q: Who has had the greatest influence on your career and why?
A: While a number of people have had positive influences on her career, Ms. Kelly cites two former colleagues, Michael Helfer and P.J. Mode, at Wilmer, Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr L.L.P. as being particularly influential during her 10 years at the firm, where she honed her expertise counseling senior management and compliance officers of regulated industries on all aspects of federal regulation.