Honorees Chosen Based on Contributions to Company, Leaders’ Role in Industry, Impact in Community, and More
Command Alkon is pleased to announce that the Birmingham Business Journal has named Emily Branum, Chief Legal and People Officer at Command Alkon, a recipient of the 2023 C-Suite Awards. This year, the annual recognition honors 15 outstanding executives who are playing a pivotal role in guiding companies through the challenges created by the pandemic, Great Resignation, and economic changes. Branum will join this year’s awardees at a special awards dinner on June 15 at the Harbert Center.
Emily joined Command Alkon in 2014 and has served in a number of leadership roles.
As Chief Legal Officer, Emily helps Command Alkon minimize its legal risks by advising other executive officers and board members on any major legal and regulatory issues. She oversees in-house attorneys and keeps the executive leadership team informed of new or changing laws that may affect or relate to our operations and industry. Emily and her team work to establish curriculum programs if necessary for employees who need to understand legal matters and protocols and keep members of the company aware of compliance issues and corporate governance.
For years, Emily served as the Chief Legal Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at the same time. During that time, the company completed six acquisitions, growing the product portfolio and geographic footprint. Emily played a key role in the sale of Command Alkon in 2020 to Thoma Bravo, the leading private equity investor in software.
With the addition of Chief People Officer under Emily’s leadership belt, Emily is in charge of managing the strategy and processes related to building and retaining an exceptional team of professionals through people-centered activities such as hiring, training, professional development, and performance management to ensure these efforts support the company’s growth and bottom line.
“Emily is a well-respected expert in our industry, and we are proud to see her leadership and impact recognized in this way,” said Martin Willoughby, Chief Executive Officer at Command Alkon. “Emily’s expertise, curiosity, and commitment to tracking new developments and encouraging our team to improve and think strategically, have been a driving force behind our success. I know I speak for our entire team in congratulating Emily on earning this distinction.”
Emily is extremely active in the Birmingham community, serving as a member of The Rotary Club of Birmingham, as well as having chaired various fundraisers and served in leadership positions across numerous organizations, including: The Boards of Directors of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra; The Women’s Fund; The Junior League; Preschool Partners; Impact Alabama; and PARCA. Emily was recognized by the Birmingham Business Journal in 2014 as a Top 40 Under 40 and in 2020 as a Woman to Watch, as well as a Provider Pro to Know in 2020 by Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine.
Branum was previously a partner in Balch and Bingham, Birmingham office where she served as co-chair of the firm’s corporate and securities practice group and represented some of Alabama’s largest companies in a variety of industries on corporate matters, acquisitions, divestitures, and intellectual property matters. Branum graduated from Baylor University in 1999 with BBA in marketing and earned her law degree in 2003 from the University of Richmond.
A full list of all of Birmingham Business Journal’s C-Suite Awards Honorees can be found here.