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ServiceNow has announced a significant addition to its executive leadership team with the appointment of Hossein Nowbar as President and Chief Legal Officer (CLO). Nowbar joins from Microsoft Corporation, where he most recently served as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Vice President, bringing over three decades of experience in technology law, public policy, and global corporate governance. This strategic hire underscores ServiceNow's focus on navigating complex regulatory landscapes as it pursues accelerated global growth.
ServiceNow appoints Hossein Nowbar, former Microsoft CLO, as its new President and Chief Legal Officer.
Nowbar brings over 25 years of experience from Microsoft, specializing in AI, IP, privacy, and global regulatory policy.
He will oversee global legal, compliance, governance, risk, government affairs, and sustainability at ServiceNow.
Outgoing CLO Russ Elmer transitions to a Special Counsel role to ensure continuity.
The appointment is aimed at strengthening trust and enabling responsible innovation during ServiceNow's next growth phase.
Nowbar's expertise is critical for navigating the evolving regulatory environment for enterprise AI and software.
ServiceNow's appointment of Hossein Nowbar to the dual role of President and CLO signals a strategic investment in executive leadership capable of managing the complex legal, policy, and governance challenges that accompany rapid scale. As ServiceNow accelerates its profitable global growth strategy, Nowbar's deep experience at Microsoft positions him to build a robust framework that supports innovation while maintaining the highest standards of integrity and compliance on a worldwide stage.
The appointment received strong endorsements from leadership at both ServiceNow and Microsoft, highlighting Nowbar's proven track record. Bill McDermott, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ServiceNow, stated, “Hossein brings the leadership this moment demands as we accelerate our profitable global growth strategy. Having served as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to senior technology and policy leaders at Microsoft, he has seen firsthand what world-class legal and corporate governance looks like at scale. Hossein represents a strategic addition as we enter our next phase of growth while upholding the trust of our customers, shareholders, and partners worldwide.”
Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President at Microsoft, added, “ServiceNow has long been a valued partner to Microsoft, and I’m excited that Hossein will build on his success as he steps into this important role at the company. Having worked closely with Hossein for more than 25 years, I can say first-hand that ServiceNow is incredibly fortunate to have him.”
Nowbar is recognized as an expert on critical issues facing the enterprise technology sector, including artificial intelligence, intellectual property, privacy, security, and cross-border data regulation. His career at Microsoft spanned more than 25 years, where he advanced from general counsel for strategic businesses like Cloud and AI to General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, and finally to Chief Legal Officer. This background provides him with a firsthand understanding of the operational and regulatory complexities at the largest scale.
In his new capacity, Nowbar will oversee ServiceNow's global legal, ethics, governance, compliance, risk, and corporate affairs organizations. His mandate extends to ServiceNow.org, impact and sustainability, and government affairs. By partnering with the executive leadership team, his focus will be on advancing responsible innovation and strengthening the trust framework that underpins ServiceNow's long-term strategy, ensuring the company can navigate geopolitical and regulatory shifts effectively.
About ServiceNow
ServiceNow is the AI control tower for business reinvention. The ServiceNow AI Platform integrates with any cloud, any model, and any data source to orchestrate how work flows across the enterprise. By unifying legacy systems, departmental tools, cloud applications, and AI agents, ServiceNow provides a single pane of glass that connects intelligence to execution across every corner of business. With more than 75 billion workflows running on the platform each year, ServiceNow helps organizations turn fragmented operations into coordinated, autonomous workflows that deliver measurable results.
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