AI & DIGITAL PIONEER

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Alexia Maas is an experienced leader of Organizational and Digital Transformation and AI Strategy & Implementation having been an early adopter of emerging technologies - including AI and machine learning tools - as early as 2014. Below is an overview of her journey so far:

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• 2014-2016: An early pioneer for the emerging Legal Tech industry, introducing a combination of IT solutions to enable the Legal & Compliance function to deliver greater value and enhance operational efficiency to the Business.  Solutions included data driven, automated and early AI/ML tools to support:

  • Matter Management

  • Business Intelligence & Regulatory Compliance

  • Contract Management

  • Regulatory Change Mapping

• 2016: Supervised, coordinated and led the research, solution design, vendor selection, and global roll out of a sophisticated automated screening system to enable constant, daily, real time compliance with a complex regime of global Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Regulations for a global financial services company with $25bn+ managed assets. The solution:

  • Linked to thousands of external databases, blacklists and other online screening resources around the world (including scanning for adverse press and PEP (politically exposes persons) screening).

  • Was fully integrated with existing business systems, including origination, contract and customer management systems.

  • Provided automated screening with live updates in real time.

  • Had extensive reporting capabilities; and

  • Delivered compliance at speed with the necessary audit trails.

• 2018: Led 2nd digital transformation of global legal & compliance function to support business initiatives addressing FinTech disruption.  Enhancements included:

  • Enabling a compliant system for e-signatures globally

  • Executive sponsor of an incubation lab for AI and FinTech startups to work on internal use cases.  Working with German AI startup to develop AI and automated/machine learning chatbot for common legal & compliance FAQs and repetitive processes.

• 2019-2021: Led 3rd digital transformation of global legal & compliance function to enable even broader levels of systemized processes and operational efficiencies, including streamlining the contract review & approval process. This project, although initiated prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, was perfectly timed to meet the urgent needs of remote work as they surfaced with the international response to the pandemic.

• 2021: became certified by MIT Sloan School of Management in Organizational Design for Digital Transformation.  Key takeaways:

  • Leveraging business design and strategy inspired by technology to drive digital transformation.

  • Driving operational excellence through a stable and integrated operational backbone that supports digital innovation.

  • Investigating the use of technology and customer needs to develop digital solutions.

  • Building repositories of digital components to enable rapid innovation of digital offerings.

  • Developing a culture of innovation within a framework of accountability.

  • Using organizational design to propel digital strategy and implement digital transformation.

• 2021-2024: Continued to lead tech and digital evolution of legal & compliance function and, as a member of the C-Suite Executive Team, acted as Executive Sponsor and Champion for the company’s own Digital Transformation.

• 2022-2025: Developed innovative time & efficiency methods based on personal research and practical application. After seeing profound impact and success personally, I led a wide scale Operational Efficiency Transformation project within my global team. Over 8 months we identified potential time savings of thousands of hours per year and equally significant cost savings.  My personal journey to this point, and the various methods of efficiency I learned and fine-tuned over the years, inspired me to share my story and methods with others leading to my first book on the topic – Stealing Back™ TIME – published in April 2025 and now available worldwide on Amazon and Audible (Sept 2025).

• 2025: currently enrolled in MIT certification program for AI Strategy and Leadership. Program equips leaders with the critical tools and strategies needed to:

  • Examine how AI enables new enterprise activities that transform how organizations operate.

  • Design a road map for integrating AI and data into your organization or department.

  • Assess essential leadership and AI concepts, applying those AI insights within the organization to stay competitive.

  • Create an organizational or departmental AI and Data Strategy.

  • Create new processes to increase AI and Data transparency and accountability.

  • Apply AI tools to leadership processes and improve leadership capabilities.

  • Assess and evaluate leadership mindset, ability to innovate and reinvent in a changing world, and ability to respond to change.

  • Leveraging organizational architecture – individual, team and system-wide - to support and plan an AI-led future.

  • Demonstrate the strategic role of leadership in building human-AI ecosystems.

 

AI & DIGITAL THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Below are a few highlights from my public speaking and thought leadership activities over the past 15 years that relate to AI and Digital Transformation:

• 2025: Led and moderated an in-person panel of industry experts on the topic of Responsible AI Strategies for Law Firms.  (Ignite 2025, Annual Conference hosted by SurePoint Technologies. Austin, TX). *This one was so popular, 2 follow up sessions have already been booked.

• 2025: Participated in Managing Partner Lab discussions on AI use cases and adoption. (Ignite 2025, Annual Conference hosted by SurePoint Technologies. Austin, TX)

• 2025: Participated in New York roundtable discussions hosted by Deloitte and Paul Weiss, discussing AI adoption and challenges for Chief Legal Officers and in-house teams.

• 2024: Guest panelist with Global Counsel Leaders and Factor Law on the topic of Speeding Progress on Digital and AI for Legal.

• 2024: Guest speaker on webinar hosted by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) on topics including Strategies to Navigate Regulatory Compliance, Data Privacy and AI challenges among Legal Teams.

• 2022: Solo Guest speaker on podcast hosted by UpLevel Ops on The Strategic GC: Key Disruptors, Challenges & Opportunities; Leveraging Legal Ops & Technology.

• 2019: Solo Presenter at the Summit on Legal Innovation and Disruption (SOLID West), San Francisco, CA – speaking on The Evolving Role of the GC and Embracing Disruption in Industry

• 2018: Guest Speaker at the College of Law Practice Management, and Suffolk University Law School – speaking on Cybersecurity from Inside the General Counsel’s Foxhole.

• 2018: Guest Speaker at Eversheds Sutherland, NY and Global Counsel Leaders’ roundtable event – speaking on Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Compliance.

• 2016: Keynote Speaker at the Terralex 25th Anniversary Global Conference – speaking on The Future of the Legal Profession: exploring trends, innovations, challenges & opportunities in the next 10 years.

• 2015: Guest Speaker with Ericsson at the EGCA (European General Counsel Association) conference in Stockholm, Sweden – speaking on How In-House Legal Depts. can add value and enhance operational efficiency by embracing technology.