LEHI, Utah, Aug. 09, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ancestry, the global leader in family history and consumer genomics, today announced that Carla S. Newell is joining its senior leadership team as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel. Newell will lead the global legal team, supporting privacy, security, and risk management initiatives as the company continues to expand globally while accelerating the growth of its high-demand consumer genomics offering. Newell is succeeding William Stern, who is departing from Ancestry to pursue new business opportunities.
Prior to joining Ancestry, Newell spent more than a decade as Operating General Partner at Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV), a leading growth equity investor, where she led legal, investor relations and fundraising for the firm and its multi-billion dollar funds. Among TCV’s portfolio companies are many of the world’s most successful and recognizable consumer technology brands, including Expedia, Facebook, Fandango, Netflix, Spotify, and Zillow. Most recently she has served as an adviser and board member for a number of early stage technology companies and funds.
“Carla is exactly the type of leader we need at exactly the right moment. The combination of our core family history and DNA products are unleashing incredible consumer interest in understanding what our genes and heritage can tell us about ourselves. Carla is going to play an instrumental role in helping us maintain our momentum while ensuring that everything we do is respectful of the trust consumers place in us,” said Tim Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer of Ancestry. “Ancestry is breaking new ground in many areas, including the rapidly expanding category of consumer genomics, and her expertise will support the company as we continue to develop new innovations and technologies that help everyone, everywhere discover the story of what led to them.”
“I’m thrilled to join the company and help shape and support the company’s strategy to make self-discovery and family history more accessible to millions across the globe,” said Newell. “I look forward to helping Ancestry define the rapidly emerging consumer genomics market while building on the foundation of customer trust that they have built over the past two decades.”
Newell has worked with companies covering a wide range of sectors including cyber security, enterprise software and services, ecommerce and social media, witnessing the evolution in business models across these sectors and their impact on more traditional businesses. Additionally, Newell is an expert in structuring and negotiating complex business, investment and strategic transactions, including M&A. Prior to Technology Crossover Ventures she spent 15 years working with high growth technology companies as a Partner at two leading technology focused law firms, Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP and Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich. Newell earned a Juris Doctorate from The University of Michigan Law School and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Chicago.
"I want to thank Billy for his service at Ancestry for the past seven years," said Sullivan. "He was at the helm of the legal department during unprecedented growth, including commencing trading as a public company, a series of acquisitions, sponsorship of multiple TV series including Who Do You Think You Are? and the launch of our AncestryDNA business. We’ll miss his humor and sharp mind and wish him the best of luck in his new opportunities."
About Ancestry
Ancestry, the global leader in family history and consumer genomics, harnesses the information found in family trees, historical records, and DNA to help people gain a new level of understanding about their lives. Ancestry has more than 2.4 million paying subscribers across its core Ancestry websites and more than 2 million DNA samples in the AncestryDNA database. Since 1996, more than 18 billion records have been added, and users have created more than 80 million family trees on the Ancestry flagship site and its affiliated international websites. Ancestry offers a suite of family history products and services including AncestryDNA, Archives, ProGenealogists, Newspapers.com and Fold3.