Mathew McNeeley
VP, Legal Operations and Business Affairs @D2L
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WORK HISTORY
VP, Legal Operations and Business Affairs @D2L
CA
As VP, Legal Operations & Business Affairs at D2L, I lead strategic initiatives that drive company success, from AI governance to complex M&A transactions. My expertise in legal, operational, and technological domains enables me to excel in challenging environments and deliver impactful results.A Few Key Accomplishments:M&A and Divestitures- Recently led the $33M acquisition of H5P Group AS, and $4.5M acquisition of Connected Shopping Ltd, overseeing legal diligence and negotiations to ensure a timely close announced at D2L Fusion after weeks of intensive preparation- Oversaw the legal components of the highly complex spinout (divestiture) of SkillsWave, including the transactional agreements and securing a key agreement with a large customer that facilitated an on-time close and strategic success.AI Governance- Launched D2L’s AI Governance Program, establishing key policies like the AI Policy and AI Acceptable Use Policy, and developing a thorough AI Impact Assessment- Created and launched an AI Governance Course on D2L Open Courses, generating awareness of AI governance to the public.Commercial Deals- Led negotiations for well over 150 commercial contracts, including some of D2L’s largest vendor, partner, and customer agreements with entities like Ontario’s Ministry of Education, Queensland TAFE, Canadian Red Cross and the American Nurses Association.Leadership & Team Development- Transformed the Legal team by mentoring staff into proficient professionals, significantly enhancing team capabilities and performance while achieving long term retention- Annually trained the Sales teams on negotiation strategies and techniques to achieve better outcomes for D2L- Implemented Jira workload management for the Legal department, resulting in faster response times and better balanced workloads.I’m committed to strategic innovation and excellence, comfortable with challenging the status quo to drive positive transformative change.
EDUCATION
University of Guelph
MA, English Literature
The University of British Columbia
BA, English and Philosophy
SKILLS
ABOUT MATHEW MCNEELEY
Bringing clarity to complexity is my passion. I excel at connecting big-picture strategies with operational details, especially through the lenses of legal, operations, and technology. As VP, Legal Operations and Business Affairs at D2L, I manage our Legal team’s day-to-day operations, steering business and transactional strategies, optimizing processes, managing resources, and coaching for success. My role often involves structuring innovative business development opportunities, from new product launches to strategic corporate projects that blend legal, technical, and operational insights.Recent Key Achievements- Provided leadership of D2L’s successful $150M initial public offering, managing cross-departmental activities and overseeing the entire process from prospectus drafting through closing- Lead the negotiation of hundreds of commercial contracts including some of D2L’s largest vendor and customer agreements including agreements with Technology Enabled Learning Ontario (Ontario Ministry of Education), an agreement to serve all of Ontario’s public K-12 schools- Directed the $33M acquisition of H5P Group AS in 2024, as well as the $4.5M acquisition of Connected Shopping Ltd, leading legal diligence and contracting to achieve on-schedule closing- Oversaw the legal components of the spin-out of SkillsWave, including negotiating critical agreements that ensured timely completion- Launched D2L’s AI Governance Program, creating company-wide AI policies, leading cross-functional working groups, and driving the development of an online AI Governance Course that generated nearly 100 active sales leads.Recognized Leadership: I’ve been described as the \"Swiss army knife\" of the business, trusted to navigate high-pressure situations with tact and creativity. My broad skill set across technical, legal, operational, and managerial domains allows me to take on some of D2L’s most complex and delicate projects.Beyond work, I’m passionate about continuous growth, both personally and professionally. You might find me building datasets, exploring the world with my young son, or transforming my hockey skills into figure skating (yes, just like *The Cutting Edge*). My meditation practice keeps me grounded, and I’m deeply inspired by books like *Deep Work* and *Peak Performance* in my pursuit of focused efficiency in a world full of distractions.If you share my passion for innovation and focused work or have insights to offer, let’s connect. And if you’ve got tips on nailing that triple axle, I’m all ears!
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