Samantha Brem

About Samantha Brem

Entrepreneurial General Counsel with a proven record of building and leading legal functions for Public, Private, and Private Equity (PE) owned companies across diverse, complex industries (Manufacturing, Consumer/Building Products, Life Sciences/Biopharma). Strategic, creative, and business-savvy executive adept at balancing business and legal risk. A hands-on advisor who takes pride in learning the business and understanding its needs. Recognized as a trusted “go to” person.Core Competencies & Impact:• Strategic Growth Leader: Proven ability to build, scale, and lead teams in lean environments and through aggressive growth periods (start-up to Fortune 200)• M & ;A: Led internal legal strategy for complex transactions from initial evaluation through post-closing integration• Value Creation and Risk Mitigation: Proactively balances legal and business risk to enable business growth and create value for shareholders and investors• Business Expansion: Launched new business divisions for a publicly traded company, managing the legal process from initial concept evaluation to independent operation• Global Legal Scaling: Supported a Fortune 200 company\'s legal needs during global growth, creating new legal teams in Europe and Asia• Key Contract Negotiation: Negotiated and drafted commercial contracts (customer, supplier, licensing) to secure business relationships and minimize risk• Cross-Functional Leadership: Established and led diverse, multi-cultural legal teams and served as a trusted partner to executives, investors, directors, and cross-functional business leaders• Crisis Management: Leader on Crisis Management and Business Continuity teams, providing immediate and decisive counsel during critical events (e.g, force majeure events, SEC inquiries, funding challenges)• Litigation, Claims Management: Managed global claims and litigation, strategically selecting and supervising outside counsel and implementing cost-saving fee arrangements• Operational Excellence: Implemented process improvements and project management initiatives (e.g, litigation response protocols, record retention policies) to maximize efficiency and legal department agility• Broad Industry Acumen: Deep legal and business knowledge across diverse sectors - Manufacturing, Consumer/Building Products, Biopharma• Executive Communication: Translates complex legal issues into clear, actionable business advice, develops rapport and trusting and collaborative relationships across the organization

Experience

1. General Counsel

   Ascend Advanced Therapies

   Sep 2025 — Present · FL, US

   General Counsel of private equity owned contract design & manufacturing organization (CDMO) in the biopharmaceutical industry. • Executive Leadership & Strategy: Key member of the executive leadership team working directly with the Board and PE investors to drive business growth, meet critical customer demands, and execute the investor thesis.• Business Growth & Restructuring: Negotiate contracts and strategic transactions. Lead the successful legal and operational integration of entities within the Ascend group via internal asset management, corporate restructuring, divisional divestiture, IP transfers, funding/raising capital, policy creation. • Risk Mitigation & Crisis Management: Advise on complex business and legal risks including: C-suite changes, operational issues, customer contracts, IP licensing, claims & litigation.

Education

• Stetson University College of Law

  Juris Doctor (J.D.)

• Eckerd College

  Bachelor’s Degree, Psychology

Skills

• Strategic Negotiations
• Deal Negotiation
• Project Management
• Risk Analysis
• Training & Development
• Litigation Support
• Presentation Skills
• Business Partner Support
• Coaching & Mentoring
• Decision-Making
• Cross-Cultural Teams
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Excellent Verbal & Written Communication Skills
• Legal Advice
• Dispute Resolution
• Drafting Agreements
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Mitigation
• Litigation
• Strategy
• Negotiation
• Integration
• Legal Compliance
• Strategic Thinking
• Mediation
• Management
• Employment Litigation
• Business Acumen
• Creative Problem Solving
• International Business
• Leadership
• Litigation Management
• Risk Management
• Process Improvement
• Contract Negotiation
• Management of Outside Counsel
• Client Counseling